Arrow's Flight by Mercedes Lackey

Arrow’s Flight is honestly the first true look we’ve gotten as to what Heralds get up to on a daily basis. The regular ones, anyway. That makes sense as it’s part of the first Heralds of Valdemar series and what I’ve been reading up til now (Chronologically) just wasn’t meant to be a primer or Heralds and what they do. Not that there isn’t plenty of that, but Arrow’s Flight really drives all that home and very well.

I love the Prologue. Glad it wasn’t a first intro to Valdemar, but it’s a pretty cool intro and recap rolled into one.

I said in my last review that Lord Orthallen was one of the conspirators… apparently I was wrong. The man is rather prominent, though. Aaand sowing seeds of doubt about Talia and her Empathy… even if he says he’s maintained he’s not the one sowing those seeds. I’m definitely with Talia is being extremely wary of him, as I have been since his first chronological appearance.

I did not remember the thing about the arrows. Still probably won’t remember it… It makes sense in the context of not all Heralds having Gifts and apparently not even able to talk to their Companions the way everyone up until Talia has been able to… at least that I’ve read. However, as we’re not drilled as much as the characters about it, it probably won’t stick in my brain at all.

A good chunk of this book has me screaming at the characters to fucking talk to each other. They keep wanting to and then not doing it, which is CLEARLY just making things worse. Ugh. That even Rolan won’t talk about it is so stupid. Like, I know he can’t speak directly to Talia, but Kris and Tantris can act as go-betweens for that. Just uuuugghhhh. Add to that the misunderstanding Talia and Kris end up having about their relationship… just much groaning and eye rolling on my part. I hate when people who should talk to each other just don’t for whatever reason.

I liked getting to see some actual Gift training. It’s all well and good to be told this stuff, but it’s another thing to be seeing it through the eyes of the characters. I feel like the last book was more of the former. I like that it turns out Talia wasn’t just automatically able to perfectly control her Gift. Makes her less of a Mary Sue character. I am not so fond of everyone and their mother being afraid of her because of the rumors about her Gift, but I suppose the adversity helped?

I did ultimately enjoy Arrow’s Flight. I feel like we got a better understanding of Valdemar as a realm, rather than just the stuff at the Capital. I also quite enjoyed getting more of Talia’s grown up character, as opposed to her unfinished version. Arrow’s Flight is solid and I’m looking forward to the next part of Talia’s story. 

Favorite Lines

"Oh, huzzah, I'm a marvel of coordination. I can kill anything on two legs. That's a terrific qualification for being Heir." - Elspeth

"In that case, I can assume it's safe to come to bed?"

     "I wouldn't murder you there, anyway," she replied with a hint of her old sense of humor. "It would get the blankets all sticky." - Kris and Talia