What do you think?
Rate this book
Valdemar: Family Spies #3
Spy, Spy Again
Now in paperback, the third novel of the Family Spies series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, where Heralds Mags and Amily's youngest child must follow in his parents' footsteps to protect both his family and the realm.
Thirteen year old Prince Kyril and Mags and Amily's fourteen-year-old son Tory share the Gift of Farsight--although neither of them are Chosen. They are self-trained, though currently, their shared Gift only allows them to see what is happening with their immediate family members.
After much debate, the Herald's Collegium has decided to test and train them anyway. That's when the surprises start. They do not share a single Gift; they have two complementary Gifts working together in a way that the Heralds have never seen before. Tory is the Farseer--Kee's Gift is to extend his range beyond a few dozen feet.
Their Gifts become crucial when Mags gets a desperate message from his cousin Bey, the head of the enigmatic assassin-tribe, the Sleepgivers. Bey's eldest daughter has been kidnapped, but he doesn't know why or by whom. He's calling in the debt Mags owes him to find his daughter before it's too late.
Tory is certain that if anyone can find her, he can. But that will mean traveling out of Valdemar into an unknown, dangerous country. And it will mean taking a Royal Prince with him.
Thirteen year old Prince Kyril and Mags and Amily's fourteen-year-old son Tory share the Gift of Farsight--although neither of them are Chosen. They are self-trained, though currently, their shared Gift only allows them to see what is happening with their immediate family members.
After much debate, the Herald's Collegium has decided to test and train them anyway. That's when the surprises start. They do not share a single Gift; they have two complementary Gifts working together in a way that the Heralds have never seen before. Tory is the Farseer--Kee's Gift is to extend his range beyond a few dozen feet.
Their Gifts become crucial when Mags gets a desperate message from his cousin Bey, the head of the enigmatic assassin-tribe, the Sleepgivers. Bey's eldest daughter has been kidnapped, but he doesn't know why or by whom. He's calling in the debt Mags owes him to find his daughter before it's too late.
Tory is certain that if anyone can find her, he can. But that will mean traveling out of Valdemar into an unknown, dangerous country. And it will mean taking a Royal Prince with him.
324 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 9, 2020
370 people are currently reading
1348 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
441 books9,536 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
April 20, 2020
Mercedes Lackey’s books are the equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate and your favorite sweats on a cold night. They are sweet, comfortable and soothing in their way. If you are brave, true and work hard things will be okay and the day can be won. Her books also come with a message of pick decent friends and stable loving relationships are great. So if you’re in need of a little stress relief pick up the Valdemar books and escape for a while.
I’m presuming most folks reading this review are already familiar with this series since this is a book 3 of a set in a world she’s been writing in for 33 years but if you aren’t go find either Arrows of the Queen for the oldest book or The Black Gryphon for the book set in the world’s past.
And yes, I’m rounding my stars up to 4 for this when it probably deserves a 3 point something but I love this world and its positivity so I’m going up instead of down in picking my star total for it!
I’m presuming most folks reading this review are already familiar with this series since this is a book 3 of a set in a world she’s been writing in for 33 years but if you aren’t go find either Arrows of the Queen for the oldest book or The Black Gryphon for the book set in the world’s past.
And yes, I’m rounding my stars up to 4 for this when it probably deserves a 3 point something but I love this world and its positivity so I’m going up instead of down in picking my star total for it!
June 10, 2020
Assassin challenges!
Interesting connections with Herald Mags have us learning more about his relatives amongst the assasin Nation, the Sleepgivers. Mags' son Tory and Prince Kyril—Kee, (quite a way down the line to throne of Valdemar) are sent into Ruven to investigate the disappearance of a cousin.
Tory has been understudy to his father Mags who is in charge of the King’s intelligence network, working as an agent since he was small. His best friend Kee and he strove to improve their many skills. Mags had been the "heir to the Banner Bearer of the Nation" of the Sleepgivers. But that's a whole nother story, that impinges on this one.
Tory 's relation, Siratai, a talented sleepgiver finds herself captured by Karsite Demons and taken to the "demon-summoning priests of Vkandis, a minority of the priests of the Karsites." Sira is held in a fortified tower and is trying to seem harmless and nothing more than an innocent traveler. That changes!
In Valdemar Tory and Kee are "hit with something. Not a vision...it was all emotion and a little thought. Mostly anger." This far seeing / mind calling needs to be investigated and they are chosen to do just that. And why did Kee feel it too? When Sira's brother turns up in Valdemar they join him journeying to Rethwellan, near the Karsite Border, to begin the search.
Delving more deeply into these inahabitants of Ruven opens up new vistas, and some interesting and different elementals with varying powers coming into play. That's exciting! Coming face to face with the Karsite demons, meeting them, is something I really can't remember from previous novels. Some of their mystery is revealed.
This makes for compelling reading, especially about the inhabitants beyond Valdemar. After all these years of reading Lackey, I am still intrigued. Her voice remains unmistakable and strong.
An enjoyable addition to the many nations, clans and individuals populating Lackey's Baldemar universe.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
Interesting connections with Herald Mags have us learning more about his relatives amongst the assasin Nation, the Sleepgivers. Mags' son Tory and Prince Kyril—Kee, (quite a way down the line to throne of Valdemar) are sent into Ruven to investigate the disappearance of a cousin.
Tory has been understudy to his father Mags who is in charge of the King’s intelligence network, working as an agent since he was small. His best friend Kee and he strove to improve their many skills. Mags had been the "heir to the Banner Bearer of the Nation" of the Sleepgivers. But that's a whole nother story, that impinges on this one.
Tory 's relation, Siratai, a talented sleepgiver finds herself captured by Karsite Demons and taken to the "demon-summoning priests of Vkandis, a minority of the priests of the Karsites." Sira is held in a fortified tower and is trying to seem harmless and nothing more than an innocent traveler. That changes!
In Valdemar Tory and Kee are "hit with something. Not a vision...it was all emotion and a little thought. Mostly anger." This far seeing / mind calling needs to be investigated and they are chosen to do just that. And why did Kee feel it too? When Sira's brother turns up in Valdemar they join him journeying to Rethwellan, near the Karsite Border, to begin the search.
Delving more deeply into these inahabitants of Ruven opens up new vistas, and some interesting and different elementals with varying powers coming into play. That's exciting! Coming face to face with the Karsite demons, meeting them, is something I really can't remember from previous novels. Some of their mystery is revealed.
This makes for compelling reading, especially about the inhabitants beyond Valdemar. After all these years of reading Lackey, I am still intrigued. Her voice remains unmistakable and strong.
An enjoyable addition to the many nations, clans and individuals populating Lackey's Baldemar universe.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
June 30, 2020
Not her strongest Herald tale, but cozy reading and more exploration of the world within. There are the usual batch of family names in relation to Herald Mags, and new magics that we get to see as well. The ending was a pleasant surprise and well rounded out the story. I look forward to the next installment! 4 🌟!
May 14, 2020
I assume this is the final novel in the Family Spies series, since each one focused on one of Mags’s children and with this, all of his children have had a novel to themselves, or at least mostly so. I hope it will at least be the end of titles that are strange puns on phrases with words that rhyme with “spy;” thus far, none of the titles really seem to match up with what happens in the novel, except for having a spy in them. The Hills Have Spies didn’t involve hilly regions that needed spying on or had spies hiding out, Eye Spy was just.. I mean, the pun is obvious but it really doesn’t have much to do with the content, and Spy, Spy Again sounds like it could be a story about a spy getting incorrect information and having to ferret out the truth, but that isn’t actually the case.
Spy, Spy Again focuses its attention on Tory, and Prince Kyril, better known as Kee. The two have a strange Gift that works best when they’re together, and it allows them to Farsee anybody they’re related to. They know who they have to keep an eye on, until one day they received a frightened distress call from an unknown person, in an unknown place. Given their joint Gift, this call could only be from someone on Mags’s side of the family, from the Sleepgiver Nation. Kee feels extremely compelled to rush to the aid of this stranger, dragging Tory along with him, and sending them both on an adventure outside Valdemar’s borders that’s unlike any other.
I have to say, this was probably the most interesting novel in the Family Spies series, largely because it did feel very similar to Valdemar stories I’d read in the past. The grand adventure into the unknown, the discovery of seeing new lands and meeting new peoples, and watching the lives of young people get shaped by what they see outside of their comfort zone. But more than that, readers get to see far more of the assassin nation that Mags descended from, a plot point that starred in a previous novel, got a couple of passing mentions in other novels, but never really had the chance to be explored. What sort of people were they? How did they live, when they weren’t killing people for money? Spy, Spy Again doesn’t just keep the spotlight on Kee and Tory, but also shifts to that of Sira, one of the Nation’s people, and the distant relative of Tory’s who sent out the distress call that prompted Kee and Tory into action. Through her actions and observations, readers get to see life inside the Nation, and this adds a fair bit to what was previously a rather flimsy aspect to Velgarth’s world-building.
Like many of the more recent Valdemar novels, however, this one leaves me with questions. Not the sort of questions that could lead to other novels getting written, but just dangling threads that don’t tie up well. Why does Mags speak normally in The Hills Have Spies and for the first little bit of Eye Spy but then switch back to his “country” accent and continue to speak that way right up to this book? If the border around Valdemar that keeps true magic out also prevents thinking about magic in any practical sense, is Tory going to be able to remember much of what he saw of magic when he was outside Valdemar?
We also see the usual spate of internal contradictions that unfortunately seem to plague Valdemar novels. This isn’t a new thing (I found one as far back as the Last Herald-Mage trilogy), but it is frustrating when what gets established in one book gets contradicted in another. The biggest one I can think of here is declaring that when Vanyel set up the barrier to keep Mages out of Valdemar in the first place, he deliberately made it so that people had a hard time even thinking of magic. It was established many many novels ago that for one, Vanyel established that long-lasting spell not to keep Mages out but to make the vrondi (air spirits that Vanyel used in said spell) alert Herald-Mages whenever magic was used within the borders, and with no Herald-Mages to alert, now the vrondi just watch. Endlessly. Driving mages mad, so they either so insane and die, or flee the country. The unintended effect was mages going mad, since Vanyel didn’t really anticipate a lack of Herald-Mages in Valdemar’s future until after he cast that spell. That people couldn’t even really think about magic as anything other than some legendary storytime ability was a very unintended consequence. Not intentional.
It’s things like that which have turned me excitement over new Valdemar novels to trepidation. I still love the world, I really do, but it seems like with every new book, something new is written into the lore that directly goes again something that was previously written. And it boggles my mind that nobody seems to catch this stuff and point it out to her before, you know, letting the books get published. Sometimes the errors are small, like calling Karse’s god Vkanda instead of Vkandis. Other times, the contradictions are large, or result in a timeline in which the timeline gets horribly muddied and makes no sense anymore.
But as I said, that’s not a problem specific to this novel. That’s been a problem for a while. It’s just that as the contradictions add up over time, I start to feel more cautious about reading new novels in the series, because I know in advance that I’m dealing with the works of an author who can’t keep her world-building straight.
At least when it comes to the assassin Nation, nothing really gets contradicted, so there is that. I guess that’s a benefit to writing about a Nation in a state of change. They’re assassins now, Sleepgivers, dealers in death, but change is being worked slowly, through generations, so that they will no longer be assassins for hire, but bodyguards. Given that they also operate out of a country that Valdemar hasn’t had much call to deal with in previous novels, it’s easy to handwave why no Sleepgivers ever popped up again, especially when foreign assassins did show up in other Valdemar novels. It’s a good way to get around that, as well as to add some additional richness to the world.
As I mentioned previously, a lot of Spy, Spy Again felt a lot like earlier novels in the Valdemar series, with their exciting adventures that ave consequences beyond the moment. It was a fun read, and while I still approached with caution, I found myself turning the pages voraciously, eager to keep reading and to find out what happens next. If you have to pick one single book in the Family Spies series to read, make it this one; it’s the best of the bunch, and makes for a comforting yet entertaining fantasy adventure in a much-beloved world.
(And now maybe we can have some stories that have absolutely nothing to do with Mags…)
Spy, Spy Again focuses its attention on Tory, and Prince Kyril, better known as Kee. The two have a strange Gift that works best when they’re together, and it allows them to Farsee anybody they’re related to. They know who they have to keep an eye on, until one day they received a frightened distress call from an unknown person, in an unknown place. Given their joint Gift, this call could only be from someone on Mags’s side of the family, from the Sleepgiver Nation. Kee feels extremely compelled to rush to the aid of this stranger, dragging Tory along with him, and sending them both on an adventure outside Valdemar’s borders that’s unlike any other.
I have to say, this was probably the most interesting novel in the Family Spies series, largely because it did feel very similar to Valdemar stories I’d read in the past. The grand adventure into the unknown, the discovery of seeing new lands and meeting new peoples, and watching the lives of young people get shaped by what they see outside of their comfort zone. But more than that, readers get to see far more of the assassin nation that Mags descended from, a plot point that starred in a previous novel, got a couple of passing mentions in other novels, but never really had the chance to be explored. What sort of people were they? How did they live, when they weren’t killing people for money? Spy, Spy Again doesn’t just keep the spotlight on Kee and Tory, but also shifts to that of Sira, one of the Nation’s people, and the distant relative of Tory’s who sent out the distress call that prompted Kee and Tory into action. Through her actions and observations, readers get to see life inside the Nation, and this adds a fair bit to what was previously a rather flimsy aspect to Velgarth’s world-building.
Like many of the more recent Valdemar novels, however, this one leaves me with questions. Not the sort of questions that could lead to other novels getting written, but just dangling threads that don’t tie up well. Why does Mags speak normally in The Hills Have Spies and for the first little bit of Eye Spy but then switch back to his “country” accent and continue to speak that way right up to this book? If the border around Valdemar that keeps true magic out also prevents thinking about magic in any practical sense, is Tory going to be able to remember much of what he saw of magic when he was outside Valdemar?
We also see the usual spate of internal contradictions that unfortunately seem to plague Valdemar novels. This isn’t a new thing (I found one as far back as the Last Herald-Mage trilogy), but it is frustrating when what gets established in one book gets contradicted in another. The biggest one I can think of here is declaring that when Vanyel set up the barrier to keep Mages out of Valdemar in the first place, he deliberately made it so that people had a hard time even thinking of magic. It was established many many novels ago that for one, Vanyel established that long-lasting spell not to keep Mages out but to make the vrondi (air spirits that Vanyel used in said spell) alert Herald-Mages whenever magic was used within the borders, and with no Herald-Mages to alert, now the vrondi just watch. Endlessly. Driving mages mad, so they either so insane and die, or flee the country. The unintended effect was mages going mad, since Vanyel didn’t really anticipate a lack of Herald-Mages in Valdemar’s future until after he cast that spell. That people couldn’t even really think about magic as anything other than some legendary storytime ability was a very unintended consequence. Not intentional.
It’s things like that which have turned me excitement over new Valdemar novels to trepidation. I still love the world, I really do, but it seems like with every new book, something new is written into the lore that directly goes again something that was previously written. And it boggles my mind that nobody seems to catch this stuff and point it out to her before, you know, letting the books get published. Sometimes the errors are small, like calling Karse’s god Vkanda instead of Vkandis. Other times, the contradictions are large, or result in a timeline in which the timeline gets horribly muddied and makes no sense anymore.
But as I said, that’s not a problem specific to this novel. That’s been a problem for a while. It’s just that as the contradictions add up over time, I start to feel more cautious about reading new novels in the series, because I know in advance that I’m dealing with the works of an author who can’t keep her world-building straight.
At least when it comes to the assassin Nation, nothing really gets contradicted, so there is that. I guess that’s a benefit to writing about a Nation in a state of change. They’re assassins now, Sleepgivers, dealers in death, but change is being worked slowly, through generations, so that they will no longer be assassins for hire, but bodyguards. Given that they also operate out of a country that Valdemar hasn’t had much call to deal with in previous novels, it’s easy to handwave why no Sleepgivers ever popped up again, especially when foreign assassins did show up in other Valdemar novels. It’s a good way to get around that, as well as to add some additional richness to the world.
As I mentioned previously, a lot of Spy, Spy Again felt a lot like earlier novels in the Valdemar series, with their exciting adventures that ave consequences beyond the moment. It was a fun read, and while I still approached with caution, I found myself turning the pages voraciously, eager to keep reading and to find out what happens next. If you have to pick one single book in the Family Spies series to read, make it this one; it’s the best of the bunch, and makes for a comforting yet entertaining fantasy adventure in a much-beloved world.
(And now maybe we can have some stories that have absolutely nothing to do with Mags…)
April 24, 2020
Spy, Spy Again is a delightful coming of age story featuring Heralds Mags and Amily's youngest child Tory and his best friend Prince Kyril aka Kee. Though they have gifts they do not share a single Gift; they have two complementary Gifts working together in a way that the Heralds have never seen before. Tory is the Farseer—Kee's Gift is to extend his range beyond a few dozen feet. This gift is what leads them into their adventure. They’re going to have to leave Valdemar and help the Sleepgivers find Bey's kidnapped eldest daughter. This is going to take the boys into places they’ve never been and they’re going to see things beyond belief. They will have to fight hard and they are both going to grow in different ways. They’re going to learn that the only constant in life is change and they are both better for it. This is another fabulous addition to the Valdemar: Family Spies series. As always I look forward to more in this world.
June 8, 2020
When I saw this ARC offered on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to review it. I hadn’t read a novel of Valdemar since 2004, and honestly, I hadn’t known there had been any published since then. So when I learned this was the third book of a series, I naturally got my hands on the first two books and read those first so I would be familiar with the series and would’t be coming into the third book blind. You could certainly read this book without having read the previous two novels, or any other novels of Valdemar, but I enjoyed all three.
Diving back into the world of Valdemar was like coming home, and it was wonderful. I don’t remember everything, obviously, but I didn’t have to. All the good things I remembered were in this series, if a bit less due to the nature of the characters and the plot of these books. I won’t elaborate too much on that, except to say that as spies, the main characters of these books travel outside Valdemar for large portions of their books.
In SPY, SPY AGAIN, Mercedes Lackey introduces a new character named SIratai who is attacked by demons while traveling abroad. Her father has a cousin in Valdemar named Mags, and he calls upon him for help. It just so happens that when Siratai was attacked, she inadvertently called out to Mags’ youngest son Tory, who shares a close bond with his best friend Kyril. Their bond allows them to locate and visibly see either of their family members. The two boys felt her fear and pain, but had no idea who she was or how to help until her father’s plea.
Without hesitation, the two boys confirm that Siratai is still alive, but they can’t see more from such a distance. They volunteer to use their bond to locate where she has being imprisoned, but they need to travel much closer. That means crossing two countries and this will be the first time either boy leaves Valdemar. Despite their parents’ hesitation, Siratai’s father offer’s payment in return that they cannot refuse. Thus begins a perilous adventure filled with magic, demons, friendship, love, loss, and the end of everything Tory and Kyril have every known.
While the heart of this novel is about a childhood friendship that has grown into a shared magic that can now possibly save a life, it is also about facing pending changes as one of those friends discovers something new about themselves and finds love. These changes threaten to tear their friendship apart, and is devastating to the friend that sees himself being left behind. These feelings are raw and deep, but the reader can’t help but be happy for the friend who found love and magic amid all the danger. It truly is a book filled with complex emotions.
From beginning to end it was a delightful read, and I highly recommend it and the entire series. Any book of Valdemar is worth a read.
Diving back into the world of Valdemar was like coming home, and it was wonderful. I don’t remember everything, obviously, but I didn’t have to. All the good things I remembered were in this series, if a bit less due to the nature of the characters and the plot of these books. I won’t elaborate too much on that, except to say that as spies, the main characters of these books travel outside Valdemar for large portions of their books.
In SPY, SPY AGAIN, Mercedes Lackey introduces a new character named SIratai who is attacked by demons while traveling abroad. Her father has a cousin in Valdemar named Mags, and he calls upon him for help. It just so happens that when Siratai was attacked, she inadvertently called out to Mags’ youngest son Tory, who shares a close bond with his best friend Kyril. Their bond allows them to locate and visibly see either of their family members. The two boys felt her fear and pain, but had no idea who she was or how to help until her father’s plea.
Without hesitation, the two boys confirm that Siratai is still alive, but they can’t see more from such a distance. They volunteer to use their bond to locate where she has being imprisoned, but they need to travel much closer. That means crossing two countries and this will be the first time either boy leaves Valdemar. Despite their parents’ hesitation, Siratai’s father offer’s payment in return that they cannot refuse. Thus begins a perilous adventure filled with magic, demons, friendship, love, loss, and the end of everything Tory and Kyril have every known.
While the heart of this novel is about a childhood friendship that has grown into a shared magic that can now possibly save a life, it is also about facing pending changes as one of those friends discovers something new about themselves and finds love. These changes threaten to tear their friendship apart, and is devastating to the friend that sees himself being left behind. These feelings are raw and deep, but the reader can’t help but be happy for the friend who found love and magic amid all the danger. It truly is a book filled with complex emotions.
From beginning to end it was a delightful read, and I highly recommend it and the entire series. Any book of Valdemar is worth a read.
May 23, 2020
It is time for the youngest of Mags and Amily's children to have his own adventure. Tory is a talented spy but he hasn't been Chosen by a Companion. He and his best friend Kee, who is the fourth child of the King and Queen of Valdemar, have a shared psychic talent which allows them to Farsee their relatives when they work together. They also have been trained by Mags to use some of the Sleepgiver's tricks to help them be better spies.
When they get a strong signal from a source they don't recognize, they don't know what to do. But when a sleepgiver named Ahkhan comes to Valdemar to ask Mags for help to locate a missing person and offers a deal Valdemar doesn't want to refuse, Tory and Kee agree to go along to help find the missing young woman.
Meanwhile, Sira tells her story about her life as a sleepgiver and what happens when she is captured by Karsites who control demons. Sira is also a mage who is looking at some of the talismans found by their mages and it is a good thing she had them with her. Each talisman contains and afrinn who is a personification of one of the elements. When she frees them from the talismans they are able to help her escape from the Karsite prison which coincides with Ahkhan, Tory, and Kee's arrival at the prison.
Then it is necessary for them to flee across Karse while being chased by demons in order to reach the safety of Valdemar. Along the way Kee and Sira fall in love which is wonderful for them, or it will be, once all the problems are solved. Kee learns he is a powerful mage which means he can't live in Valdemar anymore since spirits prohibit magic in Valdemar. And Tory doesn't know what he will do in his future since he doesn't have any powers except when he works with Kee.
This was a great adventure which was also a great story about friendship and change.
When they get a strong signal from a source they don't recognize, they don't know what to do. But when a sleepgiver named Ahkhan comes to Valdemar to ask Mags for help to locate a missing person and offers a deal Valdemar doesn't want to refuse, Tory and Kee agree to go along to help find the missing young woman.
Meanwhile, Sira tells her story about her life as a sleepgiver and what happens when she is captured by Karsites who control demons. Sira is also a mage who is looking at some of the talismans found by their mages and it is a good thing she had them with her. Each talisman contains and afrinn who is a personification of one of the elements. When she frees them from the talismans they are able to help her escape from the Karsite prison which coincides with Ahkhan, Tory, and Kee's arrival at the prison.
Then it is necessary for them to flee across Karse while being chased by demons in order to reach the safety of Valdemar. Along the way Kee and Sira fall in love which is wonderful for them, or it will be, once all the problems are solved. Kee learns he is a powerful mage which means he can't live in Valdemar anymore since spirits prohibit magic in Valdemar. And Tory doesn't know what he will do in his future since he doesn't have any powers except when he works with Kee.
This was a great adventure which was also a great story about friendship and change.
May 16, 2020
"Spy, Spy Again" is a fantasy novel with four teenaged main characters. This book is the third in a series, but it can work as a standalone. The author spent a lot of time describing the different cultures, especially the Sleepgivers, and she provided any background from the previous stories needed to understand the various relationships. The world-building created a unique and interesting setting for the story, but there was more information provided than was strictly necessary to tell the story so it did slow the pacing a little at the beginning.
Tory and Kyril are best friends and bound together by their shared Gift. But things start to change as they leave Valdemar and new experiences begin to shape them into adults with different future paths...if they can survive their rescue mission. Half of the story was told from Tory's viewpoint as his group worked to find and rescue Sira, and the other half was from Sira's viewpoint as she fought off her captors from her cell but struggled to discover how to escape through an army worth of guards. The characters were noble, likable, and grew through their experiences. There was suspense after Sira was captured since the characters faced great danger from soldiers and demons.
There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable fantasy adventure.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Tory and Kyril are best friends and bound together by their shared Gift. But things start to change as they leave Valdemar and new experiences begin to shape them into adults with different future paths...if they can survive their rescue mission. Half of the story was told from Tory's viewpoint as his group worked to find and rescue Sira, and the other half was from Sira's viewpoint as she fought off her captors from her cell but struggled to discover how to escape through an army worth of guards. The characters were noble, likable, and grew through their experiences. There was suspense after Sira was captured since the characters faced great danger from soldiers and demons.
There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable fantasy adventure.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
November 24, 2020
Valdemar. A place you can go in these troubled times that transports you into a delightful fantasy realm. This book is no exception to that however, very little time is spent there and most of it is in Karse, with Sleepwalkers and Demons and Mag's cousins. This is an action packed story surrounding a strong female character, Siri who has many trials before success in the end. I enjoyed the read as I am sure other fans of stories in the Valdemar world will. My only ding is that the characters lately have gotten younger and younger. I much prefer stories of older Heralds who have history and stories to tell. Young adult fantasy is fine, but Ms. Lackey has written stronger and higher fantasy than this in the series and I wish she would return to that arc at some time.
December 12, 2021
Third in the Family Spies fantasy series for Young Adult readers (and eighth in The Collegium Chronicles within the Valdemar universe in supposedly 864 AF) and revolving around Mags and his family. The focus is on Prince Kyril and his best friend Tory, Mags' son and on Sira, Bey's daughter.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website.
My Take
There's a bit of catching up with past stories in The Collegium Chronicles even as Lackey introduces us to Kyril and Tory.
They're boys with imaginations. And an unexpected genetic inheritance in Kee's case! Lord knows how he'll survive going back to Valdemar! The boys also have a revelation as to why the Herald-Mages died out. Tory, well, he has his own sad revelation.
There's a bit of back, back-history in this about that war with the great Wizard, Urtho, and what happened to the people who became the Sleepgivers. It seems that Beshat has ideas to clean up the Sleepgivers. I sure hope we get more stories about them. I certainly do like the Sleepgiver economy and their stance on slavery.
A bit more back history is on those Talismans, providing proof that power can corrupt anyone. The Sleepgivers also serve as a vehicle for Lackey's message on recycling and simplicity of living. "Waste nothing, and do nothing wastefully." It's also creates an interesting use of magic.
Harvest Fair provides insight into how Mags trains his children in spycraft.
That Sira is amazing. I loved reading about her imprisonment — I know, how does one love that? — but she's so clever and resourceful. She certainly gives those priests of Vkandis grief, lol. Then there are her interactions with the afrinn! Oh man, have they got a story to tell! Especially about those older Talismans.
I'd love those language talismans! Wear 'em long enough and you absorb the language. In Tory and Kee's case, five of 'em!!
LOL, the afrinn call the Karsites god-botherers. Oh, then there's that mansion of a barn. Wow.
I'm gonna say that Lackey is using third person quadruple protagonist point-of-view from the perspectives of Tory, Kee, Sari, and Ahkhan.
A good message to take from Spy, Spy Again is that one can be friends and allies with any living being.
It's exciting, entertaining, and filled with action — tracking, meeting other cultures, imprisonment, escape . . . and more escape with a quirky romance — with some fascinating characters.
The Story
Prince Kyril and Mags and Amily's son Tory "share" Gifts, which become crucial when Mags gets a desperate message from his cousin Bey calling in the debt Mags owes him.
Bey's eldest daughter has been kidnapped, and he's desperate to find Sira before it's too late.
The Characters
Valdemar is . . .
. . .a nation ruled by a Herald monarch, equality of men and women, trustworthy Mind-Magic Heralds, and full of air spirits who scare off magic users. Herald Mikel is the man who meets Tory, Kee, and company.
Fourteen year old Tory, with a Gift of Farseer, and thirteen year old Prince Kyril, a.k.a. Kee, with a minor Empathy Gift, are best friends. Neither has been Chosen, but when working together, they have a unique Gift, a Farseeing that allows them to look in on any family member. Tariday and Elissa are Companions who have not Chosen, and they will bear Tory and Kee to the border of Valdemar. The horses Ahkhan provides them are Aly and Vesa.
Herald Amily is Tory's mother and the King's Own; Rolan is her Companion. Herald Mags is his father with Dallen as his Companion ( Foundation , 1; Intrigues , 2; Changes , 3; Redoubt , 4; and, Bastion , 5). Pawn shop owner, Willie the Weasel, is Mags' persona in Haven. (Mags' grandfather had been the previous Banner of the People — and a real jerk.) Tory's siblings include Abi, a Master Artificer ( Eye Spy , 2); Perry, and he has a kyree, Larral ( The Hills Have Spies , 1 (6)); and, Niko.
Kee is one of six royal siblings. The oldest is Crown Prince Trey who is married; Niko is on a mission to Duke Farleigh; Herald-Princess Kat is the king's problem solver; and, Rafi and Sofia are Kee's younger siblings.
Rutolf is the owner and proprietor of a furs stall at the Harvest Fair. Bourde the Goldsmith acts as a bank for successful mercenaries.
The Sleepgivers are . . .
. . . a nation of assassins located in mountains in Ruvan. Siratai "Sira" is the daughter of Beshat, the leader of their nation. She is also half-Mage. Aku is her horse, like and unlike the Shin'a'in horses. Beshat, the Banner of the People, is also Mags' cousin ( Bastion , 5); Anhita is their mother. Sira's siblings include Hakal, the Healer; Jeshan, who specializes in poisons and antidotes; Nalad is in training; Rayakh trains tracking and attack dogs; Teychik is the Heir to the Banner and skilled at sniping from cover; and, Ahkhan who loves Natya, his horse. Lalanash is in training. Servants include Lharosh and Seteen who share household duties and Nilda is the cook.
The Sleepgivers wear Talismans which hold the memories of prior assassins. Although there had been two other types of Talismans in the past. Lammergeyers, scavenger birds, are the emblem of the people. One of them, Windhover, is the special pet of the family.
The afrinns (I think of them as genies) seem to be elementals of air, fire, water, and earth. Borkase, a.k.a. the Stone Man, an earth afrinn is very dangerous. Eakkashet is a fire afrinn who is quite chatty. Atheser and Vela are water ifrinns and mates. Halina and Merirat are air ifrinns. Lyasho. All of 'em come with some fascinating abilities.
Hakshen Tiron is leading a merchant caravan into Karse. Ismal is his son. The guards include Kerk, Birk, and the enthusiastic Derdan who wants to open a wine shop when he retires.
The Southern and Northern Mage Schools of Amber Moon are . . .
. . . one of the many schools that teach magic with each having its own philosophy on the use of magic. Amber Moon has a mutually beneficial treaty with the Sleepgivers. Bertolome is the Chief Mage of the Northern School, which is just over the border from Valdemar; the Southern School is in Rethwellan. May outfits travelers at Southern.
The Karsites are . . .
. . . a strict theocracy, which worships Vkandis Sunlord. They're so incredibly evil! High Priests Durchloss, Entschmitt, and Guerether are expecting a shipment.
Remp had been a spoiled merchant boy with no honor ( Eye Spy , 2).
The Cover and Title
The cover is in the desert with a blue sky with a white Companion superimposed on it. To the upper left is a red-brown overhanging cliff with Tory and Kee standing guard amongst rocks and overlooking two men in the distance. At the very top is the author's name in gold with black shadowing. Just under the cliff to the left of the boy who's standing and wearing a lilac head scarf and navy jerkin and carrying a cudgel is the basic series info in black. The title is white and is below the second boy, wearing a blue striped jerkin and golden shirt, holding a knife in his right hand. Below the title is the more detailed series info in gold.
I'm not sure about the title. It could be referencing Mags' spying days and indicating that Tory and Kee are carrying on, to Spy, Spy Again.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website.
My Take
There's a bit of catching up with past stories in The Collegium Chronicles even as Lackey introduces us to Kyril and Tory.
They're boys with imaginations. And an unexpected genetic inheritance in Kee's case! Lord knows how he'll survive going back to Valdemar! The boys also have a revelation as to why the Herald-Mages died out. Tory, well, he has his own sad revelation.
There's a bit of back, back-history in this about that war with the great Wizard, Urtho, and what happened to the people who became the Sleepgivers. It seems that Beshat has ideas to clean up the Sleepgivers. I sure hope we get more stories about them. I certainly do like the Sleepgiver economy and their stance on slavery.
A bit more back history is on those Talismans, providing proof that power can corrupt anyone. The Sleepgivers also serve as a vehicle for Lackey's message on recycling and simplicity of living. "Waste nothing, and do nothing wastefully." It's also creates an interesting use of magic.
Harvest Fair provides insight into how Mags trains his children in spycraft.
That Sira is amazing. I loved reading about her imprisonment — I know, how does one love that? — but she's so clever and resourceful. She certainly gives those priests of Vkandis grief, lol. Then there are her interactions with the afrinn! Oh man, have they got a story to tell! Especially about those older Talismans.
I'd love those language talismans! Wear 'em long enough and you absorb the language. In Tory and Kee's case, five of 'em!!
LOL, the afrinn call the Karsites god-botherers. Oh, then there's that mansion of a barn. Wow.
I'm gonna say that Lackey is using third person quadruple protagonist point-of-view from the perspectives of Tory, Kee, Sari, and Ahkhan.
A good message to take from Spy, Spy Again is that one can be friends and allies with any living being.
It's exciting, entertaining, and filled with action — tracking, meeting other cultures, imprisonment, escape . . . and more escape with a quirky romance — with some fascinating characters.
The Story
Prince Kyril and Mags and Amily's son Tory "share" Gifts, which become crucial when Mags gets a desperate message from his cousin Bey calling in the debt Mags owes him.
Bey's eldest daughter has been kidnapped, and he's desperate to find Sira before it's too late.
The Characters
Valdemar is . . .
. . .a nation ruled by a Herald monarch, equality of men and women, trustworthy Mind-Magic Heralds, and full of air spirits who scare off magic users. Herald Mikel is the man who meets Tory, Kee, and company.
Fourteen year old Tory, with a Gift of Farseer, and thirteen year old Prince Kyril, a.k.a. Kee, with a minor Empathy Gift, are best friends. Neither has been Chosen, but when working together, they have a unique Gift, a Farseeing that allows them to look in on any family member. Tariday and Elissa are Companions who have not Chosen, and they will bear Tory and Kee to the border of Valdemar. The horses Ahkhan provides them are Aly and Vesa.
Herald Amily is Tory's mother and the King's Own; Rolan is her Companion. Herald Mags is his father with Dallen as his Companion ( Foundation , 1; Intrigues , 2; Changes , 3; Redoubt , 4; and, Bastion , 5). Pawn shop owner, Willie the Weasel, is Mags' persona in Haven. (Mags' grandfather had been the previous Banner of the People — and a real jerk.) Tory's siblings include Abi, a Master Artificer ( Eye Spy , 2); Perry, and he has a kyree, Larral ( The Hills Have Spies , 1 (6)); and, Niko.
Kee is one of six royal siblings. The oldest is Crown Prince Trey who is married; Niko is on a mission to Duke Farleigh; Herald-Princess Kat is the king's problem solver; and, Rafi and Sofia are Kee's younger siblings.
Rutolf is the owner and proprietor of a furs stall at the Harvest Fair. Bourde the Goldsmith acts as a bank for successful mercenaries.
The Sleepgivers are . . .
. . . a nation of assassins located in mountains in Ruvan. Siratai "Sira" is the daughter of Beshat, the leader of their nation. She is also half-Mage. Aku is her horse, like and unlike the Shin'a'in horses. Beshat, the Banner of the People, is also Mags' cousin ( Bastion , 5); Anhita is their mother. Sira's siblings include Hakal, the Healer; Jeshan, who specializes in poisons and antidotes; Nalad is in training; Rayakh trains tracking and attack dogs; Teychik is the Heir to the Banner and skilled at sniping from cover; and, Ahkhan who loves Natya, his horse. Lalanash is in training. Servants include Lharosh and Seteen who share household duties and Nilda is the cook.
The Sleepgivers wear Talismans which hold the memories of prior assassins. Although there had been two other types of Talismans in the past. Lammergeyers, scavenger birds, are the emblem of the people. One of them, Windhover, is the special pet of the family.
The afrinns (I think of them as genies) seem to be elementals of air, fire, water, and earth. Borkase, a.k.a. the Stone Man, an earth afrinn is very dangerous. Eakkashet is a fire afrinn who is quite chatty. Atheser and Vela are water ifrinns and mates. Halina and Merirat are air ifrinns. Lyasho. All of 'em come with some fascinating abilities.
Hakshen Tiron is leading a merchant caravan into Karse. Ismal is his son. The guards include Kerk, Birk, and the enthusiastic Derdan who wants to open a wine shop when he retires.
The Southern and Northern Mage Schools of Amber Moon are . . .
. . . one of the many schools that teach magic with each having its own philosophy on the use of magic. Amber Moon has a mutually beneficial treaty with the Sleepgivers. Bertolome is the Chief Mage of the Northern School, which is just over the border from Valdemar; the Southern School is in Rethwellan. May outfits travelers at Southern.
The Karsites are . . .
. . . a strict theocracy, which worships Vkandis Sunlord. They're so incredibly evil! High Priests Durchloss, Entschmitt, and Guerether are expecting a shipment.
Remp had been a spoiled merchant boy with no honor ( Eye Spy , 2).
The Cover and Title
The cover is in the desert with a blue sky with a white Companion superimposed on it. To the upper left is a red-brown overhanging cliff with Tory and Kee standing guard amongst rocks and overlooking two men in the distance. At the very top is the author's name in gold with black shadowing. Just under the cliff to the left of the boy who's standing and wearing a lilac head scarf and navy jerkin and carrying a cudgel is the basic series info in black. The title is white and is below the second boy, wearing a blue striped jerkin and golden shirt, holding a knife in his right hand. Below the title is the more detailed series info in gold.
I'm not sure about the title. It could be referencing Mags' spying days and indicating that Tory and Kee are carrying on, to Spy, Spy Again.
October 29, 2021
Actual star score is 4.25.
Mags and Amily's youngest son Torey and his best friend, the third son, but fourth in line for the throne, that is if he is chosen, Kee are working more with Mags. Especially when Mags offers to teach them some more of the sleepgivers tricks that were buried in his mind when a talisman was forced on him.
During a summer festival is happening and the three of them plus Perry, Mags oldest son are out watching for spy's and other illegal things, Torey and Kee are hit with a very strong sense that a family member is in big trouble. But after using their joint power of farsight, they can't find anyone in trouble.
Near the end of the festival while the group is walking home, Mags gets a signal that a member of his sleepgivers family is near. He sets up a meeting at the storefront he runs in the poorer part of Haven and has Amily meet them there as a representative of the King.
He tells them that his sister has been kidnapped by the Karsite priests, and has a promise from his father the leader of the sleepgivers, that if Mags or someone else can help him find where she is, no one in Valdemar will ever have to fear a sleepgiver coming for them, including the Royal family forever.
When it turns out the best people to send are Torey and Kee. The King is hard-pressed to agree but he does.
Too much of the book deals with things outside of Valdemar and doesn't deal with herald's at all, I was a bit disappointed but it is still a good book.
Mags and Amily's youngest son Torey and his best friend, the third son, but fourth in line for the throne, that is if he is chosen, Kee are working more with Mags. Especially when Mags offers to teach them some more of the sleepgivers tricks that were buried in his mind when a talisman was forced on him.
During a summer festival is happening and the three of them plus Perry, Mags oldest son are out watching for spy's and other illegal things, Torey and Kee are hit with a very strong sense that a family member is in big trouble. But after using their joint power of farsight, they can't find anyone in trouble.
Near the end of the festival while the group is walking home, Mags gets a signal that a member of his sleepgivers family is near. He sets up a meeting at the storefront he runs in the poorer part of Haven and has Amily meet them there as a representative of the King.
He tells them that his sister has been kidnapped by the Karsite priests, and has a promise from his father the leader of the sleepgivers, that if Mags or someone else can help him find where she is, no one in Valdemar will ever have to fear a sleepgiver coming for them, including the Royal family forever.
When it turns out the best people to send are Torey and Kee. The King is hard-pressed to agree but he does.
Too much of the book deals with things outside of Valdemar and doesn't deal with herald's at all, I was a bit disappointed but it is still a good book.
March 20, 2022
This was a much more exciting tale than the last book in this series, and I liked the character development as well as the inclusion of new characters that were a mere thought in other books. I did start to feel by the end of this series that Mags had told his tale and it was at an end, after all he has the most books about first him and then his children in this series. It was still a good book however and I'm glad I finally took the time to complete this series. Four stars.
June 10, 2020
The best she's written in a long time (despite things that annoyed me).
December 18, 2020
This was way better than the previous book in this series. Tory and Kee are very likable and I love the bromance they have going. I'm glad we revisited the Sleepgivers storyline, and got to learn more about them. Sera was a great character and the elementals she sets free and becomes friends with are really interesting. Bloody Cars and its demon summoning priests are also back. There were some amazing detailed fight scenes, which were very enjoyable.
The ending almost had me in tears for Tory, but then an awesome thing happens and I was really happy for him.
This was a really good adventure story, no idea what the title of the book has to do with the actual book itself, but I'll let that slide.
The ending almost had me in tears for Tory, but then an awesome thing happens and I was really happy for him.
This was a really good adventure story, no idea what the title of the book has to do with the actual book itself, but I'll let that slide.
June 9, 2020
I am a huge fan of the world of Valdemar! Mercedes is an incredibly talented author, who creates unique wonderful worlds in her books. I've been following these characters since the beginning of the Collegium series, where they enthralled me. They make me feel like I am am right there in the story with them. This book was fantastically well done! I can't wait to see where Mercedes takes the world of Valdemar next! I highly recommend this series, and all the books in the world of Valdemar! I think you'll become addicted like me!
April 20, 2020
Lackey returns to Herald Mags' family with Tory's story, which means his best friend Prince Kee is along for the ride. Neither really knows what they want to do with their lives, although Tory figures he'll work for his dad as a spy, but as a fourth child, Kee is in limbo. Then one of Mags' Sleepgiver cousins shows up asking for help and it will take Tory and Kee's special combined Gift to succeed. Fans will enjoy reading more about Valdemar and this family in particular, but the story ends just as it was really starting to enter new territory. Hopefully this won't be the last entry in this portion of the tales of Valdemar.
May 10, 2025
I suggest the age of characters as young teens is too young for the action, and maybe for young teen readers. Someone being a skilled assassin, and travellers enduring weeks of desert travel while fleeing demons and plotting rescues, doesn't sound like fourteen to me. But it's a fantasy, and no doubt people grow up quickly in such lands.
The desert is a new world for the children of Valdemar, who head off to rescue a distant cousin. They don't have heralds and magically gifted companions. They have a sack of goods and a few weapons. Luckily, the daughter of mages who is imprisoned, also has a necklace composed of coins which trapped afreet, magical beings based on the elements. Who knows what help they might give? This is great fun and even with magic aid, we see that the young people have to rely on their own plans, skills and endurance. And on their courage.
I read an e-ARC from Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.
The desert is a new world for the children of Valdemar, who head off to rescue a distant cousin. They don't have heralds and magically gifted companions. They have a sack of goods and a few weapons. Luckily, the daughter of mages who is imprisoned, also has a necklace composed of coins which trapped afreet, magical beings based on the elements. Who knows what help they might give? This is great fun and even with magic aid, we see that the young people have to rely on their own plans, skills and endurance. And on their courage.
I read an e-ARC from Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.
Currently reading
June 9, 2020Got this book on 6/9/2020 from Amazon. I pre-ordered it.
June 10, 2023
sweet
This was both sweet and a touch heartbreaking. It’s action packed, with enough magic to satisfy but still enough Herald action to make it a Valdemar story.
This was both sweet and a touch heartbreaking. It’s action packed, with enough magic to satisfy but still enough Herald action to make it a Valdemar story.
January 12, 2022
I'd say this is the best of the three in the Family Spies series. With connections back to Mags' past and the unique gift that is shared between Tory and Kee, there are added dimensions to what can happen. And of course they do all happen. I really appreciated that their rescue of the girl was not told just from their perspective but also from hers. These characters may be young but they are gifted and smart and tough. This story is hard to put down and has a wonderful conclusion for everyone!
May 26, 2020
This one follows another one of Mags’ kids on an adventure as he is growing up. Tory and his best friend Prince Kyril work in tandem with a gift of Farsight that only allows them to look at family members of either of them only. Kyril is down the list of possible heirs and isn’t Chosen so he has more freedom than his older siblings. He works with Tory helping Mags with his spy work. When Mags’ Sieepgiver kin come to him asking for his help to find one of their missing kids, Tony and Kyril realized they have a connection and can possibly locate her after feeling her fear when she was taken by the Karsites. Once they get closer to the Sleepgiver’s lands they can use their talent to find her on a map. But Kyril decides that they must go and help rescue Sira. A good entertaining story and it sets both boys on their adult paths.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
September 24, 2020
Good Valdemar story. Sucked me in and took me away from the maelstrom of life.
Good to see Mags' kids in their lives.
Good to see Mags' kids in their lives.
May 29, 2022
3.5 stars. On the whole, it's on a par with the other two books in the Family Spies trilogy: enjoyable, but not Lackey's best work. I had a little problem with the insta-attraction relationship. Review to come.
Counts toward the Finish What You Started readathon for COYER 2022.
Counts toward the Finish What You Started readathon for COYER 2022.
June 14, 2020
I have loved Mercedes Lackey’s books for thirty years. I still have the SFBC omnibus of the Last Herald Mage trilogy on my shelf. I can’t tell you how many times I read it. It was probably my first reading experience with gay characters and it probably helped me to be open and welcoming to my friends who came out a few years after I read it.
I haven’t read many of her Valdemar books in the last few years. I read the Collegium Chronicles series, which was fun, but I felt it dragged on too long, with too many kidnappings, and Mags’s accent drove me bananas. I lost touch with the series when my library stopped buying the ebooks of the Herald Spy series after Closer to Home, so I was very excited to see what happened to Mags and his kids when NetGalley and the publisher gave me an eARC of Spy, Spy Again, the third volume in the series focusing on Mags’s kids.
Sadly, I found this tale disappointing. Instead of the interesting coming of age tale the blurb was promising, this book was a boring slog with paper-thin characters. Perhaps I missed something by not reading the preceding volumes? Mags’s cipher of a son and a boring Valdemarian prince are enlisted to help one of Mags’s assassin cousins to rescue another assassin cousin who has been captured. Lackey does nothing here to make me like the assassin family or culture. They kill for money and nothing in the text explains why these characters should be likable. Yet every other chapter is spent with Sira, assassin who is kidnapped by Karsites. Why was she kidnapped? What was the Karsites plans? The book doesn’t bother to go into these things. The book really lost me here when the Karsite guards come to rape Sira. Why? Why is rape necessary as a motivating factor? It seems so unnecessary. Sira fights off the rapists and eventually she is rescued and she and the prince immediately fall in love in a way that feels particularly unrealistic.
I hope Mercedes Lackey keeps writing Valdemar books. I look forward to when she decides to move away from Mags and his family. And enough with the rape! It’s the 21st century! Haven’t we moved beyond that awful trope? In the meantime, I may go back to my copy of the Last Herald Mage.
I haven’t read many of her Valdemar books in the last few years. I read the Collegium Chronicles series, which was fun, but I felt it dragged on too long, with too many kidnappings, and Mags’s accent drove me bananas. I lost touch with the series when my library stopped buying the ebooks of the Herald Spy series after Closer to Home, so I was very excited to see what happened to Mags and his kids when NetGalley and the publisher gave me an eARC of Spy, Spy Again, the third volume in the series focusing on Mags’s kids.
Sadly, I found this tale disappointing. Instead of the interesting coming of age tale the blurb was promising, this book was a boring slog with paper-thin characters. Perhaps I missed something by not reading the preceding volumes? Mags’s cipher of a son and a boring Valdemarian prince are enlisted to help one of Mags’s assassin cousins to rescue another assassin cousin who has been captured. Lackey does nothing here to make me like the assassin family or culture. They kill for money and nothing in the text explains why these characters should be likable. Yet every other chapter is spent with Sira, assassin who is kidnapped by Karsites. Why was she kidnapped? What was the Karsites plans? The book doesn’t bother to go into these things. The book really lost me here when the Karsite guards come to rape Sira. Why? Why is rape necessary as a motivating factor? It seems so unnecessary. Sira fights off the rapists and eventually she is rescued and she and the prince immediately fall in love in a way that feels particularly unrealistic.
I hope Mercedes Lackey keeps writing Valdemar books. I look forward to when she decides to move away from Mags and his family. And enough with the rape! It’s the 21st century! Haven’t we moved beyond that awful trope? In the meantime, I may go back to my copy of the Last Herald Mage.
April 27, 2020
I loved this book, probably my favorite in the Family Spies series. Lackey, of course, does a great job with her worldbuilding and creation of characters. I liked that the Sleepgivers were part of it, since they are Mags family. Nice surprise towards the end.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 27, 2020
I absolutely loved how Mercedes brought back the sleep givers. Once again one of Mags kids gets to go on a grand adventure and discover his path into adulthood.
I got an Advance Reader's copy.
I got an Advance Reader's copy.
December 25, 2022
"Do not expect a clever speech from a dog; you will wait forever and be no wiser at the end of days."
Have we ever seen a joint gift before? That's really cool... I'm surprised that doesn't come up with twins more. Or even soulmates. That's a really interesting concept.
We circle back here to the sleepgivers after almost nothing in the Collegium Chronicles about them, which was a wild ride that I had completely forgotten about.
And now there are elemental spirits... Which is a strange plot twist at the end of a trilogy.
Have we ever seen a joint gift before? That's really cool... I'm surprised that doesn't come up with twins more. Or even soulmates. That's a really interesting concept.
We circle back here to the sleepgivers after almost nothing in the Collegium Chronicles about them, which was a wild ride that I had completely forgotten about.
And now there are elemental spirits... Which is a strange plot twist at the end of a trilogy.
September 26, 2024
This was the last book of Mag’s and Amelie’s children and the last hour of the book I think was the best.
This story focused on Ki (third royal child) and Tori (Mag’s and Amelie’s third and youngest child rescuing the third child of Mag’s cousin Bay.
This whole series was wonderful for the most part.
These books took a little but of a rambling path instead of a straightforward one as the previous two series’.
The end of this book was so sad and so sweet at the same time. Had me in utter tears at the sweet things happening 🥰🥰
This story focused on Ki (third royal child) and Tori (Mag’s and Amelie’s third and youngest child rescuing the third child of Mag’s cousin Bay.
This whole series was wonderful for the most part.
These books took a little but of a rambling path instead of a straightforward one as the previous two series’.
The end of this book was so sad and so sweet at the same time. Had me in utter tears at the sweet things happening 🥰🥰
June 25, 2020
Spy, spy again is another lovely offering from Mercedes Lackey.
A tale of herald mags' offspring and their adventures. A bit more action than the last installment, but still lovely characterizations. Lackey always provides a fun read. I'd recommend to anyone looking for a lighthearted fantasy romp.
A tale of herald mags' offspring and their adventures. A bit more action than the last installment, but still lovely characterizations. Lackey always provides a fun read. I'd recommend to anyone looking for a lighthearted fantasy romp.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews