Let’s Read Good Books

My Thoughts:

May contain spoilers

Where has this book been all my life? Seriously. I have a paperback copy somewhere in the basement that I never read, which was purchased long, long ago. Since I read almost exclusively in digital now, there was little chance that I would go digging through boxes of books for the paper copy. But then! the library! added a digital! copy to their collection!!! I checked it out on a whim, and had a very fun journey with Talia and Rolan.

This book reminded me of Harry Potter in both tone and the academic setting. It skews toward younger readers, and while magical school books usually bore me, this one didn’t. And mainly for one reason – the Companions. How could I not like reading about intelligent, noble horses and the men and women who ride them? It would have been impossible.

Talia has just turned 13, and she isn’t like the other girls in her holdfast. For one, she likes to read, something that is unseemly for women. Second, she loves the stories about the Companions and their Heralds. When Talia is coldly informed that she’s to be married, she runs away. And who could blame her? Her stern, unimaginative people, who think that women should be see and not heard (and always pregnant!!), are hardly the type of folk a feisty girl like Talia can flourish among. She is extremely distrustful of men because all of the men in her life are abusive, demanding submission, and the women in her family aren’t much better.

When a white horse approaches her, Talia is awed. Here is a mystical Companion, right out of her stories! When Rolan urges her to hop in the saddle on his back, she doesn’t fight the compulsion to do as he insists. Once she’s seated firmly on his back, there is no going back to that unwelcoming and belittling family of hers. Off they set, on a grand adventure, though Talia doesn’t realize it yet.

After a long journey, where Rolan takes care of Talia, he leads her to way houses and travels steadily toward the Collegium, where the Heralds live and train. Once there, Talia must fit in with her new acquaintances, learn how to be a Herald, and avoid getting herself killed. It turns out that not only is Talia a Herald, but she is the Queen’s Own Herald, and there are lots of conspirators against the crown, and they all want her dead.

I think I enjoyed this so much because of the characters. The Heralds are all dedicated to protecting the Kingdom, and most of them don’t live to see retirement. There is always danger and trouble afoot, and they never hesitate to rush to wherever they are needed. The world building is interesting, and though sometimes solutions to problems were too easily found, there was always something going on to hold my attention. Because Talia spent most of this book learning the basics of being a Herald, Rolan didn’t play a big part in the story. But! I’m sure that in the next installment, when Talia is out and about actually being a Herald, he will play a larger role.

I totally enjoyed Arrows of the Queen, and I’m looking forward to getting to know all of the characters better in the next book.

About the Book:

Title: Arrows of the Queen – Valdemar Book 1

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Format: e-Book

Source: My local library

Rating: 4 stars

This retro review was originally published May 14, 2022 on Goodreads