annieb123's Review of Eye Spy (Valdemar: Family Spies, #2)

by Mercedes Lackey

In this second installment of the Family Spies series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, the children of Heralds Mags and Amily must follow in their parents' footsteps to protect the realm. Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King's Own Herald, are happily married with three kids. Their daughter, Abidela, dreams of building upon her parents' legacy by joining the Artificers, hoping to offset her seeming lack of a Gift. But when Abi senses the imminent collapse of a bridge only moments before it happens, she saves countless lives, including that of her best friend, Princess Katiana. The experience, though harrowing, uncovers her unique Gift-an ability to sense the physical strains in objects. Intrigued by the potential of her Gift, the Artificers seek to claim her as their own-but so do the Healers. Through training with both of them, Abi discovers unique facets of her Gift, including a synesthetic connection to objects that allows her to "see" as well as feel the strains. Her Gift may also grant her a distinct advantage as a spy-there won't be a building in the entire kingdom of Valdemar with a secret room that she doesn't know about. With the help of her mentors, she must hone her gift to uncover the hidden secrets in the depths of Valdemar.

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Eye Spy is the second book in the Family Spies series of interrelated stories set in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar. Released 9th Aug 2019 by Penguin on their DAW imprint, it's 336 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

These are nice stories, set in a world with a magic system and mythology rich in history developed over several decades (the first book set in Valdemar came out in 1994, I believe). They're mostly aimed at teen/tween readers and have a reassuring tone of inclusivity, anti-bullying, good role models and families.

Abi is the young daughter of Mags and Amili from book 1 and tie-ins, who discovers a natural talent with engineering and structure integrity when she feels a bridge is about to collapse and prevents any deaths. The later book covers more of her adventures and conflict resolution as she goes on missions and finds her place in the hierarchy of Valdemar.

I have always liked the inclusiveness and positive messages in these books. The characters are varied and generally well written. I confess that sometimes, the sheer number of books in this universe has left me feeling as though some of them are becoming somewhat repetitious. In the search for an upbeat happy ending, this one felt just a little tacked on and rushed.

I did enjoy this book very much and it's always a red-letter day when I find a new Valdemar book, and this one was no exception.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Eye Spy (Valdemar: Family Spies, #2)

by Mercedes Lackey

Reviewed by annieb123 on Aug 5, 2019

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