Valdemar: Eye Spy - Review

Title: Eye Spy

Author:  Mercedes Lackey

Series: Valdemar: Family Spies #2

Synopsis:     “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.”

Review:  This was a fabulous second book in the Family Spies series about the children of Mags and Amily.  The first book, The Hills Have Spies was about the oldest child in the family, Perry.  This second book is about the middle child Abi.  Abi thinks that she is ungifted until the incident on the bridge that reveals her Gift, which allows her to sense the physical strain in inanimate objects.  She begins training with the Artificers and the Healers.  Just as she is completing her training she has to leave on a special journey to help Valdemar’s neighbors. 

     You all know by now that Valdemar is my favorite series.  If you don’t know all about it check out that post here.  This most recent installment in the series does not disappoint.  I enjoyed finding out more about Abi and was delighted by the inclusion of an asexual character in the Valdemar universe.  Representation matters!  Whether you’re a fan of Valdemar or not you will want to add Eye Spy to your collection.

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Daw

If you like this book you may want to read:

If you haven’t read any Valdemar novels and want to start I recommend you start with one of these:

Vows and Honor Series (The Oathbound, Oathbreaker, Oathblood)

Or

The Arrows Trilogy (Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, Arrow’s Fall)

If you’ve read the Valdemar novels and are looking for something similar:

The Quarters Quartet by Tanya Huff

The Green Rider Series by Kristen Britain 

The Chronicles of the Necromancer by Gail Z. Martin