I recently read "Brightly Burning" by Mercedes Lackey as a standalone novel, with no prior knowledge of the Valdemar universe. Overall, I found it to be an entertaining read.
The story follows Lavan, a young man who discovers he has a powerful gift for firestarting, and is subsequently trained as a Herald in the kingdom of Valdemar.Throughout the book I felt like the evolution of the story was somewhat slow and tedious, and I wondered how this could reach a satisfying end, knowing that there was no direct sequel to this.
The final chapter and epilogue managed to create that satisfying ending though.
Despite my lack of knowledge about the world, I appreciated the warm and kind society that Lackey has created. The characters were likable, and the expectations of justice and fairness within the society were refreshing.
Overall, "Brightly Burning" was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to fans of fantasy. However, I do feel that reading it within the wider context of the Valdemar universe may provide a more fulfilling experience, I might at some point in the future pick up another novel from that universe, but do not feel the need to immediately binge the series. .
Heres a free vote on behalf of @se-witness.
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