To Light a Candle

Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Kellen has come into his full powers. Now part of an army to protect the elves, some think that his loyalties are divided. Others ignore what he has to offer, to their detriment. Can he triumph?

Kellen once again plays a decent hero. The mage from the Golden City also has a small role, but it’s quite understated until near the end. It doesn’t seem like they’ll ever be able to work together though.

There was a fair bit of repetition at the beginning of this novel to remind you of what happened in the first. I found it kinda annoying, and also not entirely accurate. I guess it would be convinent if you left a gap between reading the two books though.

Plenty of action in this novel, to satisfy those cravings for battle. Kellen is learning more things, and the reader learns more things about elves and commanding an army. I find those little details, as always, interesting and worth my time.

I did find myself skipping over some of the bits occurring in the city, because there just wasn’t the appeal of the Kellen storyline. Yay, Kellen! I just wish he didn’t have that vow to the unicorn, because it seems to me like it would be a very hard thing for a young man to follow, even in war time.

Idalia is sure that she is going to die, yet never seems to! Some of the other mage prices, particularly the one for the calling, don’t seem to make sense in the bigger picture. As the Wild Magic wills though.

Elven courtesy to me seems quite a sensible idea! Nothing wrong with being polite. I can tell how it might be irritating though. Bells on tents, who would have thought it?