In this third novel of the Family Spies series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, Heralds Mags and Amily’s youngest child must follow in his parents’ footsteps to protect both his family and the realm.
Thirteen year old Prince Kyril and Mags and Amily’s fourteen-year-old son Tory “share” the Gift of Farsight–although neither of them are Chosen. They are self-trained, though currently, … currently, their shared Gift only allows them to see what is happening with their immediate family members.
After much debate, the Herald’s Collegium has decided to test and train them anyway. That’s when the surprises start. They do not share a single Gift; they have two complementary Gifts working together in a way that the Heralds have never seen before. Tory is the Farseer–Kee’s Gift is to extend his range beyond a few dozen feet.
Their Gifts become crucial when Mags gets a desperate message from his cousin Bey, the head of the enigmatic assassin-tribe, the Sleepgivers. Bey’s eldest daughter has been kidnapped, but he doesn’t know why or by whom. He’s calling in the debt Mags owes him to find his daughter before it’s too late.
Tory is certain that if anyone can find her, he can. But that will mean traveling out of Valdemar into an unknown, dangerous country.
And it will mean taking a Royal Prince with him.
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Through Herald Mags and The Collegium Chronicles, whole new parts to the Valdemar universe have been revealed. In this one, his connections to relatives with in the Sleepgiver nation of assassins creates the backdrop for this book. His son Tory and his best friend, Prince Kyril, have been sent into the nation of Ruven in order to investigate the disappearance of one of the Sleepgiver cousins.
Herald Mags is the King’s Spymaster, in charge of a vast intelligence network. Tory, however, is not a herald, but he has studied under his father his entire life, working as a spy agent since he was a child. The prince is also not a herald, but the two friends share the Gift of Farsight, working together in ways that are unusual. It’s because of their gift that they find themselves on a mission to find Siratai, the missing sleepgiver who found herself captured by Karsites.
This book takes us to new places and builds upon things only touched on in other books, which I loved. The sense of adventure, the thrill of a quest, and the ultimate fight for good when faced with evil… these are the threads that bind together these books, and I loved every page!
Great continuation of the overall storyline.
I hadn’t read a novel of Valdemar since 2004, and honestly, I hadn’t known there had been any published since then. So when I learned this was the third book of a series, I naturally got my hands on the first two books and read those first so I would be familiar with the series and would’t be coming into the third book blind. You could certainly read this book without having read the previous two novels, or any other novels of Valdemar, but I enjoyed all three.
Diving back into the world of Valdemar was like coming home, and it was wonderful. I don’t remember everything, obviously, but I didn’t have to. All the good things I remembered were in this series, if a bit less due to the nature of the characters and the plot of these books. I won’t elaborate too much on that, except to say that as spies, the main characters of these books travel outside Valdemar for large portions of their books.
In SPY, SPY AGAIN, Mercedes Lackey introduces a new character named SIratai who is attacked by demons while traveling abroad. Her father has a cousin in Valdemar named Mags, and he calls upon him for help. It just so happens that when Siratai was attacked, she inadvertently called out to Mags’ youngest son Tory, who shares a close bond with his best friend Kyril. Their bond allows them to locate and visibly see either of their family members. The two boys felt her fear and pain, but had no idea who she was or how to help until her father’s plea.
Without hesitation, the two boys confirm that Siratai is still alive, but they can’t see more from such a distance. They volunteer to use their bond to locate where she has being imprisoned, but they need to travel much closer. That means crossing two countries and this will be the first time either boy leaves Valdemar. Despite their parents’ hesitation, Siratai’s father offer’s payment in return that they cannot refuse. Thus begins a perilous adventure filled with magic, demons, friendship, love, loss, and the end of everything Tory and Kyril have every known.
While the heart of this novel is about a childhood friendship that has grown into a shared magic that can now possibly save a life, it is also about facing pending changes as one of those friends discovers something new about themselves and finds love. These changes threaten to tear their friendship apart, and is devastating to the friend that sees himself being left behind. These feelings are raw and deep, but the reader can’t help but be happy for the friend who found love and magic amid all the danger. It truly is a book filled with complex emotions.
From beginning to end it was a delightful read, and I highly recommend it and the entire series. Any book of Valdemar is worth a read.
Spy, Spy Again is a delightful coming of age story featuring Heralds Mags and Amily’s youngest child Tory and his best friend Prince Kyril aka Kee. Though they have gifts they do not share a single Gift; they have two complementary Gifts working together in a way that the Heralds have never seen before. Tory is the Farseer—Kee’s Gift is to extend his range beyond a few dozen feet. This gift is what leads them into their adventure. They’re going to have to leave Valdemar and help the Sleepgivers find Bey’s kidnapped eldest daughter. This is going to take the boys into places they’ve never been and they’re going to see things beyond belief. They will have to fight hard and they are both going to grow in different ways. They’re going to learn that the only constant in life is change and they are both better for it. This is another fabulous addition to the Valdemar: Family Spies series. As always I look forward to more in this world.