Valek

     After reading these books I was more than ready to jump right back into them.  I know that the more often I read them, the more that I will find in them.  There is something completely and totally magical about Maria Snyder's writing... she has created characters that will live on long past the time that most characters do so.  And I, for one, will be doing all possible to make sure that these books find a much wider audience.  I cannot get over just how magnificient this story and the series is... truly OUTSTANDING!!

RATING:
Excellence: OUTSTANDING and then some!  ~ 5.0++ stars 

     I truly cannot get over how such a complex story just grabbed onto me and wouldn't let go ~ not that I wanted to leave or anything.  I could not read these books fast enough!  And these join the BDB books on the shelf right beside where I'm sitting... these will be regular once-or-twice-a-year re-reads... at the least.   Complex and completely enthralling, this story ~ this series ~ has to be read to be believed.  But once read, they'll never be forgotten!

RATING:
Excellence: OUTSTANDING and then some!  ~ 5.0++ stars 

     A totally, completely and fabulously amazing story that not only grabbed my attention, but my heart and imagination as well. In fact, after only getting partway through the story, I knew that I needed to get the next two books immediately because I could not bear to wait one moment longer than necessary to continue with the series. So Monday evening, at 8:45 pm, I was in the adjacent city at the Chapters there to get Magic Study and Fire Study... this was 15 minutes before the store closed... thank heaven I knew where to look!   I got these books and by Wednesday afternoon I had read all three.  The only other series that I've had to go out right away and get any books available was J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood: 
     While I do think that I should have read these books sooner, I'm glad that I waited until I could read all three together... completely serendipitous, but very pleasing nonetheless. 
            Well, Teresa (my daughter), finished this book and has moved onto Magic Study.  She enjoys stories like this so I'm not surprised to find that she's devouring the series.  Now all I want to know is just how much she loves the stories.

RATING:
Excellence: OUTSTANDING and then some!  ~ 5.0++ stars