This is the second book in Lackey's THE LAST HERALD MAGE trilogy. It takes place about 12 years after the end of the first book, MAGIC'S PAWN. This kinda bugged me at first since I would have liked to see Vanyel go through his Mage training. Lackey, however, makes the book so absorbing that I soon forgot about this fact. As usual, the characters in the book are exceptionally vivid. Each has their own personality and really stands out as an individual. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the characters that were in the first book develop as people in this one, especially the relationships between Vanyel and his father and between Vanyel and Jervis. The storyline in this book was quite intriguing and a had a very different flavor from the first book. It dealt with solving a murder and lots of mystery. I wish that Ms. Lackey had decided to delve into the intrigue a little more and truly root out the motivations of the antagonists (which she hardly ever seems to do...that is my only complaint about her writing). The magical elements involved were exciting and I enjoyed the climax and resolution...definitely a happy ending. Lackey fans will love this installment and fantasy fans in general should enjoy it as well.