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Brightly Burning

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Brightly Burning

Written by: Mercedes Lackey
Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
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Lavan Chitward is a very unhappy young man; pulled away from his country home by his parents' ambitions and resettled in the big city of Haven, he is desperately lonely, bullied and beaten at school, ignored by his parents. It is not surprising that he falls ill - but his illness is the first manifestation of a terrible power, the Gift of the Firestorm, a power which can and does kill. If controlled, the Gift of the Firestorm can save Valdemar, but if it is uncontrolled, it will destroy the country - and him. Chosen by the Companion Kalira, brought into the ranks of the Heralds of Valdemar, Lavan finds acceptance and hope for the first time. But war with Karse threatens to engulf the Kingdom and only Lavan Firestorm stands between Valdemar and destruction - and only then if he can harness his dreadful power to his will.

©2000 Mercedes R. Lackey (P)2020 Tantor Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Historical Romance Natural Disaster
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Love the book and the audio book, even with the frustrating start.

I power through those first chapters because the story is so beautifully written, and Lavan's growth such a contrast. From frustrated and depressed to bewildered and bullied to empowered and courageous. It's fantastic.

And the narrator - the emotions are there. I recognize the whine of a teenager, the frustration of a parent, the powerlessness of not being heard and the love of a chosen family...fantastic!

Great story well narrated

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The story is great, and can be read as a stand alone story, or to fill in history you’ve only heard mentioned in passing in the rest of the series.
The narrator is also amazing. I don’t know what to say other than, I hope he narrates more in the Valdemar series

Fantastic!!

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After all of his hardship and trials, he should have triumphed and conquered his abilities. The fact that he couldn’t be in a romantic relationship with a woman, and he would never control his powers, left me quite unsatisfied. Then after finding acceptance and true friendship and family , he kills himself because his companion died. Where is his fortitude and strength of character? I expect more from a hero, but maybe he isn’t a hero. Also, he seemed to have had a secondary gift. What happened to that? Couldn’t he use his ability to win over the trust of companions to help him survive. It would have been best if he found out that he had the ability to bound with other compatible companions, instead of giving up on life. He’s so young. In my opinion, his death at the end was very disappointing and seemed senseless.

Disappointing ending - spoiler alert

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This book seems to have been written by a juvenile or an inexperienced writer. I expected a novel where the main lead character grows into his power, but all I got was a very long book of a teen character who is never able to overcome or control his anger who has a power that apparently can harm even him, and in the end, his anger becomes too great and he gives up, committing suicide by allowing his anger and power to consume and kill him. None of those speak of an epic fantasy journey.

The author fails to describe the relationship of the “horse“ characters within the novel that are apparently able to mind speak. I could not understand what their true purpose was. I found it absolutely confusing, having this bond that is supposed to calm them and help them enhance their powers, but is also a huge liability.

This book reminds me of a child’s story; it lacks imagery and descriptions, it lacks clarity, It lacks depth but is extremely long winded, and it lacks imagination.

Disappointing

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