Eye Spy
Valdemar: Family Spies • Book 2
by Mercedes Lackey
Why You'll Love This
A girl who can feel when a bridge is about to collapse makes for a more compelling spy than anyone with a sword.
- Great if you want: cozy Valdemar world-building with a quietly unconventional protagonist
- The experience: gentle-paced and warm — comfort reading with real stakes underneath
- The writing: Lackey builds character through small moments more than dramatic set pieces
- Skip if: you're new to Valdemar — prior series knowledge adds most of the depth
About This Book
In the world of Valdemar, being the child of legendary Heralds is both a gift and a burden — and Abidela knows this better than most. When she discovers she possesses an extraordinary ability to sense structural weaknesses in physical objects, her path forward shifts in ways she never anticipated. Mercedes Lackey builds a story around a young woman who doesn't fit the expected mold, navigating competing factions who each want to shape her future for their own purposes. The stakes are personal before they're political, which makes them matter all the more.
Lackey's particular strength here is her quiet confidence with character interiority — Abi feels genuinely inhabited rather than constructed. As the second book in the Family Spies series, Eye Spy rewards readers who've spent time in Valdemar while remaining accessible enough for those newer to this corner of the world. The pacing is unhurried in the best sense, allowing relationships and the mechanics of Abi's Gift to develop with care rather than convenience. Readers who like their fantasy grounded in how people actually think through hard choices will find this a satisfying read.
