To Light a Candle: The Obsidian Trilogy, Book Two (The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy, 2)

One of the best fantasy/science fiction novels I've read in a while. The characters are well developed and enjoyable to read about. And a big plus, the dragon and the unicorns. I really enjoy these, especially with their droll sense of humor. The elves are enjoyable also, particularly the proper and formal speech they use. It is interesting to watch the humans try to conquer that form of speech. I look forward to reading the next in the series.

I would say that if you read the first book of the Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory and thought it was an ok read, you will like this book much more. I found the first book to be a really good read and I absolutely could not put down this book. In the first book there was a bit of a learning curve in which you had to really get used to the world that the authors were portraying. You have to get to know how the characters interact, the systems of magic, what the social structures are and all of the fun little details that bring the world to life. Towards the end of the first book, the pace increases and the book really captures your attention. This book does that from the very beginning. I immediately began reading this book after completing the first and was done with it in under five days. This is not becuase I am a speed reader, just becuase I honestly didn't want to stop reading. In this book the development of the main characters grows and the plot really thickens, there are a lot of twists and turns that are very cool and unique. I found myself really drawn into the story, at times feeling like I was reading a well done account of events presented by master storytellers. To Light A Candle is engaging, thought provoking and really overall a wonderful highly recommended read. The only thing that makes me sad is waiting for the next installment... So to those who have read the first book of the Obsidian Trilogy, I am sure you will like this one, those who have not... pick up the two books read them through but get ready for a great adventure! Cheers!

The book filled my appettite to find out what had happened, i read the book in less than 48 hours, twas stunning. Between Idalia Wildmage, Kellen KnightMage, Jermayean Elven-KnightMage and Cilarnen High Mage they can combine with Shalkan and Ancaladar shall rise to prevail in anything. It certainly explains a lot of things that were left out before in the first novel but still can leave it somewhat unexplained, which was rather daunting. That was my only quarrel with the book was i read it too fast and didn't save any of it to read later so i'll have to go back again and re read it until the third book comes out.

A lot of times the middle book in a series will be considered lame, i.e. horrible. With this one, I was much surprised as the somewhat dull parts of the first book (i.e. overly long/verbose descriptions) were kept to a minimum, as the authors assumed we remembered the locales and didn't need to rehash it for us. I really appreciated that, as I hate when authors regurgitate a lot of previous materials to get the reader up to speed. Kellen's personal development has come a long ways from where he started. In these books the authors portray the elves as having slightly different mannerisms than humans, which causes a lot of awkward social circumstances. What is neat, however, is that while Kellen causes what seems to be a lot of mishaps, when he is finally confronted with a situation in which he knows more of elvish customs than another, he has suddenly gone from knowing nothing to being uncannily like an elf himself in some aspects. The plot of the book didn't seem like it was dragging or there were a lot of things that happened in the 2nd book that we wouldn't see resolved until the end. The crises in the 2nd book served to advance the plot without making it seem like it was just filler material for the last book. There was also a lot more combat, and the combat sequences were artfully written. I enjoyed the character of Kellen the most, but I would have to say that compared to the first book Jermayan & Edalia (the first an elf & the second his sister) seem to have taken on a one-dimensional aspect. Previously, they each seemed to have their own strong personalities, while in this one Jermayan has more or less become a love-besotted fool and Edalia has turned into the stereotypical woman/sister. It largely seems like her independence, which was what made her so appealing and strong, has been taken away since her love of Jermayan has been realized. Basically, this was really a good book. Even if the women characters were weak (including that half demon girl), the rest of the plot & the other characters really balanced it out. All in all, this book is a great read, I suggest if it has been a while since you read #1, you get a refresher and read it again so you can recall the City of Bells, etc. Enjoy!

I wasn't sure during the first of the series if this was going to be a trilogy for me(a bit hard to get into and slow in the beginging, but it did pick up). To light a candle, continued that fast action-packed ending and hardly let me catch my breath....couldn't put it down! I am eagerly waiting for the next instalment. Great new world and new vigor in old fantasy standards(Elves, dragons, and magic). Kellen is a hero with a story that you want to follow!!!