I'm generally a fan of Lackey's Valdemar books. This one starts in a way very common to her, as we follow a young man, Darian, who is orphaned and alienated from all around him.
One thing that makes this one different from the usual Valdemar books though, is this particular young man isn't destined to become a Herald. Instead we get to learn more about the mysterious Tayledras featured in other books.
I wouldn't start here if you are new to Lackey or her Valdemar books--you'd do better, I think, picking up Arrows of the Queen, the first published in the series. But this story, not having characters in common with the other books, is independent enough you wouldn't need to read the other books, and though I think others among the Valdemar books are better, this is still an engaging and entertaining read along sword and sorcery coming of age lines, even if not particularly memorable or striking within that genre.
