I'm 40 pages into the
new Valdemar book, and so far, all the cliches are holding true. Abused child saved by magical telepathic horsie, check. Using cutesy words like "sparklies" and "kiddies" in the limited third-person narration to show his lower-classness, but then also using words like "ulcerate," check. Obsession with baths and in-depth descriptions of such, check.
...why do I enjoy this series so much again? NEVERTHELESS, I DO.
DON'T YOU JUDGE ME
Edit: Actually, the Amazon reviews seem to be giving it pretty low marks, even from Valdemar fans; we'll see whether it goes downhill later on.