To be honest, I find myself reluctant to review Lackey's work at all at this point, despite the fact that I still pick up most of them. Usually off the sale rack or as a library loan at this point, where once I would rush to get my hands on the newest hardcovers as they were released. So I'm doing the latest three as a trio in one. Considering I read the three of them over two days while resting in bed (I've been a bit off lately) I think that's fair. 
 "Unnatural Issue" is another typical piece from Lackey, although admittedly I find this series more appealing than current entries into her other series. This time out we get our heroine running from an absentee father on the brink of WWI. And Dad has taken up necromancy. The usual glimpses of other characters from the series, and these are all carefully tied one into the next. 
 Maybe it's just that I'm older now, and my tastes have changed. The simplistic writing, arch-typical characters and familiar plotlines don't have the same appeal as they once did. The Valdemar series has become a sadly repetitive set of coming of age stories, fairly formulaic. "Changes" stays right on the road, with the exception that this time she hasn't closed the arc on the third shot out. 
 "Beauty and the Werewolf" from the The Five Hundred Kingdoms Series is fairly predictable as well, although retellings of classic fairy tales are always welcome. 
 So why do I keep coming back? I guess for the same reason people like Twinkies. They're sweet, fluffy, simple, and remind us of simpler, happier days. Misty Lackey writes novels that are the equivalent of comfort food for me. And in that they excel. 
 Because while these days I appreciate dark chocolate Tiramisu, sometimes you just want a twinkie.