wish-fulfillment

So, I'm reading Arrows of the Queen, amusing myself by noting the similarities between this book and Anne McCaffrey's first two Harper Hall books. But then it just got crazy. I was expecting the mischievous, helpful Piemur-character to show up, and he did. I didn't expect Talia's friendship with an old musician Herald, who accepts her for who she is (coughPetironcough). And then I was gobsmacked when Talia turns out to have skill playing a pipe, and a nice little singing voice (which the old musician is obligingly training). So when a murder attempt on Talia almost succeeds, and she only saves herself by her newly found telepathic powers, I was shaken. Especially now that it turns out there's a Circle of telepaths at the school. A Circle! Sadly, no one has the Alton gift, to put Talia to death and me out of my misery.
The telepathy makes me cranky, because this is a Paolini level of copying from other works (the Circle, etc., are pure Darkover. I guess it was handy for Lackey to write all those Marion Zimmer Bradley fanfics first!). Also (and possible less forgivably, it makes Talia some sort of walking wish-fulfillment bundle. I guess "Mary Sue" isn't a name found on Valdemar.