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magic_at_mungos's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
3.0
Great for those who love books about talking animals and bratty ten-year olds
Daine and her master, Numair, head out to meet up with Daine's old pack of wolves. Apparently, there is some disturbance to the hunting grounds, and the wolves want the two-leggers to stop mining and farming and such so the game will return. But the rulers of the land, Tristan and Yolane, refuse. Can Daine bring about peace without a bloodbath?
You know that saying about how a sequel is rarely as good as the original? Yeah, that applies here. Sure, this is nowhere near the worst I've ever read--I doubt it would get on a top 100 worst list--but this book is pretty darn dull and contains some of the most annoying tropes.
First off, our story's premise is weak and feels very "sequel"-ish. Daine and Numair are summoned by the wolves to solve a problem? I read the beginning and cringed. There is little I dislike more than a weak reason for a sequel. The sad thing is, the setup at the end of "Wild Magic" is pretty open-ended and ripe for adventures. I just felt the way the adventure started here was weak.
A lot of the characters that were so carefully crafted last time are gone or absent for much of the book. Onua, King Jonathan, Queen Thayet, Tahoi, and more disappear all together; Numair and Alanna appear in very minor roles. Instead, we get probably the third thing I hate most about this book: talking "cute, furry animals". Now we have a billion wolves (including cute pups that is sure to make all the little girl that are reading this squeal and run to their parents begging for a puppy), a squirrel (which has to be THE most annoying anthropomorphized animal, in my book), a basilisk, and, of course, our dragon, which is now called "Kitten". And every time I heard that damn dragon called "Kitten", I wanted to murder something. I've read some animal books in my day (the James Herriot novels, "The Art of Racing in the Rain", etc.) and enjoyed them, so it's not the fact there are animals in this novel. It's the fact that I felt these animals were employed for two purposes: A) the "AW HOW CUTE" factor and the B) "ZOMG!Daine is so awesome" factor.
Speaking of Factor B, we round out to my second most annoying thing about this book: Daine "I'm starting to pole vault over the Mary Sue fence". (I know, it's shocking that this isn't #1 Most Annoying.) I despise Mary Sue characters because they tend to cheat at characterizations and thumb their noses in your face for being so normal. Last book, I could ignore Daine's Mary Sueness because she was young and inexperienced and the book was just written so well, it was hard to be annoyed by her Mary Sueness. Here, the ONLY thing that tempers it (and this is probably what makes it #2 instead of #1) is how prejudiced Daine is towards Stormwings and Ogres and how often she is called out on it. I got to hand it to Pierce: there are NOT many authors who call out their characters for bad behaviors and there are fewer that do it to their resident Mary Sues.
And now, for the absolute Most Annoying Thing about this book...
*drumroll*
Maura!
Who is Maura, do you ask? Well, she's an annoying, whiny, little ten-year old brat who tags along with the group, gets into trouble, screams, and generally makes herself a nuisance...AND WON'T LEAVE NO MATTER HOW MUCH PEOPLE TELL HER TO. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I *HATE* it when a kid is dragged into a story and then the other characters must then proceed to baby said character all over the place because said kid is too STUPID to GO @#$%ing HOME!
Okay, so I've ranted over what I didn't like...so why bother with the three stars? Well, Pierce's writing is still interesting (even if her story is so boring I tuned out and really didn't miss much...). She is developing her story to go somewhere--hence why Daine is honing her talents controlling animals and her own animal instincts. We also get the one big plus factor in this novel: the Stormwings AREN'T all bad guys, they can be just as caring and loyal as any other being. And that last one, in particular, is a HUGE deal, because, let's face it, many children and teen novels wouldn't bother to make villains anything but cliched.
It wasn't as good as "Wild Magic", but it doesn't mean that I'm turned off Tamora Pierce or the Immortals Quartet. I'll be starting up with "Emperor Mage" in the morning. And hopefully, the story will be back to what it was in "Wild Magic".
Daine and her master, Numair, head out to meet up with Daine's old pack of wolves. Apparently, there is some disturbance to the hunting grounds, and the wolves want the two-leggers to stop mining and farming and such so the game will return. But the rulers of the land, Tristan and Yolane, refuse. Can Daine bring about peace without a bloodbath?
You know that saying about how a sequel is rarely as good as the original? Yeah, that applies here. Sure, this is nowhere near the worst I've ever read--I doubt it would get on a top 100 worst list--but this book is pretty darn dull and contains some of the most annoying tropes.
First off, our story's premise is weak and feels very "sequel"-ish. Daine and Numair are summoned by the wolves to solve a problem? I read the beginning and cringed. There is little I dislike more than a weak reason for a sequel. The sad thing is, the setup at the end of "Wild Magic" is pretty open-ended and ripe for adventures. I just felt the way the adventure started here was weak.
A lot of the characters that were so carefully crafted last time are gone or absent for much of the book. Onua, King Jonathan, Queen Thayet, Tahoi, and more disappear all together; Numair and Alanna appear in very minor roles. Instead, we get probably the third thing I hate most about this book: talking "cute, furry animals". Now we have a billion wolves (including cute pups that is sure to make all the little girl that are reading this squeal and run to their parents begging for a puppy), a squirrel (which has to be THE most annoying anthropomorphized animal, in my book), a basilisk, and, of course, our dragon, which is now called "Kitten". And every time I heard that damn dragon called "Kitten", I wanted to murder something. I've read some animal books in my day (the James Herriot novels, "The Art of Racing in the Rain", etc.) and enjoyed them, so it's not the fact there are animals in this novel. It's the fact that I felt these animals were employed for two purposes: A) the "AW HOW CUTE" factor and the B) "ZOMG!Daine is so awesome" factor.
Speaking of Factor B, we round out to my second most annoying thing about this book: Daine "I'm starting to pole vault over the Mary Sue fence". (I know, it's shocking that this isn't #1 Most Annoying.) I despise Mary Sue characters because they tend to cheat at characterizations and thumb their noses in your face for being so normal. Last book, I could ignore Daine's Mary Sueness because she was young and inexperienced and the book was just written so well, it was hard to be annoyed by her Mary Sueness. Here, the ONLY thing that tempers it (and this is probably what makes it #2 instead of #1) is how prejudiced Daine is towards Stormwings and Ogres and how often she is called out on it. I got to hand it to Pierce: there are NOT many authors who call out their characters for bad behaviors and there are fewer that do it to their resident Mary Sues.
And now, for the absolute Most Annoying Thing about this book...
*drumroll*
Maura!
Who is Maura, do you ask? Well, she's an annoying, whiny, little ten-year old brat who tags along with the group, gets into trouble, screams, and generally makes herself a nuisance...AND WON'T LEAVE NO MATTER HOW MUCH PEOPLE TELL HER TO. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I *HATE* it when a kid is dragged into a story and then the other characters must then proceed to baby said character all over the place because said kid is too STUPID to GO @#$%ing HOME!
Okay, so I've ranted over what I didn't like...so why bother with the three stars? Well, Pierce's writing is still interesting (even if her story is so boring I tuned out and really didn't miss much...). She is developing her story to go somewhere--hence why Daine is honing her talents controlling animals and her own animal instincts. We also get the one big plus factor in this novel: the Stormwings AREN'T all bad guys, they can be just as caring and loyal as any other being. And that last one, in particular, is a HUGE deal, because, let's face it, many children and teen novels wouldn't bother to make villains anything but cliched.
It wasn't as good as "Wild Magic", but it doesn't mean that I'm turned off Tamora Pierce or the Immortals Quartet. I'll be starting up with "Emperor Mage" in the morning. And hopefully, the story will be back to what it was in "Wild Magic".
lrwebber's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
ofthebrownajah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hashbrowns's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
arwombat's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Everything in this book felt so convienent. As soon as they came across an obstacle, she developed a fancy new power to beat it.
kathydavie's review
5.0
Second in the Immortals fantasy adventure series for middle-grade readers (ninth in the overall Tortall series) and revolving around Daine, a 14-year-old girl Gifted with the ability to speak to animals as well as heal them. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Tortall books on my website.
My Take
Oh, this is a lovely adventure that revolves around tolerance and environmental pollution. Your kids will get a kick out of Daine as she learns to see goodness even in those who aren't pretty, to accept that everyone does not see the world as she does, and she can talk to any animal. A truly useful ability when it comes time to take down the bad guys!
Exercise your child's imagination when Daine learns to shift her consciousness into different animals and Pierce enables us to experience the world through their eyes…and noses! Even as the animals who allow Daine into their bodies learn to see from a human perspective. It's an exciting read with lots of action and adventure even as we learn to accept animals, people, and monsters for their own sake and not from prejudice learned from others.
Laugh as the wolves and the horses do their best to confuse the hunter of wolves when they mark the traps and pits he tries to use as well as the tricks they play on the bad guys.
The Story
Daine's old wolf pack has sent her an urgent message for help. Driven from their old home, the Long Lake Pack refuse to abandon yet another one especially when the actions of the men in Fief Dunlath are hurting so many. Combined with Queen Thaylet's concerns about the missing Ninth Rider Group, the king has sent Daine and Numair with Kitten, Cloud, Spots, and Mangle to learn all they can.
After meeting up with her old friends, Daine is dismayed to see how changed the wolves are from normal wolves as well as the terrible things the two-leggers are doing to the valley: the mining, dumping into the lake, enslaving the ogres, and too many soldiers bottling up the valley.
Not ones to hold back, Numair and Daine travel into the village to discover what they can and are invited to dinner at the castle where Numain encounters "old friends". Mages. War mages. They learn enough that Numair hustles them out of the village in the middle of the night barely escaping with their lives. The king must be warned of what the Beldens and the mages plan; the wolf pack must be protected.
The Characters
Veralidaine "Daine" Sarrasri is gifted with the wild magic which enables her to interact with animals both speaking and healing. Cloud is the only pony who survived the bandit raid on Daine's home. Skysong, a.k.a., Kitten, is the baby dragon Daine now cares for after her mother died saving everyone at Pirate's Swoop (see Wild Magic).
Numair Salmalín is King Jon's wizard and Daine's teacher.
The Long Lake Pack is…
…Daine's old friends including Brokefang, the leader; Fleetfoot; Russet; Short Snout; Battle; Sharp Nose; Frolic; Frostfur, is the female leader and she hates Daine; and, Longwind. The wolf pups include Leaper, Chaser, Silly, Runt, and Berry.
Sunclaw is a friendly eagle. Tkaa is a basilisk brought over from the Divine Realms by Tristan when he summoned the Stormwings. The Song Hollow bats help to map the shield the war mages have erected over the entire valley; Wisewing allows Daine to shadow with her. Flicker is a squirrel Daine heals and who agrees to help Daine with her spying. Quickmunch is a marmot who shares her body with Daine so she can communicate with Numair through the shield. Iakoju is the ogre who runs away and joins their motley rebellion. Blueness and Scrap are castle cats who also help Daine with her spying.
Master Parlan is the innkeeper in Fief Dunlath. Tait is the huntsman who joins the rebellion. Old White and Night Black are the wolves' Gods. Sir Alanna, the King's Champion, and Raoul of Goldenlake, the King's Commander of the King's Own.
Tristan Staghorn is a War mage and an old schoolmate of Numair's. He is one of the mages behind what is happening in Dunlath along with Alamid Mokhlos and Gissa of Rachne.
Lord Belden is the master of Fief Dunlath; his wife is the Lady Yolane, heiress to half of Dunlath and obsessed with aping the royal court. Lady Maura is Yolane's half-sister and the heiress to the other half. She's also friends with Rikash, surprisingly. THey have two merchant guests: Hasse Redfern and Tolon Gardiner.
Stormwings are half-metal, half-human immortal birds. Lord Rikash Moonsword leads these Stormwings and yet is friends with Maura. Emperor Orzone is the ruler of Carthak and an enemy of Tortall. It is widely believed his mages opened a rip in the boundary between their mortal world and the Divine Realms, land of the Immortals.
The Cover and Title
With a suggestion of a Russian lacquer box with its classic fairy tale design, this cover is bordered by two columns of leaves on the sides, the bottom border is a plaque showcasing Tamora Pierce's name, while the top border is of two Hurroks flanking a plaque with the book's title. It all frames Daine with her braided hair and red jerkin covering a white blouse with slashed sleeves kneeling with her animal friends, three wolves and Kitten, the baby dragon huddled next to a huge tree as they observe the smoke rising from the other side of a lake.
The title is accurate for Daine is a Wolf-Speaker for her friends.
My Take
Oh, this is a lovely adventure that revolves around tolerance and environmental pollution. Your kids will get a kick out of Daine as she learns to see goodness even in those who aren't pretty, to accept that everyone does not see the world as she does, and she can talk to any animal. A truly useful ability when it comes time to take down the bad guys!
Exercise your child's imagination when Daine learns to shift her consciousness into different animals and Pierce enables us to experience the world through their eyes…and noses! Even as the animals who allow Daine into their bodies learn to see from a human perspective. It's an exciting read with lots of action and adventure even as we learn to accept animals, people, and monsters for their own sake and not from prejudice learned from others.
Laugh as the wolves and the horses do their best to confuse the hunter of wolves when they mark the traps and pits he tries to use as well as the tricks they play on the bad guys.
The Story
Daine's old wolf pack has sent her an urgent message for help. Driven from their old home, the Long Lake Pack refuse to abandon yet another one especially when the actions of the men in Fief Dunlath are hurting so many. Combined with Queen Thaylet's concerns about the missing Ninth Rider Group, the king has sent Daine and Numair with Kitten, Cloud, Spots, and Mangle to learn all they can.
After meeting up with her old friends, Daine is dismayed to see how changed the wolves are from normal wolves as well as the terrible things the two-leggers are doing to the valley: the mining, dumping into the lake, enslaving the ogres, and too many soldiers bottling up the valley.
Not ones to hold back, Numair and Daine travel into the village to discover what they can and are invited to dinner at the castle where Numain encounters "old friends". Mages. War mages. They learn enough that Numair hustles them out of the village in the middle of the night barely escaping with their lives. The king must be warned of what the Beldens and the mages plan; the wolf pack must be protected.
The Characters
Veralidaine "Daine" Sarrasri is gifted with the wild magic which enables her to interact with animals both speaking and healing. Cloud is the only pony who survived the bandit raid on Daine's home. Skysong, a.k.a., Kitten, is the baby dragon Daine now cares for after her mother died saving everyone at Pirate's Swoop (see Wild Magic).
Numair Salmalín is King Jon's wizard and Daine's teacher.
The Long Lake Pack is…
…Daine's old friends including Brokefang, the leader; Fleetfoot; Russet; Short Snout; Battle; Sharp Nose; Frolic; Frostfur, is the female leader and she hates Daine; and, Longwind. The wolf pups include Leaper, Chaser, Silly, Runt, and Berry.
Sunclaw is a friendly eagle. Tkaa is a basilisk brought over from the Divine Realms by Tristan when he summoned the Stormwings. The Song Hollow bats help to map the shield the war mages have erected over the entire valley; Wisewing allows Daine to shadow with her. Flicker is a squirrel Daine heals and who agrees to help Daine with her spying. Quickmunch is a marmot who shares her body with Daine so she can communicate with Numair through the shield. Iakoju is the ogre who runs away and joins their motley rebellion. Blueness and Scrap are castle cats who also help Daine with her spying.
Master Parlan is the innkeeper in Fief Dunlath. Tait is the huntsman who joins the rebellion. Old White and Night Black are the wolves' Gods. Sir Alanna, the King's Champion, and Raoul of Goldenlake, the King's Commander of the King's Own.
Tristan Staghorn is a War mage and an old schoolmate of Numair's. He is one of the mages behind what is happening in Dunlath along with Alamid Mokhlos and Gissa of Rachne.
Lord Belden is the master of Fief Dunlath; his wife is the Lady Yolane, heiress to half of Dunlath and obsessed with aping the royal court. Lady Maura is Yolane's half-sister and the heiress to the other half. She's also friends with Rikash, surprisingly. THey have two merchant guests: Hasse Redfern and Tolon Gardiner.
Stormwings are half-metal, half-human immortal birds. Lord Rikash Moonsword leads these Stormwings and yet is friends with Maura. Emperor Orzone is the ruler of Carthak and an enemy of Tortall. It is widely believed his mages opened a rip in the boundary between their mortal world and the Divine Realms, land of the Immortals.
The Cover and Title
With a suggestion of a Russian lacquer box with its classic fairy tale design, this cover is bordered by two columns of leaves on the sides, the bottom border is a plaque showcasing Tamora Pierce's name, while the top border is of two Hurroks flanking a plaque with the book's title. It all frames Daine with her braided hair and red jerkin covering a white blouse with slashed sleeves kneeling with her animal friends, three wolves and Kitten, the baby dragon huddled next to a huge tree as they observe the smoke rising from the other side of a lake.
The title is accurate for Daine is a Wolf-Speaker for her friends.
iorangi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75