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bubski_mcboo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While I loved the author as a teen due to her influx of female heroines in the male-dominated fantasy adventure genre, I have grown out of this series due to the types of relationships the author encourages in teenage girls, which played a part in my unrealistic expectations regarding romance and my underperformance at school. Numair and Daine have implied mutual attraction throughout the series, culminating in an established relationship by the final book when Daine is conveniently legal (where I live) at sixteen but still too young to be snogging her thirty-year-old teacher, who doesn't, to my mind, have nearly enough guilt about allowing it. This is not the kind of relationship impressionable teens should be encouraged to pursue. Other than that, Daine is a model of bravery and being unapologetically herself in a classist society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Misogyny, and Slavery
Moderate: Confinement and Animal cruelty
Minor: Pedophilia
Interactions and reactions with and about the fifteen-year-old protagonist imply intentions or approval of paedophilia from the antagonist. The same interaction implies a mutual attraction between another adult and the fifteen-year-old protagonist.julieabe89's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-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
5.0
I think this may be my favorite of the Immortals books. Ozorne’s sheer audacity is phenomenal for a villain. The way that Daine’s rage erupts is epic.
lrwebber's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-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
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
4.0
A trip down South and a brush with death
Daine, her master, Numair, the King's Champion, Alanna, and other Tortall diplomats head to Carthak to try to negotiate peace and keep the two countries from war. Daine's mission is specifically to heal the Emperor Mage's beloved birds. But Daine sees an old slave woman who shouldn't be there and gets warnings from the Beaver God to stay away.
Let me preface this review with the note that I listened to this on audiobook and thus may grossly mispell the names. I will try to Wiki the names as best as I can.
Let me also get this out of the way: the book feels a LOT like a cross between Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Our protagonists head to the South, where it is warmer, the people act more Middle Eastern, the Emperor is mean and nasty, he has a kind, sweet nephew, they worship other gods, etc. However, I actually think that "Emperor Mage" does the "Prince Caspian" story better than "Prince Caspian". And while the stories are similar, there are differences.
So, I've been trucking along through this quartet. The first book, Wild Magic, really impressed me. The second, Wolf Speaker, bored me. This book, while it certainly had some problems, felt like a great improvement.
Our characters are back and in fine form. Daine has adjusted rather well to being a shapeshifter, though I think she draws closer and closer to the Mary Sue line in this book. Here, she learns yet ANOTHER magical ability--to wake up the dead. Seems like every book has her learning at least one new ability (though admittedly this ability is NOT related to her Wild Magic, but was a gift she was given). It's a good thing this series is only four books long, or she might have picked up super strength, super hair growth, and super bug repellant before the end. But one thing I cannot pick on Daine for is that she is an independent woman, not relying on a man to sweep her off her feet and save the day. Her fate is in her hands; she DOES get angry when someone dies and reacts instead of fluttering and waiting for her emo boyfriend to appear. In fact, even with all her Mary Sue qualities, Daine makes me wish fervently for the days when this character was the norm, instead of the whiny emosparklyteenaged brats we get now.
Numair and Alanna are back and are great. I really wished we could have Onua back though (she was my favorite!). I really liked Qadar, the Prince, and his relationship to Daine. I felt there was some potential chemistry there, but nothing so overtly sexual that it drove me nuts. Even the Emperor Mage himself was great--a villain that was clever without going into Cackling, Moustache Twirling territory.
Daine acquires another animal minion, Zeek, and I really have to wonder what the point of him was. I am not a monkey/marmoset fan, and, furthermore, he doesn't really seem to DO anything that couldn't be done by someone else--such as Kit. Speaking of Kit, here is another character that is venturing into Mary Sue territory (which I still applies to dragons???). Frak, the things this dragon can do: detect magic, open doors...she's the Swiss army knife of this realm!
The story was a lot more interesting than "Wolf Speaker". Although there were parts that were dull to me (I had to read the Wiki summary to jump start my memory of some of the events), the story felt more unique. Having the Tortollans travel to Carthak for diplomacy was a great idea; having Daine come along to heal the sick animals was great, very clever and makes her DOING something instead of just being a hanger-on. I wasn't fond of the main character that appears to die at one point in the book--it is SO obvious that the character WOULDN'T die. What made it even more ridiculous was how Daine had to spend SO MUCH TIME convincing herself said character wasn't dead; as I read this, I was reminded of how Bella Swan, in "New Moon", kept thinking Edward hated her guts even while she was canoodling him for a quarter of the book and had to be bludgeoned to believe that he didn't. I also liked how we FINALLY got some closure about Daine's father.
What REALLY improved my opinion of this book were two things: the climax and the religion/pantheon of gods/goddesses. The climax is positively heart-pounding. I love how Daine really takes control and chases down the Emperor Mage, never backing down once, never wussing out to let a man take over. What was also genius was how the story ends but leaves just enough space for the final book. The second, the gods and goddesses, was something I thought was really clever. It was like both the Tortall gods/goddesses and the Carthak gods/goddesses existed in an even BIGGER audience of gods and goddesses. I'm sure this has been done elsewhere, but this is the first time I remember seeing this, and I thought it was clever.
"Emperor Mage" is an improvement over "Wolf Speaker". The characters are great (as always), but the story really seems to be going somewhere, having a focus, an end in sight. For me, "Emperor Mage" is a solid 3.5 stars rounded to 4 (to differentiate from the disappointing "Wolf Speaker"). "Realm of the Gods", here I come!
Daine, her master, Numair, the King's Champion, Alanna, and other Tortall diplomats head to Carthak to try to negotiate peace and keep the two countries from war. Daine's mission is specifically to heal the Emperor Mage's beloved birds. But Daine sees an old slave woman who shouldn't be there and gets warnings from the Beaver God to stay away.
Let me preface this review with the note that I listened to this on audiobook and thus may grossly mispell the names. I will try to Wiki the names as best as I can.
Let me also get this out of the way: the book feels a LOT like a cross between Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Our protagonists head to the South, where it is warmer, the people act more Middle Eastern, the Emperor is mean and nasty, he has a kind, sweet nephew, they worship other gods, etc. However, I actually think that "Emperor Mage" does the "Prince Caspian" story better than "Prince Caspian". And while the stories are similar, there are differences.
So, I've been trucking along through this quartet. The first book, Wild Magic, really impressed me. The second, Wolf Speaker, bored me. This book, while it certainly had some problems, felt like a great improvement.
Our characters are back and in fine form. Daine has adjusted rather well to being a shapeshifter, though I think she draws closer and closer to the Mary Sue line in this book. Here, she learns yet ANOTHER magical ability--to wake up the dead. Seems like every book has her learning at least one new ability (though admittedly this ability is NOT related to her Wild Magic, but was a gift she was given). It's a good thing this series is only four books long, or she might have picked up super strength, super hair growth, and super bug repellant before the end. But one thing I cannot pick on Daine for is that she is an independent woman, not relying on a man to sweep her off her feet and save the day. Her fate is in her hands; she DOES get angry when someone dies and reacts instead of fluttering and waiting for her emo boyfriend to appear. In fact, even with all her Mary Sue qualities, Daine makes me wish fervently for the days when this character was the norm, instead of the whiny emosparklyteenaged brats we get now.
Numair and Alanna are back and are great. I really wished we could have Onua back though (she was my favorite!). I really liked Qadar, the Prince, and his relationship to Daine. I felt there was some potential chemistry there, but nothing so overtly sexual that it drove me nuts. Even the Emperor Mage himself was great--a villain that was clever without going into Cackling, Moustache Twirling territory.
Daine acquires another animal minion, Zeek, and I really have to wonder what the point of him was. I am not a monkey/marmoset fan, and, furthermore, he doesn't really seem to DO anything that couldn't be done by someone else--such as Kit. Speaking of Kit, here is another character that is venturing into Mary Sue territory (which I still applies to dragons???). Frak, the things this dragon can do: detect magic, open doors...she's the Swiss army knife of this realm!
The story was a lot more interesting than "Wolf Speaker". Although there were parts that were dull to me (I had to read the Wiki summary to jump start my memory of some of the events), the story felt more unique. Having the Tortollans travel to Carthak for diplomacy was a great idea; having Daine come along to heal the sick animals was great, very clever and makes her DOING something instead of just being a hanger-on. I wasn't fond of the main character that appears to die at one point in the book--it is SO obvious that the character WOULDN'T die. What made it even more ridiculous was how Daine had to spend SO MUCH TIME convincing herself said character wasn't dead; as I read this, I was reminded of how Bella Swan, in "New Moon", kept thinking Edward hated her guts even while she was canoodling him for a quarter of the book and had to be bludgeoned to believe that he didn't. I also liked how we FINALLY got some closure about Daine's father.
What REALLY improved my opinion of this book were two things: the climax and the religion/pantheon of gods/goddesses. The climax is positively heart-pounding. I love how Daine really takes control and chases down the Emperor Mage, never backing down once, never wussing out to let a man take over. What was also genius was how the story ends but leaves just enough space for the final book. The second, the gods and goddesses, was something I thought was really clever. It was like both the Tortall gods/goddesses and the Carthak gods/goddesses existed in an even BIGGER audience of gods and goddesses. I'm sure this has been done elsewhere, but this is the first time I remember seeing this, and I thought it was clever.
"Emperor Mage" is an improvement over "Wolf Speaker". The characters are great (as always), but the story really seems to be going somewhere, having a focus, an end in sight. For me, "Emperor Mage" is a solid 3.5 stars rounded to 4 (to differentiate from the disappointing "Wolf Speaker"). "Realm of the Gods", here I come!
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
laserdiscreader's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed this installment more than the last. I think that's partially due to seeing Diane's power increase as it does. We love women's anger and righting wrongs
madgec's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I don't know how I missed this series as a teen. A magical girl bringing dinosaurs back to life to trash a castle is badass.
A few things didn't age super well but what do you expect?
A few things didn't age super well but what do you expect?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Third in the Immortals fantasy adventure series for children about a young girl with the ability to speak and heal animals. This particular adventure occurs in Carthak. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Tortall books on my website.
My Take
All I can say is that I hope King Jon realizes what a treasure the kingdom of Tortall has in Daine! And Daine is beginning to see Numair with a different eye than that of a young girl…more that of a young woman.
It's another moral tale, the kind that Pierce does so very well, cloaking it in a fascinating story full of adventure and intrigue. This one is of treating people with decency whether they're slaves, family, gods, animals, or the "man on the street". It's an excellent example of what can happen when any one person gets carried away with their own importance and tramples on the freedoms of others whether it's the ability to seek out knowledge, feel easy in speaking out and existing, or simply ensuring that the people one governs are healthy and happy.
Ooh, that emperor is such a jerk!! He thinks all he has to do is offer Daine a title and her own estates and she'll accept being kidnapped, her country invaded, and Numair's death. What an idiot!
The Story
Desperate to avoid war, Tortall sends an embassy to negotiate a treaty with Carthak. As a symbol of goodwill, Daine goes along to use her skills on the emperor's desperately ill birds — the only creatures about whom the emperor seems to care.
The embassy will be in great danger while in Carthak for none of them trusts the emperor and each of them must use extreme care to avoid giving offense. For the first part of their trip, events are as expected: Daine heals the emperor's birds and Kaddar takes her on tours of the different parts of the emperor's zoo — including the forbidden sections, Carthaki temples, and its museum and university as well as visiting Kaddar's friends where Daine displays some very unexpected skill. But the treaty negotiations bog down worse and worse for it is as suspected, the emperor is not serious and Daine quickly finds herself in grave danger.
Lucky for her that Numair is a brilliant mage, the emperor is too vain to believe he is not the best mage in the land, and that he has angered too many. Including the gods. He has also underestimated the young and pleasant Daine along with her formidable abilities to befriend anyone.
The Characters
Veralidaine "Daine" Sarrasri is gifted with the wild magic which enables her to speak to animals and heal them and the Emperor of Carthak is desperate for someone to heal his birds. Daine can also shapeshift into any animal. She also discovers the identity of her father, Weiryn. 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). Much against his will, Badger is forced to give Daine yet another Gift for the mission the gods have set for her on this trip, a Gift of Life over Death. Zek is a young pygmy marmoset whom Daine saves from crocodiles and/or a watery death.
Numair Salmalín is King Jon's wizard and Daine's teacher. He used to be very friendly with the emperor until he was accused of treason and thrown into the dungeon.
The Tortallan delegation is headed up by Duke Garen of Naxen with fellow delagatees Sir Alanna, the King's Champion; his son Gareth the Younger, an old schoolmate of Alanna's; Harailt, the dean of the royal university; and, Lord Martin of Meron.
Stormwings are half-metal, half-human immortal birds. In Carthak, King Jokhun Foulreek of the Stone Tree nation rules them through a pact he made with Orzone which found the true Queen Barzha and her mate Hebakh prisoners while Lord Rikash Moonsword is his second-in-command and vassal; a very unhappy vassal once he learns what Daine has to say.
Emperor Orzone is the ruler of Carthak and a very powerful mage. It is widely believed his mages opened a rip in the boundary between their mortal world and the Divine Realms, land of the Immortals. An enemy of Tortall, he has set his avaricious eyes on stealing away Daine. The Graveyard Hag is the preeminent goddess in Carthak. A very unhappy goddess.
"His Royal Highness Kaddar, prince of Siraj, duke of Yamut, count of Amar, first lord of the Imperium, and heir apparent to His Most Serene Majesty Emperor Orzone" becomes Daine's friend during negotiations. He unexpectedly learns of his own misguided prejudices. Lindall Reed is a mage who teaches at the university and is an old friend of Numair's. He's very anxious to discuss animals with Daine. Varice Kingsford is another old friend of Numair's; her mage skill specializes in entertainment and cooking which she utilizes in designing very creative parties for the emperor. Tano is the Banjiku cat-man who helps Daine escape.
The Cover and Title
The cover is rather eerie with its bottom border of a deep purple rising in a short gradient into a plummy purple before becoming a deep eggplant. The right half of Daine's face stares out at us as a white bird flies, superimposed over the skeleton veins of leaves and Daine.
The title is certainly accurate for this story is all about the Emperor Mage.
My Take
All I can say is that I hope King Jon realizes what a treasure the kingdom of Tortall has in Daine! And Daine is beginning to see Numair with a different eye than that of a young girl…more that of a young woman.
It's another moral tale, the kind that Pierce does so very well, cloaking it in a fascinating story full of adventure and intrigue. This one is of treating people with decency whether they're slaves, family, gods, animals, or the "man on the street". It's an excellent example of what can happen when any one person gets carried away with their own importance and tramples on the freedoms of others whether it's the ability to seek out knowledge, feel easy in speaking out and existing, or simply ensuring that the people one governs are healthy and happy.
Ooh, that emperor is such a jerk!! He thinks all he has to do is offer Daine a title and her own estates and she'll accept being kidnapped, her country invaded, and Numair's death. What an idiot!
The Story
Desperate to avoid war, Tortall sends an embassy to negotiate a treaty with Carthak. As a symbol of goodwill, Daine goes along to use her skills on the emperor's desperately ill birds — the only creatures about whom the emperor seems to care.
The embassy will be in great danger while in Carthak for none of them trusts the emperor and each of them must use extreme care to avoid giving offense. For the first part of their trip, events are as expected: Daine heals the emperor's birds and Kaddar takes her on tours of the different parts of the emperor's zoo — including the forbidden sections, Carthaki temples, and its museum and university as well as visiting Kaddar's friends where Daine displays some very unexpected skill. But the treaty negotiations bog down worse and worse for it is as suspected, the emperor is not serious and Daine quickly finds herself in grave danger.
Lucky for her that Numair is a brilliant mage, the emperor is too vain to believe he is not the best mage in the land, and that he has angered too many. Including the gods. He has also underestimated the young and pleasant Daine along with her formidable abilities to befriend anyone.
The Characters
Veralidaine "Daine" Sarrasri is gifted with the wild magic which enables her to speak to animals and heal them and the Emperor of Carthak is desperate for someone to heal his birds. Daine can also shapeshift into any animal. She also discovers the identity of her father, Weiryn. 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). Much against his will, Badger is forced to give Daine yet another Gift for the mission the gods have set for her on this trip, a Gift of Life over Death. Zek is a young pygmy marmoset whom Daine saves from crocodiles and/or a watery death.
Numair Salmalín is King Jon's wizard and Daine's teacher. He used to be very friendly with the emperor until he was accused of treason and thrown into the dungeon.
The Tortallan delegation is headed up by Duke Garen of Naxen with fellow delagatees Sir Alanna, the King's Champion; his son Gareth the Younger, an old schoolmate of Alanna's; Harailt, the dean of the royal university; and, Lord Martin of Meron.
Stormwings are half-metal, half-human immortal birds. In Carthak, King Jokhun Foulreek of the Stone Tree nation rules them through a pact he made with Orzone which found the true Queen Barzha and her mate Hebakh prisoners while Lord Rikash Moonsword is his second-in-command and vassal; a very unhappy vassal once he learns what Daine has to say.
Emperor Orzone is the ruler of Carthak and a very powerful mage. It is widely believed his mages opened a rip in the boundary between their mortal world and the Divine Realms, land of the Immortals. An enemy of Tortall, he has set his avaricious eyes on stealing away Daine. The Graveyard Hag is the preeminent goddess in Carthak. A very unhappy goddess.
"His Royal Highness Kaddar, prince of Siraj, duke of Yamut, count of Amar, first lord of the Imperium, and heir apparent to His Most Serene Majesty Emperor Orzone" becomes Daine's friend during negotiations. He unexpectedly learns of his own misguided prejudices. Lindall Reed is a mage who teaches at the university and is an old friend of Numair's. He's very anxious to discuss animals with Daine. Varice Kingsford is another old friend of Numair's; her mage skill specializes in entertainment and cooking which she utilizes in designing very creative parties for the emperor. Tano is the Banjiku cat-man who helps Daine escape.
The Cover and Title
The cover is rather eerie with its bottom border of a deep purple rising in a short gradient into a plummy purple before becoming a deep eggplant. The right half of Daine's face stares out at us as a white bird flies, superimposed over the skeleton veins of leaves and Daine.
The title is certainly accurate for this story is all about the Emperor Mage.
iorangi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0