Briar's Book by Tamora Pierce

I really thought Briar’s Book was going to hit differently because of COVID. I’m not sure if it did because of that, really. I am going to say I was probably more emotionally invested this time, which made certain bits hit harder, but… yeah. Briar’s Book is quite good. I feel like the science-y bits are very true-to-life (which I get into later) and parts were definitely heart-breaking.

Tris getting upset about The Mire had me tearing up. Poor girl’s worried as fuck and doesn’t know how to deal with it… not to mention how her personality is. Woof. Honestly, Tris’ reactions to things in this book had me tearing up this read-through. She’s so caring and prickly at the same time. I love it.

I think this book is where I learned about how disease is tracked and how cures are devised. I mean, it was a very general knowledge, but it’s where I learned it first, even if I didn’t fully internalize that information until later. I think it’s a rather good primer, actually… for the general public. Again, this is one of the spots where Tamora Pierce excels at writing realistically for her audience, even with the magic involved.

I am forever grateful to Tamora Pierce for writing truthfully and not dumbing things down for younger readers. In this one especially, the importance of quarantine and disease tracing are well written and as true to life as they can be. What happens in the quarantine is also written realistically, though not going beat-by-beat but still managing to convey just how horrible having, dying, and caring for those with the disease is. Oh, and having at least one person with tuberculosis in there… that’s some fun (not really) icing on the disease cake right there. Having now learned a lot about tuberculosis (thank you, John Green of Vlogbrothers) it uh… yeah… icing on disease cake.

I think Moonstream’s reaction to the climax was both funny and sobering. These kids just broke one of the cardinal RULES and definitely don’t need to be bandying about that they could technically do it again… Plus there definitely should be limits on what magic can do.

So yes, I thought Briar’s Book was excellent. It’s honestly probably my favorite of this quartet.

Favorite Line

"You needn't adore humanity to feel bad for someone in this fix," - Rosethorn

In Other News

I completed another OviPets project. This is Cherubimon (Vice), based on the Digimon. Took me about 7 months to complete. Part of my Mega Digimon Project line.

 

Daja's Book by Tamora Pierce

I quite enjoyed Daja’s Book. I always enjoy world-building and this book has it in spades. We get a good look at differing parts of the physical world and the Trader culture.

Speaking of, something I didn’t talk about while reviewing Sandry’s Book was my feelings about how the Traders treated Daja. What do you mean you’re literally kicking a child out of society for surviving a ship wreck? The fuck is wrong with you people. Niko was mad about it, too. It’s also lucky he was there to take her. That whole thing was just fucked up and still is. Polyam admits as much, during the forest fire crisis.

I also enjoyed the expansion and subsequent calling back of the Circle’s power sets. I always think it’s nice when there are actual consequences that have to be dealt with rather than just hand-waved away. There’s also a lot of mental/magical traveling happening that was neat. The interconnectedness of the Circle’s powers versus the more rigid academic style magic was also interesting. I felt like Yarrun’s issues were somewhat on par with Climate Change deniers. The experts in an area other than your own are telling you there are going to be issues, but you ignore them because your own hubris and singular experiences are telling you otherwise… it’s rather prescient.

So yeah, Daja’s Book is a very solid entry. I very much enjoyed it. 

Tris's Book by Tamora Pierce

Ah yes, Tris's Book, the one with the pirates. That and Tris's cousin Aymery were the only things I really remembered before my reread. Upon reread, I realized why. Not a lot happens here, aside from the kiddos dealing with pirates and learning a bit about hooking up their magic to other mages'. That's not exactly a bad thing, but Tris's Book really does feel filler-esque.

Really, Aymery was the most obvious antagonist adjacent character. He's shifty from the start and extremely unsubtle in his single attempt to get Tris to leave Winding Circle.

All that aside, I do kind of like the slow-burn of Tris and the others learning their powers. They'd barely had any time in the last book to do much more than start training. Hardly any time has passed between Sandry's Book and Tris's Book, so the fact they're still slowly feeling out exactly what it is they can do makes sense. I also very much appreciate that, again, Tamora Pierce doesn't shy away from the realities of things like pirate-attack-aftermath. People are going to get hurt and rather brutally at that.

Overall, I think Tris's Book is a solid entry in the Circle of Magic series, despite not really being super memorable. 

Spirit Gate by Kate Elliott

Spirit Gate was an interesting beginning. We’re dropped into a world that is not explained to us in a very straightforward way. The story is fairly character-driven and so we know no more than the characters do. I found it intriguing.

The Reeves and their eagles reminded me very much of the Heralds and Companions of Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar, though without the magic and speech they posses. Even the mistrust that is sown in regard to them reminded me of certain bits of Valdemar that distrust Heralds.

I’m interested in finding out more about the Guardians, through this trilogy, since that is (but of a spoiler) where this is apparently going. It seems quite strange to be so in the dark as to the overall aims of the antagonists. Just sowing darkness and apparent chaos feels a bit… meh as far as goals go.

I really liked how big the world is made out to be pretty immediately. The different customs and gods of the countries Mai, Shai, and Anji pass through are neat. It’s also nice to be reminded every so often that not a one of the characters are white. Not a single person of European-ish heritage to be found here. It’s also a little annoying to have pretty much all of the cultures be Patriarchies that would rather have their women completely hidden away than let them be part of the rest of society. It seems Mai is very lucky she ended up married to Anji and they landed in The Hundred, which seems more egalitarian than the rest.

I actually think it’s rather neat a different (at least from what I’ve been reading) to have the protagonists be rather disparate. There’s not the usual band of heroes here. The protagonists actually have very little to do with each other, even despite Mai and Shai being related. I also thought seeing the final battle of the book largely from outside the battle was novel. Usually readers are right in the thick of things.

So yeah… Spirit Gate was pretty good. I was fully engrossed in the world during my reading sessions. I largely liked the characters and how their individual stories overlapped to form the whole. Here’s hoping the rest of the trilogy is as engrossing.

And With That

I have smashed my Reading Goal for the year!

 

Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce

Want a middle-grade fantasy school book that still holds up and whose author continues to be an awesome person? This is it.

I was first introduced to Circle of Magic in Junior High, almost 30 years ago at this point. Almost. Sandry, Briar, Tris, and Daja are some of my oldest friends, book-character-wise. Their characterization is solid from the start. Their magic is actually more on the solid side than I had remembered. The magic system is well explained in the short amount of time it's given. I'm actually a little in awe of the amount of information Tamora Pierce is able to cram in here without it feeling at all rushed.

I also really love that the trauma Sandry and Daja experienced is not shied away from or dumbed down at all. It's also not egregious in the way its described. I'm not sure if I fully grasped the horrors of what they went through when I read it the first time, but the language definitely evokes the true terror of it in my adult brain.

I'm also very impressed with the amount of diversity Pierce wove into the very fabric of this story. Each of the characters is from a different country and background and feels like it. The prejudices against them are also on full display, as well as how they handle it. This is definitely something I didn't super clock when I was younger that just leapt off the page at me this time.

Anyway, I frickin' love Circle of Magic. I'd forgotten just how much as it's been a very long time since I reread them. Sandry's Book is a very good start to the series and I can't wait to dive back in again. 

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

House of Many Ways is a mostly cozy fantasy with what I feel is a ridiculously rushed ending. It was charming enough with a lot of moving parts that were solved via deus ex Calcifer and hurried explanations right at the end. Sorry to spoil it a bit, but... ehhhhh. I'm left quite bewildered and in a state of "wtf did I just read?" by that ending.

I quite like the idea of a crazy wizard house that takes certain actions to get around. Reminds me very much of Morwen's doors in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. That part, I had little problem with. Charmain's magic seems very like Sophie's. Also, not a problem. The kobolds were semi-interesting. The whole lubbok and lubbokin bits... eh. Not a fan. Seem to be there because we apparently needed some over-arching reason for Howl and Sophie to be around. I feel like there could have possibly been a plot with much lower stakes that would have fit just as well... revolving around the actual House, but here we are.

As a side note... I hate Charmain's mother. Coddled Charmain into being an almost helpless person. Can't cook, can't clean... lucky the girl can read and write because really... just ugh. I also hated Twinkle's lisp as much as Sophie did. I was annoyed at it the entire time.

But yeah... I really feel like I may have properly enjoyed House of Many Ways had I read it at a younger age. A good chunk of the world-building around the House was quite nice. I feel the kind of rushed and perfectly bow-tied ending is a Diana Wynne Jones thing I don't really enjoy. 

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones

I am really not sure how I feel, exactly, about Castle in the Air. I'm also not sure what I was expecting, but... yeah. Not sure. I'm not even sure if the portrayal of the Middle Eastern-esque characters and initial setting is problematic or not. As far as I can tell, it's straight out of Arabian Nights so... again, I don't know.

Castle in the Air was enjoyable enough. It meandered its way along, truth be told, in a sort of epic-fantasy way, but not super detailed apart from the massive amount of complimentary speech Abdullah tends to lead with. Then the last third of the book just rushes along toward the ending, which is wrapped up with a neat bow for everyone.

I probably would have loved Castle in the Air when I was younger. Right now, it was a quick, easy enough read and a palette cleanser after Sucker Punch by Laurell K. Hamilton. Oh! It also had kind of Patricia C. Wrede vibes... similar to Calling on Dragons in the overall shape of the adventure. So that's definitely a point in its favor.