Honestly, I have really, really enjoyed Trickster's Choice all three times I've read it. I'm pretty sure it spoiled me for YA spy novels. Or at least those set in a medieval-ish time frame... as I have read no others, the jury's still technically out on that but anyway... Trickster's Choice is up there in my favorites of Tamora Pierce's Tortall novels, possibly even my favorite.
So firstly, I feel like Aly's relationship with Alanna is quite realistic. Alanna doesn't understand Aly because Aly's interests lie somewhere far different than Alanna's own. Aly finds Alanna's disdain for her chosen profession off-putting, to say the least. However, when push comes to shove, Alanna gets very protective and worried for Aly and Aly will leap to defend Alanna's honor if she feels like it's being even a little bit besmirched. It reads realistically to me, even if it isn't a huge part of the book.
Secondly, I've always envisioned Kyprioth as resembling Bruce Campbell's character Autolycus from Xena: Warrior Princess. This definitely isn't a big thing, but there it is. Kyprioth is an interesting portrayal of a trickster god, I think. He's depicted as being very set on his goal, even if he tries not to seem serious about it. I like it and him.
Thirdly, that thing I said in my intro about Trickster's Choice spoiling me for YA spy novels... yeah... looking at Collegium Chronicles and The Herald Spy by Mercedes Lackey here. I feel like Aly's story is just more realistic than Mags', for all Aly's got mages and humanoid crows and gods running about. Aly's background for spying actually makes more sense than Mags basically getting his assassin skills downloaded into his brain by his cousin or whatever. Pierce also fleshes out Aly's spying a lot better than Lackey ever did with Mags. Trickster's Choice is just so much better by far.
Fourth, this is probably where my personal biases color my review the most: The Nawat/Aly romance subplot. Not a fan this time. Not sure about my thoughts on it before, because I didn't write it down, but this time around I'm not so into it. Now I will admit, this is probably because romance is just rubbing me the wrong way lately and I'm embracing it or something, but yeah... I guess it's kinda cute, but... ehhhhhh. I really don't have any real explanation as to why this is, but I'm just not enamored with them as a pair. Now Nawat on his own is amusing. I kind of love the idea of a animal running around in human shape and corvids are way more intelligent than people give them credit for... so yeah. Nawat's fine. He and Aly as a couple... meh.
Dispensing with the numbering thing now, dunno why I even started that... but anyway... I feel like I also need to address the "white savior"-ness that is technically inherent here. Aly is a white girl coming into a largely black people situation in order to help them out through her wager with Kyprioth. That really stood out to me this time. The slavery aspect of the raka's situation was definitely not lost on me and that Aly came into the entire thing also as a slave... it scquicked. Now, Aly is also not actually being a "white savior," really, I don't think... and the half-laurin/half-raka girls she's trying to protect along with the raka servants and all are half-laurin... It's complicated and I'm not really sure I want to comment on it too much as a white girl myself so... yeah. I noticed all that and wanted to make sure it's clear. Aly is just one cog in the largely raka rebellion happening and I do feel like she's really only super prominent because of the whole thing with Kyprioth... but... yeah. That's it on that. Promise.
Little add-on cuz I forgot: Aly's is 16! She's told by both her parents that her chosen profession is too dangerous, but at the same time, they both want her to be doing something with her life... just not the spying. And she's 16! I think this sort of shit is unfair from parents today and Aly's supposedly "a woman grown" because medieval-ish time frame and all. Just... ugh.
But yeah... Trickster's Choice is a really good read. My final note is the foreshadowing around Sarai and Dove was also kind of obvious to me this time, but I have read this duology three times at this point so... yeah. Awesome book. Definitely my favorite in my Tortall reread so far.
Favorite Lines
"I do not like interesting things," she said, amusement in her eyes even though her tone was one of reproof. "They tend to bite painfully." - Duchess Winnamine Balitang
"Too much information is bad for you mortals. Just loook at your history if you want proof." - Kyprioth
"We build up pretty pictures of men, when we want to be in love. We hate to have them ruined." - Duchess Winnamine Balitang
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