Shadow Gate by Kate Elliott

I quite enjoyed Shadow Gate. It suffered a little from middle-book-itus, but not too much. There was a lot going on and new characters to keep track of, along with the ones we got to know in Spirit Gate. I am very interested to see where the story goes next.

So… Keshad wasn’t super likable in the last book, but he’s even worse now. Bai’s a goddamn adult at this point, no longer the child you were attempting to rescue. Grow the fuck up, my dude. And then the plan to “rescue” Miravia after a single look at her and not even knowing her name… my dude. Keshad is just so very caught up in his own shit and apparently too serious to understand how a friendlier demeanor could be helpful.

I kind of like the world-building of “unknown thing/person/race = demons.” It amuses me, even if it kind of kills the curiosity of some characters and some discussions altogether. It does feel very human, though, which is part of why I like it. It also crosses pretty much all the cultures, which is, again, very human.

We finally officially meet the main antagonist. Such fun, one of those “order through oppression” types. Technically, I guess the logic is sound, but oppression is never the right answer when humans are involved. Definitely gonna speculate the dagger is Marit’s “staff.” I seriously doubt anything that comes out of that woman’s mouth so Marit’s staff being lost… gonna call bullshit on that one. I was wrong.

It was very nice getting Marit back. I enjoyed her character in the first part of Spirit Gate and was very glad to see her return here. Her journey from Reeve to Guardian has been an interesting one. Joss’ journey has also been interesting. Who would’ve known he was destined for such leadership.

I initially thought Kirit’s story was a rather long detour, as we know where she ends up. However, I think getting her backstory serves to explain her motivations and the reason her staff takes the form it does. Moving (being shoved violently, really) from a mostly peaceful, matriarchal society to a patriarchal one sown with violence of the worst kind was clearly traumatic… plus her treatment at Girish’s hands… this world really is quite small for all it feels so large.

So yeah… I mostly enjoyed Shadow Gate. It moved well and was decently entertaining. I can’t wait to see how this ends in the next one.

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.