a plethora of Tamora Pierce
Got called back into one of Tamora Pierce's worlds recently - ended up getting all the Circle books and reading them (re-reading a couple). Not going to do indepth reviews of each - just each series. All are teen fantasy, suitable for all ages, even adults :)
The Circle of Magic quartet:
Sandry's Book
Tris's Book
Daja's Book
Briar's Book
These introduce to four young mages whose magics are different than most. Their magics are drawn from the ambient world around them, rather than through precise spells, and all are untrained and in need of guidance. These four books introduce each character and go into their backgrounds and show their growth in learning about their magics and each other and making themselves into a family and a magical force to be reckoned with. Read the first couple when they came out and didn't care for them a whole lot - I think I was too in love with Pierce's other world of Tortall and these younger kids just didn't match up :) I've since learned better and really enjoyed them. So much so that I bought the set and the second quartet and the start of the third :)
The Circle Opens quartet:
Magic Steps
Street Magic
Cold Fire
Shatterglass
The four are split up in this set - Sandry remains home with her ailing uncle while Tris, Briar and Daja go away with their respective teachers to vastly different parts of their world. Each of the four, though, encounters another untrained ambient mage - and the rules of their magic state that since they discovered them, they're responsible for teaching them until a proper teacher is found. None of the new mages have the same magic, so the four try to teach their pupils discipline and meditation, while hunting for proper teachers - and dealing with being foreigners in lands that aren't necessarily accepting of strangers. Since they're seperated, each book is only about one of the quartet (well, their new student too) and how they adjust to becoming a teacher, learning about new cultures and growing up. Lots of intrigue and mage politics.
The Circle Refored: (2 so far)
The Will of the Empress - individual review in the YA Challenge post.
Melting Stones - read this one last September and am not counting it for this year
First one is the original 4 back together after two years apart and now it's Sandry's turn for travel to her familial home where her cousin is Empress. Not a completely cordial visit and the four must learn to reconnect themselves magically to get away. Second explores more of Briar's student Evvy, a stone mage. This one got me back interested in these series :)
The Circle of Magic quartet:
Sandry's Book
Tris's Book
Daja's Book
Briar's Book
These introduce to four young mages whose magics are different than most. Their magics are drawn from the ambient world around them, rather than through precise spells, and all are untrained and in need of guidance. These four books introduce each character and go into their backgrounds and show their growth in learning about their magics and each other and making themselves into a family and a magical force to be reckoned with. Read the first couple when they came out and didn't care for them a whole lot - I think I was too in love with Pierce's other world of Tortall and these younger kids just didn't match up :) I've since learned better and really enjoyed them. So much so that I bought the set and the second quartet and the start of the third :)
The Circle Opens quartet:
Magic Steps
Street Magic
Cold Fire
Shatterglass
The four are split up in this set - Sandry remains home with her ailing uncle while Tris, Briar and Daja go away with their respective teachers to vastly different parts of their world. Each of the four, though, encounters another untrained ambient mage - and the rules of their magic state that since they discovered them, they're responsible for teaching them until a proper teacher is found. None of the new mages have the same magic, so the four try to teach their pupils discipline and meditation, while hunting for proper teachers - and dealing with being foreigners in lands that aren't necessarily accepting of strangers. Since they're seperated, each book is only about one of the quartet (well, their new student too) and how they adjust to becoming a teacher, learning about new cultures and growing up. Lots of intrigue and mage politics.
The Circle Refored: (2 so far)
The Will of the Empress - individual review in the YA Challenge post.
Melting Stones - read this one last September and am not counting it for this year
First one is the original 4 back together after two years apart and now it's Sandry's turn for travel to her familial home where her cousin is Empress. Not a completely cordial visit and the four must learn to reconnect themselves magically to get away. Second explores more of Briar's student Evvy, a stone mage. This one got me back interested in these series :)