Wild Magic, Tamora Pierce – Book Review

Hello Humans! Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know that a couple of weeks ago when I was off work sick, I decided to read the entirety of the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce and absolutely loved them. I also reviewed Tempests and Slaughter earlier in the year, so it was only a matter of time before I reviewed the Wild Magic series. So, for the rest of this week, I’ll be reviewing the first three of the four books (and hopefully the fourth one but at this point, I haven’t read it yet and I don’t want to overly pressure myself you know?)

Goodreads Summary:

Discover a land of enchantment, legend, and adventure in this first book of the Immortals series, featuring an updated cover for longtime fans and fresh converts alike, and including an all-new afterword from Tamora Pierce.

Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a special connection with animals, but only when she’s forced to leave home does she realize it’s more than a knack—it’s magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but she can also make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen’s Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student.

Under Numair’s guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she encounters other beings, too, who are not so gentle. These terrifying creatures, called Immortals, have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundred years—but now someone has broken the barrier. And it’s up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an Immortal attack.

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Don’t get me wrong, Alanna was a phenomenal protagonist, but something about Daine just clicked with me, maybe it was her connection with animals, maybe it was her fear of her own madness, I don’t know. Suffice it to say that I fell hard for Daine. I loved her, I want to read fifty books from her perspective and I couldn’t wait to keep reading more. This book captured all of the things I love about books with animals and just kept running with them, I adore a young protagonist learning to master her skills and that is exactly what you get in this story.

I also loved that this book built on the Alanna series, it’s like greeting old friends (ok, I only read the Alanna books the week before but that was the feeling). There’s something satisfying about being allowed to continue the stories of characters through the eyes of someone new. You can learn new things about them and the lives they lead and it’s an opportunity to see them flourishing which is just nice, profoundly nice.

I loved the plot, there was just the right amount of intrigue, deception and also bonding between the ‘good’ characters. I liked that the story built on what you thought you knew about magic in the first books and then just twists it a little bit more.

I should stress that you don’t have to have read the Alanna books to enjoy this story. It might help, but this definitely stands alone.

What I have enjoyed is that all of these books, so far, have been ten chapters long. I think it makes the pacing much more gentle, working through a long chapter is quite satisfying. I enjoy the pattern of events as they evolve in a ten-part structure.

I know this review is profoundly waffley and that’s because I just don’t have the words to describe what I love about this book. All I can say is Tamora Pierce knows how to write a setting and a story. She works for me.

My rating: 5/5 stars – didn’t even have to think about it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What say you? Have you read these? Are you planning to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

J