This is an awesome audiobook production! Tamora Pierce, the author, reads the narration, but all of the characters have different actors who voice them. And they do an awesome job! (Honestly, Tamora Pierce sounds a little stodgy, like she’s reading to a child, and you can tell she’s very deliberate with her words and annunciation. But hey, she’s not a voice actor, and it creates a noticeable difference between the narration and the actors. And you get used to it!) (In listening to the interview at […]
Just as good as I remembered!
So, my library was having a new front door installed, so everyone had to temporarily enter through the basement door, which is where the bargain sale books are. So, despite having *two* stacks of unread books at home, I bought some. One of them was Tamora Pierce’s First Test, which takes place in the “medieval and fantastic realm of Tortall.” I loved these books when I was younger, so I forked over my $0.25 for a bit of nostalgia. The King’s Champion Alanna the Lioness […]
My favorite of the Emelan books.
For the past several years, I’ve been sloooowly making my way through all of Tamora Pierce’s books, first with all the Tortall books, and then with Emelan. I’ve liked all the Emelan books, but have always preferred the Tortall books. This is the first Emelan book that has made that opinion waver a little. Maybe it’s just because this is the first time Pierce’s self-imposed structural limitations on this series have been lifted. The first four books were for children, about children (ten and eleven […]
I demand a tiny glass dragon for a pet. I DEMAND IT.
Despite all my caterwauling over the formulaic nature of the series, I’ve really enjoyed the last three books. This one is probably tied for my favorite with the second one. That one had that sweet ass battle where Briar goes to town all over the bad guy’s house with his super magical plant powers, and this one had Tris being grouchy and getting a tiny glass dragon for a pet. Plus I really liked the way that T. Pierce dealt with issues of culture and […]
this may be the creepiest thing i’ve ever read, no joke
Dudes. This book is MESSED UP. I kind of can’t even believe how disturbing it is. I mean, I’m positive that I’ve read books where more objectively disturbing things have happened, but there’s something about the combination of what happens in this book mixed in with the fact that it takes place in a book aimed at pre-teens, and also, just the way she structures it so that it completely messes with your head . . . Cold Fire is the third book in the […]
Love the book, but frustrated this series is so formulaic.
Okay, so firstly, if I would have read this book first in the series, my reaction would have been something like YEAHHHHHHHHHH. But since it was second and made clear the fact that this series is Pierce’s most formulaic yet, it sort of soured it for me. Individually this book was rock solid. Briar was such a badass. He’s fourteen now and officially a plant mage. He and Rosethorn are traveling the world seeking out new plants and such. In the city of Chammur, they […]