Welcome to Litsy!

I know some on GR felt this one was slower than the first, but I think that worked in its favor. Daine is gaining powers, learning her magic. If it were rushed it would feel cheap. Daine & Numair uncover a plot that threatens not just the throne, but all of Tortall. When Daine and Numair separate, and a magic barrier soon makes that separation against their will, Daine must work with the People in ways she hasn‘t before. Will they be in time?

Dragons and duckmoles and badgers oh my! A grand adventure through the divine realms, a war of grand (you could even say divine) proportions, promises broken, and secrets revealed! A wonderful conclusion to this lovely series! I can‘t wait to get to Kel‘s books! (I just have to wait for them to arrive)

My favourite of all of Daine‘s books (although the last is a close second) a truly fantastic book where we explore Tortal‘s southern neighbour for the first time and Daine looses her temper in just the most massive way posible (with a little help from a meddling old woman)

We get to meet the pack! And a whole host of other friends (furred, feathered, two legger, and immortal) as well as a cast of foes, but isn‘t that always the case. Likewise, Daine starts the long (though not as long for her as many others) slog of growing up.

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#BookNerd 🤓💙📚

I liked it. But it‘s hard not to measure this series based on The Song of the Lioness, and it‘s not a flattering comparison. There‘s just not the depth of friendships or relationships that Alana gets—probably because animals take the place of humans…now that I think of it maybe that‘s on me because I don‘t value them the same? The other big side of that is the romance and it does feel rushed in this book and the age gap/power dynamics unaddressed.

Daine travels to the Empire of Carthak as part of a risky peace delegation, heals the emperor-mage‘s beloved birds, befriends the crowned prince and a marmoset, meets some dinosaurs, and generally wreaks havoc as the means of vengeance of a foreign god. What else is new? Though I think Pierce‘s heart was in the right place & she was trying for diverse representation, this book is problematic in places in its depiction of a POC state with slavery.

I listened to this one quickly (2x) on audio because I knew it wouldn‘t be my favorite—I‘ve just never been into anthropomorphic animal fantasy, but I do want to continue with the series and the next one looks like it has more court politics and Daine is older, so it‘s up next! Still a pick because I think it‘s great middle grades fantasy, just not my favorite subjects.

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