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thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've always loved this series, I've read it over and over again since I was in grade school. Every time I get a little more out of it, and this time was no different. This was my first time listening to the audiobook and it was so much fun. I got to say that my favorite part to this day is still Daine's sassy relationship with her pony Cloud, which is especially prevalent in this first book.
My one complaint, although technically not unreasonable in the book's environment, is how young Daine is. She is 13 at the beginning of this book. It isn't a problem here per se, but it becomes problematic as the rest of the series develops.
My one complaint, although technically not unreasonable in the book's environment, is how young Daine is. She is 13 at the beginning of this book. It isn't a problem here per se, but it becomes problematic as the rest of the series develops.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Classism, Sexism, War, and Bullying
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Daine meets and then travels with Onua, the horse mistress of the Queen’s Riders, beginning as a hired hand for the journey to the palace and quickly becoming indispensable. She has wild magic so strong that she’s in danger of losing track of herself when she connects with animals (the People). They meet the mage, Numair Saladin, who becomes Daine’s master in her magical studies. The plot revolves around Daine connecting with People and with two-leggers, gradually feeling like she can belong again after having traumatically lost her home and family before the events of the book. I like almost all of this book, I just wish it didn't lean quite so hard into Daine's crush on Numair (a man twice her age and her mage master, besides).
There’s a new threat to Tortall: the immortals which were sealed away for several hundred years. Some of them seem to have been in on the return plan, working with enemies of Tortall. Others were unceremoniously plopped in the Mortal Realms with no forewarning and are making the best of it.
In characterization, this focuses nearly as much on animals as humans. Daine connects with many wild animals and enjoys meeting new kinds of creatures (especially on her first visit to the ocean). She also communicates with some of the immortals, particularly the ones with animal forms. I like Cloud, she’s technically an animal sidekick character but she is written much more like a human traveling companion in temperament and tone. She never feels like a gimmick, but is a full person with Daine.
For anyone who’s read The Song of the Lioness quartet, WILD MAGIC occasionally leans into a “where are they now” roundup of beloved characters from those earlier books. If you read this without those, it completely makes sense and doesn’t require background knowledge from that series in order to have 99% of its emotional impact. Usually it just means that readers of Alanna’s quartet may recognize returning characters by their descriptions a paragraph or two earlier than when Daine learns their names.
I like the big battle at the end, it fits the characters and gives a chance to show how much Daine has changed over the summer.
There’s a new threat to Tortall: the immortals which were sealed away for several hundred years. Some of them seem to have been in on the return plan, working with enemies of Tortall. Others were unceremoniously plopped in the Mortal Realms with no forewarning and are making the best of it.
In characterization, this focuses nearly as much on animals as humans. Daine connects with many wild animals and enjoys meeting new kinds of creatures (especially on her first visit to the ocean). She also communicates with some of the immortals, particularly the ones with animal forms. I like Cloud, she’s technically an animal sidekick character but she is written much more like a human traveling companion in temperament and tone. She never feels like a gimmick, but is a full person with Daine.
For anyone who’s read The Song of the Lioness quartet, WILD MAGIC occasionally leans into a “where are they now” roundup of beloved characters from those earlier books. If you read this without those, it completely makes sense and doesn’t require background knowledge from that series in order to have 99% of its emotional impact. Usually it just means that readers of Alanna’s quartet may recognize returning characters by their descriptions a paragraph or two earlier than when Daine learns their names.
I like the big battle at the end, it fits the characters and gives a chance to show how much Daine has changed over the summer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Violence, Medical content, Body horror, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Vomit, Gore, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Slavery, Excrement, Suicide, and Murder
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