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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Second in The Circle Opens and sixth in the overall Emelan fantasy series for middle-grade readers and revolving around Briar Rose and his discovery, Evvy. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Emelan books on my website.
My Take
The idea of the tattoos Briar gave himself may have backfired a bit, but they suit him.
I like that Pierce has the kids finding apprentices whose magic is not the same as their own. It provides the storyline more independence as the apprentices require more characters to be brought in and made a part of the "family".
It's taken until Briar's story for me to realize the meaning of "The Circle Opens". I mean, duhhh, the original circle is Briar, Sandry, Tris, and Daja. With this second quartet of books, The Circle Opens as each discovers a mage who needs teaching. I suspect The Circle Reforged will bring the four back together, although I haven't figured out what their adventures might be!
I do love that Briar's trees are arguing with him. I can't decide if I think the trees are like siblings or independent-thinking pets, lol.
Using the gang war as a device to influence Evvy to trust Briar was a good idea. It helps the conflict over Evvy accepting Briar's help smoother, more natural.
That so-called Lady is a piece of work. Bored, she resorts to stirring up trouble, murder, and worse. That Jooba-hooba is almost worse, for he was taught better. It's quite spiteful of me, but I love the idea of what that Stonesplicer has coming to him, *snicker*. And I don't mean only the scolding Rosethorn will give him!
There are good values in this story for children — doing the right thing, generosity, thinking of others, fair dealing, all the reasons why gang life is bad — and Pierce presents them well. There are no lectures in here!
The Story
Briar and Rosethorn are off on their own adventure, settled in the town of Chammur while they help the farmers there. It's very much a work-study trip for Briar. While Rosethorn helps the farmers, Briar works with the local temple, replenishing their stores.
It's on one of his trips to Golden House that Briar encounters a girl with magic, and he learns the lesson Sandry learned in Magic Steps, 1 (5): He who discovers the mage must teach the mage.
The Characters
Briar Moss is a plant mage, part of a circle of four young people who are capable of prodigious feats of magic. He's brought his personal tree, his shakkan that is his storehouse of power, with him.
Evumeimei "Evvy" Dingzai is a runaway slave and will be a stone mage. Meanwhile she lives in the stench-filled caves in the upper heights with her pack of cats: Mystery, Asa, Monster, Ria, Apricot, Ball, and one more. Qinling is a resident of the caves and speaks Evvy's native language with her.
Dedicate Rosethorn of Winding Circle temple in Emelan is his teacher and a highly renowned plant mage. She is also a member of Winding Circle's Initiate Council and the Mage-council of the University at Lightsbridge.
Chammur
Jebilu Stoneslicer is the only stone mage in town. Sulya sells herbs and charms. Mutabir Kemit doen Polumri is the governor of the Watch; his residence is at the base of Justice Rock. Hedax Yoson leads the squad who "escorts" Briar. Pahan Turaba Guardsall is a Mohunite mage and Polumri's aide.
The gangs in Chammur
The Camelgut are…
…the gang in Briar's neighborhood whom he's befriended. Hammit was his first contact. Mai, Douna, and Ayasha are some of the other gang members.
The Vipers are…
…a new gang sponsored by a noblewoman. Ikrum Fazhal is their leader. Members of the gang include Sajiv, Orlana, and Yoru.
The Lady Zenadia doa Attaneh, a Chammuran noblewoman and the aunt of the amir, is a manipulating nasty woman who's bored out of her mind and sadistic. Her armsmaster, Ubayid, will give the gang weapons and teach them how to use them. Her guards include Filyen and Osazi.
The Gate Lords are…
…the premier gang in Chammur.
Golden House is a high end market where rare and costly things can be found as well as anything magic. Nahim Zineer peddles crystals and stones. An eknub is a foreigner. A takameri is a rich woman. Tesku means leader. A pahan is a mage. A thukdak is a street rat. A zernamus is a suck-up, a parasite who lives off the rich.
Niklaren Goldeneye was the mage who discovered Briar. The Thief-Lord "recruited" Briar into his gang. Dedicate Crane is a rival of Rosethorn's at Winding Circle. Tris, Daja, and Sandry are part of Briar's mage circle.
The Cover and Title
The colorful cover is the market scene where Briar discovers Evvy polishing rocks, bringing forth their magic, doing Street Magic.
My Take
The idea of the tattoos Briar gave himself may have backfired a bit, but they suit him.
I like that Pierce has the kids finding apprentices whose magic is not the same as their own. It provides the storyline more independence as the apprentices require more characters to be brought in and made a part of the "family".
It's taken until Briar's story for me to realize the meaning of "The Circle Opens". I mean, duhhh, the original circle is Briar, Sandry, Tris, and Daja. With this second quartet of books, The Circle Opens as each discovers a mage who needs teaching. I suspect The Circle Reforged will bring the four back together, although I haven't figured out what their adventures might be!
I do love that Briar's trees are arguing with him. I can't decide if I think the trees are like siblings or independent-thinking pets, lol.
Using the gang war as a device to influence Evvy to trust Briar was a good idea. It helps the conflict over Evvy accepting Briar's help smoother, more natural.
That so-called Lady is a piece of work. Bored, she resorts to stirring up trouble, murder, and worse. That Jooba-hooba is almost worse, for he was taught better. It's quite spiteful of me, but I love the idea of what that Stonesplicer has coming to him, *snicker*. And I don't mean only the scolding Rosethorn will give him!
There are good values in this story for children — doing the right thing, generosity, thinking of others, fair dealing, all the reasons why gang life is bad — and Pierce presents them well. There are no lectures in here!
The Story
Briar and Rosethorn are off on their own adventure, settled in the town of Chammur while they help the farmers there. It's very much a work-study trip for Briar. While Rosethorn helps the farmers, Briar works with the local temple, replenishing their stores.
It's on one of his trips to Golden House that Briar encounters a girl with magic, and he learns the lesson Sandry learned in Magic Steps, 1 (5): He who discovers the mage must teach the mage.
The Characters
Briar Moss is a plant mage, part of a circle of four young people who are capable of prodigious feats of magic. He's brought his personal tree, his shakkan that is his storehouse of power, with him.
Evumeimei "Evvy" Dingzai is a runaway slave and will be a stone mage. Meanwhile she lives in the stench-filled caves in the upper heights with her pack of cats: Mystery, Asa, Monster, Ria, Apricot, Ball, and one more. Qinling is a resident of the caves and speaks Evvy's native language with her.
Dedicate Rosethorn of Winding Circle temple in Emelan is his teacher and a highly renowned plant mage. She is also a member of Winding Circle's Initiate Council and the Mage-council of the University at Lightsbridge.
Chammur
Jebilu Stoneslicer is the only stone mage in town. Sulya sells herbs and charms. Mutabir Kemit doen Polumri is the governor of the Watch; his residence is at the base of Justice Rock. Hedax Yoson leads the squad who "escorts" Briar. Pahan Turaba Guardsall is a Mohunite mage and Polumri's aide.
The gangs in Chammur
The Camelgut are…
…the gang in Briar's neighborhood whom he's befriended. Hammit was his first contact. Mai, Douna, and Ayasha are some of the other gang members.
The Vipers are…
…a new gang sponsored by a noblewoman. Ikrum Fazhal is their leader. Members of the gang include Sajiv, Orlana, and Yoru.
The Lady Zenadia doa Attaneh, a Chammuran noblewoman and the aunt of the amir, is a manipulating nasty woman who's bored out of her mind and sadistic. Her armsmaster, Ubayid, will give the gang weapons and teach them how to use them. Her guards include Filyen and Osazi.
The Gate Lords are…
…the premier gang in Chammur.
Golden House is a high end market where rare and costly things can be found as well as anything magic. Nahim Zineer peddles crystals and stones. An eknub is a foreigner. A takameri is a rich woman. Tesku means leader. A pahan is a mage. A thukdak is a street rat. A zernamus is a suck-up, a parasite who lives off the rich.
Niklaren Goldeneye was the mage who discovered Briar. The Thief-Lord "recruited" Briar into his gang. Dedicate Crane is a rival of Rosethorn's at Winding Circle. Tris, Daja, and Sandry are part of Briar's mage circle.
The Cover and Title
The colorful cover is the market scene where Briar discovers Evvy polishing rocks, bringing forth their magic, doing Street Magic.
carlyxdeexx's review against another edition
4.0
Things that struck me while I re-read this book.
1) My love for Briar hasn’t faded over time. This garden boy is not only a solid example of healthy masculinity, but also evolving healthy masculinity. Is he perfect? No. Is he trying? Yes. And we see him grow (heh) so much since we first met him in book one of The Circle of Magic Series. Infinite thanks to Tamora Pierce for giving this series Briar Moss. Her feminism can’t be denied.
2) This book is BLOODY. Like, there have been violent moments in the first series, and yes, there is bloodshed in book one of this one, but JEEZ. It gets sickeningly gory in this book. But the writing almost masks the level of gore? The image is reported briefly, matter-of-factly, then on to the next thing, so you don’t have a lot of time to dwell on the horror of what just actually happened, a la watching Lance have his Dragonite use Hyper Beam on a PERSON in Pokémon G/S. I can see how my young self might not register the gravity of this book’s violent moments. It took me a second each time to really acknowledge it this readthrough.
3) This book does address morality and violence towards the end. I’m not sure if I really like the way it’s handled, or if the whole exploration lacked substance. I’m on the fence about it.
I liked this book better than Sandry’s. And I’m looking forward to Daja’s!
1) My love for Briar hasn’t faded over time. This garden boy is not only a solid example of healthy masculinity, but also evolving healthy masculinity. Is he perfect? No. Is he trying? Yes. And we see him grow (heh) so much since we first met him in book one of The Circle of Magic Series. Infinite thanks to Tamora Pierce for giving this series Briar Moss. Her feminism can’t be denied.
2) This book is BLOODY. Like, there have been violent moments in the first series, and yes, there is bloodshed in book one of this one, but JEEZ. It gets sickeningly gory in this book. But the writing almost masks the level of gore? The image is reported briefly, matter-of-factly, then on to the next thing, so you don’t have a lot of time to dwell on the horror of what just actually happened, a la watching Lance have his Dragonite use Hyper Beam on a PERSON in Pokémon G/S. I can see how my young self might not register the gravity of this book’s violent moments. It took me a second each time to really acknowledge it this readthrough.
3) This book does address morality and violence towards the end. I’m not sure if I really like the way it’s handled, or if the whole exploration lacked substance. I’m on the fence about it.
I liked this book better than Sandry’s. And I’m looking forward to Daja’s!
bookworm_megs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
jenhurst's review against another edition
4.0
Briar continues to be the most interesting/compelling character of the series. The story and relationship between Briar and Evvy drove the story. Seeing the interactions between briar/Rosethorn and evvy/briar drove the story. I liked how briar’s past was utilized again and showing how far he’s come. I really like the city set up and how different it felt compared to usual settings in fantasy.
filliefanatic's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
4.75
love the world tamora pierce has created; also would commit crimes to protect briar and evvy
midici's review against another edition
4.0
I used to take out Tamora Pierce's books from the library extremely often, and I still enjoy re-reading them. The plot of this book makes much more sense and is much richer in the context of all the other books that came before it. I'll just say that Briar Moss has always been one of my favourite characters and the interactions between him, Evvy and Rosethorn are amazing.
kebreads's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed rereading this book.
Content: clean- some violence
Content: clean- some violence
anacereading's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Briar as a teacher is great! Love the plant magic. Did not like that the main villains were either fat or veiled (and there weren’t characters with the same characteristics in this story that weren’t villains). Boo.
anitaforthewin's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5