You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by wealhtheow
Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce
3.0
Four years after the magical plague swept their city in [b:Briar's Story|11105647|Briar Rose; The Story of the Sleeping Beauty|Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|16027836], the magical students of Winding Circle have separated to pursue further training. Sandry, whose gift lies in weaving magic as though it were thread, discovers a boy with a strange ability. Unlike ordinary mages, he has to dance to do magic. Everyone else in his family is a harrier (the city's version of police), but Sandry convinces them to let him train with her.
Meanwhile, a feud between merchant clans leads to murder, as assassins descend upon the city. The assassins are using a terrifying form of un-magic, and even Sandry's weaving magic is hard-pressed to deal with it.
Sandry isn't 10 years old any longer, and her inner voice is more mature. The portions of this book that deal with her and her magic are wonderful reads. The parts concerning Pasco are less so. Pasco is trained in investigation and law-enforcement, but when the mysterious murders begin, he has nothing to do with the plot. He mostly trains off-page, and does nothing at the climax of the action. I think this would have been a much better book if it was told from his perspective. His training with the dancers and struggle between family expectations and personal dreams would have come across a lot more strongly. Plus, seeing familiar characters through the eyes of a stranger always adds a zing to the narrative.
Meanwhile, a feud between merchant clans leads to murder, as assassins descend upon the city. The assassins are using a terrifying form of un-magic, and even Sandry's weaving magic is hard-pressed to deal with it.
Sandry isn't 10 years old any longer, and her inner voice is more mature. The portions of this book that deal with her and her magic are wonderful reads. The parts concerning Pasco are less so. Pasco is trained in investigation and law-enforcement, but when the mysterious murders begin, he has nothing to do with the plot. He mostly trains off-page, and does nothing at the climax of the action. I think this would have been a much better book if it was told from his perspective. His training with the dancers and struggle between family expectations and personal dreams would have come across a lot more strongly. Plus, seeing familiar characters through the eyes of a stranger always adds a zing to the narrative.