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A review by fairytales
Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce
5.0
Perhaps my all time favorite Tamora Pierce book (in close competition with Lady Knight). I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve read this book. Much as I have a huge soft spot for Daine and Kel (as my first introductions to Tortall), Aly is a delight to read. While Trickster’s Choice is necessary for the build up, Trickster’s Queen to me far surpasses it in intrigue and complexity. It demonstrates just how much can happen in a few short weeks with the right circumstances and what is necessary in a fantasy world at least to take down a corrupt government and stage a successful rebellion. Aly as spymaster is indeed masterful and it’s fun to see her fully exert her talents.
There are certainly concerns in terms of it coming from a luarin and outsider’s viewpoint. Race and the idea of returning a country to native rule does get addressed in the book in some ways but not in others.
The ties back to Tortall do provide a familiar starting point and give readers an immediate reason and tie to characters (Alanna, George, Daine, the darkings) we already care about.
A fun anecdote: I still remember asking Tammy at an event back in 2007 or so if she would be writing more books about Aly. She somewhat wryly replied that writing Aly had been a headache because she was such a strong willed and complicated character so she didn’t think so —maybe a short story but not another book. I can see how wrangling a character like Aly would be a job and a half. So while she is incredibly fun to read, Aly’s wicked sense of self was apparently quite challenging to have living in Tammy’s head while writing the Daughter of the Lioness books!
There are certainly concerns in terms of it coming from a luarin and outsider’s viewpoint. Race and the idea of returning a country to native rule does get addressed in the book in some ways but not in others.
The ties back to Tortall do provide a familiar starting point and give readers an immediate reason and tie to characters (Alanna, George, Daine, the darkings) we already care about.
A fun anecdote: I still remember asking Tammy at an event back in 2007 or so if she would be writing more books about Aly. She somewhat wryly replied that writing Aly had been a headache because she was such a strong willed and complicated character so she didn’t think so —maybe a short story but not another book. I can see how wrangling a character like Aly would be a job and a half. So while she is incredibly fun to read, Aly’s wicked sense of self was apparently quite challenging to have living in Tammy’s head while writing the Daughter of the Lioness books!