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A review by amykeeley
Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
4.0
Having read all four in this series now, I can truthfully say this is the best one out of the bunch.
The political tension makes sense, and Orzorne is a well-developed villain: a man who used to be friends with Numair and claims he only wants what's best for his kingdom. He has his weak points and his good points. In fact, Daine finds she understands him very well when it comes to his birds.
The other villain didn't. In fact, by the end, I was disappointed in how the old lady was handled. It was very anti-climatic.
Prince Kaddar is great. He turned out to be somewhat interesting and a definite romantic possibility for Daine. I loved Numair's reaction to him, though I wish there could have been more build-up to it.
In fact, that leads me to Pierce's biggest flaw as a writer: she doesn't let us into the emotions of a character during important romantic moments. If you're not going to do that, why have a romance at all? Why not just keep things platonic?
I would have really appreciated Daine noticing Numair's change in attitude toward her. She comes across as very clueless when it comes to him which means it's difficult to see how his feelings toward her are changing.
Thankfully, the times when it is clear how his feelings for her are changing are wonderful moments, neither icky nor strange. And I love his reaction when Orzorne implies there's something more going on between Numair and Daine but in a way that made my skin crawl.
The plot overall is excellent, with everything explained and foreshadowed properly. The ending is amazing! The reasons are clear and, for once, the emotion is so powerful that my heart fluttered. I loved it.
I loved it so much that, instead of reviewing it immediately, I went to the next book.
Didn't love it as much, but that's a different review.
The political tension makes sense, and Orzorne is a well-developed villain: a man who used to be friends with Numair and claims he only wants what's best for his kingdom. He has his weak points and his good points. In fact, Daine finds she understands him very well when it comes to his birds.
The other villain didn't. In fact, by the end, I was disappointed in how the old lady was handled. It was very anti-climatic.
Prince Kaddar is great. He turned out to be somewhat interesting and a definite romantic possibility for Daine. I loved Numair's reaction to him, though I wish there could have been more build-up to it.
In fact, that leads me to Pierce's biggest flaw as a writer: she doesn't let us into the emotions of a character during important romantic moments. If you're not going to do that, why have a romance at all? Why not just keep things platonic?
I would have really appreciated Daine noticing Numair's change in attitude toward her. She comes across as very clueless when it comes to him which means it's difficult to see how his feelings toward her are changing.
Spoiler
Not only that, but in the end, he sees her naked, and hyenas conveniently circle her, as if they have some notion of modesty. Numair doesn't even blush or turn away as he gives her his cloak to cover herself with. I mean, he's a guy, right? He should have some sort of reaction, probably of extreme modesty since he's a gentleman.Thankfully, the times when it is clear how his feelings for her are changing are wonderful moments, neither icky nor strange. And I love his reaction when Orzorne implies there's something more going on between Numair and Daine but in a way that made my skin crawl.
Spoiler
I also appreciated that, in spite of the book's description, Verice was actually a good person. I wouldn't expect anything less of a former lover of Numair.The plot overall is excellent, with everything explained and foreshadowed properly. The ending is amazing! The reasons are clear and, for once, the emotion is so powerful that my heart fluttered. I loved it.
I loved it so much that, instead of reviewing it immediately, I went to the next book.
Didn't love it as much, but that's a different review.