Scan barcode
A review by emeraldletter
Mastiff by Tamora Pierce
4.0
I have really enjoyed this series, I love the strong female lead, the interesting plot, the diverse characters and settings. I still enjoyed Mastiff, but I have to say at the outset, it did have slightly more significant problems with it than the last two books. I would still recommend it to a lot of people though, so don't be put off by that.
First of all, I adored the girl power! A lot of books with strong female leads make them strong- but they're strong because they break the rules. That is so NOT true in real life! Girls can obey the law, respect authority and still be strong women. I love that about Beka in this book. She has the Lord Geshom, and other men in positions of authority giving her orders, but it doesn't make her weak to obey rules. In fact, she shines even more. Such a brilliant example of the truth displayed in teen fiction made me want to jump up and down with pride for authors who write about true strong women.
In the romance department, I was a bit disappointed, not because the guy Pierce had picked for Beka was bad, but because it felt like she had inserted the perfect guy into the story for Beka so she could have a man. I don't normally have a problem with that except the romance moved too fast (not in the terms of physicality, but mentality). Like a lot of characters, they didn't really realise they had fallen in love 'til they reflected on their actions, but the time progression between 'I realised I was in love', and 'be my girlfriend', was way too short. I understand Pierce needed Beka with a guy as the Cooper family tree continues to George Cooper, but she could've done that in several good ways other than the way she chose. (e.g. Beka stays single at the end and it's just assumed she found someone, OR she got with a guy, but it didn't move as fast and it's assumed that they got married eventually after the book). I think it's a bit sad that this part of the story wasn't developed fully as it could've been an awesome way to end the Trilogy.
Anyway, I am still happy to say that most of the things that I most enjoyed about the first and second book were still present in the third. The plot was excellent (apart from aforementioned problem), the characters and settings were new, diverse and brilliant, and the character development from the last book. I'm not sure I can say anything else about those four positive things without reiterating stuff I've said in previous reviews on the series. Needless to say, they were awesome.
It's a minor problem, but if you are to properly appreciate the epilogue, you may have to read the Lioness Quartet. In all probability, the Beka Cooper series is used to educate Tortallan readers about the history of Tortall, the history of the Coopers, and create a more indepth world. It's true that reading the Lioness Quartet beforehand enriches the reading experience of this series, but I'm sure you can still read the series as a stand alone. You'll just have to put up with a confusing epilogue from Mastiff, and a puzzling prologue from Terrier. Personally, I would just read the Quartet, but you don't have to.
Ok, I'll be honest, this problem is hard to voice without spoiling, but I'll do my best. I'm not sure if this is just a personal bias, but some of the decisions one old character made seem a bit out of character. Right. I give up. Skip the italics to the next paragraph if you don't want this spoiled (I'd recommend it as this is the big spoil).
I was so disappointed in what Pierce did with Tunstall! It seemed slightly out of character, but at the same time, his motives were true...so...I guess my problem is either I was so wrapped up in the story that I still can't believe he would betray them, or that Pierce made him do something slightly out of character. Please comment and tell me what you think, 'cause I'm still not sure what to think...
There was no sex, and not much mention of it, like I said in the last book, I say this for anyone who has wished that some books would come with a warning you could read before you read it. Fortunately, this book is not one of those ones and all those under who worry have nothing to worry about.
Well, all in all, I reckon I'll rate it four and a half stars. It was good, but there was a fairly big problem in the timing of the romance department. I still LOVE the girl power and the overall plot, characters and world, which were excellent.The message I think Pierce wanted to send was that the slaves should be freed (as seen in the dedication) and I agree wholeheartedly. I think it's good that an author uses her readers to advocate for important issues. I recommend it to anyone 14+.
BTW, I have noticed that when I review, I review the features of the book and usually don't talk too much about actual characters and plot twists. If you agree, or disagree, please comment and tell me so I know what you'd like me to focus on when I write!
StoryGirl
First of all, I adored the girl power! A lot of books with strong female leads make them strong- but they're strong because they break the rules. That is so NOT true in real life! Girls can obey the law, respect authority and still be strong women. I love that about Beka in this book. She has the Lord Geshom, and other men in positions of authority giving her orders, but it doesn't make her weak to obey rules. In fact, she shines even more. Such a brilliant example of the truth displayed in teen fiction made me want to jump up and down with pride for authors who write about true strong women.
In the romance department, I was a bit disappointed, not because the guy Pierce had picked for Beka was bad, but because it felt like she had inserted the perfect guy into the story for Beka so she could have a man. I don't normally have a problem with that except the romance moved too fast (not in the terms of physicality, but mentality). Like a lot of characters, they didn't really realise they had fallen in love 'til they reflected on their actions, but the time progression between 'I realised I was in love', and 'be my girlfriend', was way too short. I understand Pierce needed Beka with a guy as the Cooper family tree continues to George Cooper, but she could've done that in several good ways other than the way she chose. (e.g. Beka stays single at the end and it's just assumed she found someone, OR she got with a guy, but it didn't move as fast and it's assumed that they got married eventually after the book). I think it's a bit sad that this part of the story wasn't developed fully as it could've been an awesome way to end the Trilogy.
Anyway, I am still happy to say that most of the things that I most enjoyed about the first and second book were still present in the third. The plot was excellent (apart from aforementioned problem), the characters and settings were new, diverse and brilliant, and the character development from the last book. I'm not sure I can say anything else about those four positive things without reiterating stuff I've said in previous reviews on the series. Needless to say, they were awesome.
It's a minor problem, but if you are to properly appreciate the epilogue, you may have to read the Lioness Quartet. In all probability, the Beka Cooper series is used to educate Tortallan readers about the history of Tortall, the history of the Coopers, and create a more indepth world. It's true that reading the Lioness Quartet beforehand enriches the reading experience of this series, but I'm sure you can still read the series as a stand alone. You'll just have to put up with a confusing epilogue from Mastiff, and a puzzling prologue from Terrier. Personally, I would just read the Quartet, but you don't have to.
Ok, I'll be honest, this problem is hard to voice without spoiling, but I'll do my best. I'm not sure if this is just a personal bias, but some of the decisions one old character made seem a bit out of character. Right. I give up. Skip the italics to the next paragraph if you don't want this spoiled (I'd recommend it as this is the big spoil).
I was so disappointed in what Pierce did with Tunstall! It seemed slightly out of character, but at the same time, his motives were true...so...I guess my problem is either I was so wrapped up in the story that I still can't believe he would betray them, or that Pierce made him do something slightly out of character. Please comment and tell me what you think, 'cause I'm still not sure what to think...
There was no sex, and not much mention of it, like I said in the last book, I say this for anyone who has wished that some books would come with a warning you could read before you read it. Fortunately, this book is not one of those ones and all those under who worry have nothing to worry about.
Well, all in all, I reckon I'll rate it four and a half stars. It was good, but there was a fairly big problem in the timing of the romance department. I still LOVE the girl power and the overall plot, characters and world, which were excellent.The message I think Pierce wanted to send was that the slaves should be freed (as seen in the dedication) and I agree wholeheartedly. I think it's good that an author uses her readers to advocate for important issues. I recommend it to anyone 14+.
BTW, I have noticed that when I review, I review the features of the book and usually don't talk too much about actual characters and plot twists. If you agree, or disagree, please comment and tell me so I know what you'd like me to focus on when I write!
StoryGirl