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A review by anneb42
Cold Fire by Tamora Pierce
4.0
Okay. Whoa. This whole series is a lot darker and grittier than the Magic Circle series, but this book takes the cake so far. It's also the first one I've read instead of listening to in a long time, so my interpretation might be somewhat colored by that.
It's unusual in fiction, much less J/YA fiction, to be given a character you build trust in only to find that they're monstrous. Pierce doesn't stop there, though - the villain in this book offers point-of-view reflection, and the reader is given full access to his emotions and motivations. He's made a sympathetic character, even in the unquestionably horrible things he does, in that you understand why (not that you actually support him). Even as an adult reader, I feel weirdly betrayed and unsettled by this; it really is masterful.
There are also some great moments in the book - Daja is one of my favorites, and Frostpine is overall amazing.
It's unusual in fiction, much less J/YA fiction, to be given a character you build trust in only to find that they're monstrous. Pierce doesn't stop there, though - the villain in this book offers point-of-view reflection, and the reader is given full access to his emotions and motivations. He's made a sympathetic character, even in the unquestionably horrible things he does, in that you understand why (not that you actually support him). Even as an adult reader, I feel weirdly betrayed and unsettled by this; it really is masterful.
There are also some great moments in the book - Daja is one of my favorites, and Frostpine is overall amazing.