Trickster's Choice (Trickster Series #1) by Tamora Pierce, Paperback. Editorial Reviews. From the Publisher. Aly arrives fully formed, a snarky, talented uber- heroine.
Cameos of old favorites complement a rich cast of new characters. Aly’s difficulty with the complexity of colonialism adds surprising, welcome depth.”—Kirkus Reviews. The New York Times. The lure of the Tortall heroines is not in their infinite variety nor is it in their verisimilitude.
Follow/Fav The Dangling Conversation. Disclaimer: The realm of Tortall and all characters in the 'Song of the Lioness' quartet are the creations of Tamora Pierce. Trickster's Choice (Trickster Series #1). You can continue this conversation, or you can talk about something less. Tamora Pierce’s first Tortall quartet has. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ABSOLUTELY THRILLING CONVERSATION THAT. Protector of the Small 4 book set quartet Tamora Pierce First Test. Kel is delighted when gruff, good. She has Kel have a frank conversation about sex with.
Rather, they faithfully reiterate an ideal - - of feminine power that relies on brains, not beauty; of feminine attractiveness that relies on competence, not helplessness; and of feminine alliances that grow stronger, not weaker, in the face of conflicts. Given the utopian quality of that ideal, is it surprising that Pierce needs magical creatures and mythical gods to bring it to literary life?
Sixteen- year- old Alianne, or Aly, wishes to become a spy like her father, but neither parent supports her dangerous aspirations. When Aly is captured by slave traders in the Copper Isles, she fulfills her desire in unexpected ways.
Making a wager with the Trickster god, Kyprioth, Aly contracts to safeguard two girls who are related to the current luarin royal dynasty as well as the dispossessed raka rulers. Aly must create a secret spy network and fighting force to defend her charges from royal assassins, bringing hopeful raka slaves and haughty luarin nobles under her command. Expect teens to snatch this book the very second it hits the shelves. Pierce delivers not only the continuation of her beloved Alanna series but also creates a smart, sassy heroine whose struggles to escape her parents' expectations and find her own niche will resonate with teens. Furthermore, no reader will forget Aly's love interest. Transformed from a crow, Nawat's devotion consists of offers to . Pierce melds political intrigue, interfering gods, and memorable mortals to fashion a powerful story line with humorous undertones, marred occasionally by plot contrivances inserted to prevent Aly's family from intervening.
Tamora Pierce just finished the book in a new trilogy that's going to be all about Numair Salmal. Follow the Conversation.
Nevertheless, this series opener is packed with Pierce's alluring mix of fantasy, adventure, romance, and humor, making the book an essential purchase for school and public libraries. VOYA Codes: 4. Q 5. P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle. School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 1. Random House, 4. 46p, — Caitlin Augusta. To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, November 2. It's not easy being the daughter of a legend.
Aly's mother is the bold and brave Alanna (heroine of Pierce's The Song of the Lioness quartet), but Aly doesn't aspire to be a knight like her. Instead the 1. 6- year- old dreams of helping her country, the magical kingdom of Tortall, by serving as a spy, though her parents worry that it is too dangerous. Aly gets a chance to prove her worth as an undercover agent when she is captured by pirates and sold as a slave in another land. A trickster god named Kyprioth intervenes in her fate, promising to return her to her home and to convince her parents to let her become a spy if she will safeguard her master's children through the summer. The master and his family are out of favor with the king, and they have been exiled to a remote tropical island.
Aly accompanies them there, and gets involved in politics, murderous plots, the machinations of the gods, and racial issues, too. A raven- turned- boy comes to her aid, and offers some romantic interest as well in this adventure- filled, well- plotted tale. Pierce is particularly good at creating strong female characters, and fantasy fans both young and old will enjoy her imaginative and engrossing tales. Readers will eagerly await the next volume in this exciting new series. Random House, 4. 22p. This entry smoothly segues into the story of Aly, the sixteen- year- old dilettante daughter of Alanna the Lioness, the King's Champion.
After an adolescent spat with her formidable mother, Aly sails off for some breathing time—to be promptly seized by pirates and sold into slavery in the Copper Isles. Aly, being her parents' daughter (her father is spymaster to the king) accepts this as an opportunity and promptly insinuates herself into a royal family and their political problems, with a little nudge from the local trickster god, Kyprioth.
Following Aly and her new masters into exile, Pierce overcomes her former over- emphasis on magic and allows the non- gifted Aly to solve each challenge through sheer intelligence alone (mostly). This refreshing change turns the story into a non- stop adventure that could be taking place in any medieval empire . Pierce's dedicatory offer of thanks for editorial advice to . Her writing style has improved by degrees. The result is the usual Tamora Pierce page- turner that's also a pleasure to read.
Aly herself grows from merely trying to win a wager with an unprincipled god akin to the Navajos' Coyote—into a young woman of mission who cares deeply for her charges. Random House, Ages 1. As the book opens, Aly, 1. Annoyed, she sails off in her boat, only to be captured by pirates and sold into slavery, fortunately to kindly Duke Balitang. She meets Kyprioth, the Trickster, and strikes a bargain: if Aly keeps the Duke and his family safe for the summer, Kyprioth will return her to her family and persuade her parents to let her be a spy. It also offers an interesting examination of race, as well as a look at an adolescent's finding her independence, an especially difficult task with such a powerful mother.
Aly is a strong, intelligent, and resilient feminist who stretches this fantasy to a parable of girl- power. The book at times bogs down in the sheer number of characters and relationships, and in the author's zealous attention to descriptive details, but Pierce's fans will enjoy it.- Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME Copyright 2. Reed Business Information. Alanna’s daughter, Aly, is a rogue like her father, the former thief who’s made legions of Pierce’s girl fans swoon. At 1. 6, Aly’s an accomplished flirt- -and brilliant at the intelligence work learned from her spymaster father. Her parents demand she pick any career but her beloved spying.
After a fight with her mother- -. A bet with a local trickster god plunges her into a simmering race war, court intrigue surrounding a mad king, and a centuries- old conflict between gods.
Winning will take all her diplomatic and spying talents. Unlike Pierce’s earlier protagonists, Aly arrives fully formed, a snarky, talented uber- heroine. Cameos of old favorites complement a rich cast of new characters. Aly’s difficulty with the complexity of colonialism adds surprising, welcome depth. A ripping good yarn that introduces a new series. Show More. Read an Excerpt. Nawat stood against the wall, relaxed and alert.
Before him two men- at- arms were preparing to shoot. Dove stood behind one archer with a handful of arrows, while the duchess held arrows for the second archer. Aly’s mind told her that the duchess would hardly consent to murder just as the first man shot. The second man shot immediately after him. Then both set fresh arrows to the string and shot steadily, arrow after arrow, one at a time, until they had exhausted all the extras held by the duchess and her stepdaughter. Nawat caught them all with grace and ease, snatching the arrows from the air as if he had all day to do so.
When the archers finished, he gathered the heap of arrows at his feet and carried them back to their owners. He’s so fast, Aly thought in awe. I couldn’t do it, and I’m no slouch! She sighed, wishing Da were here to see it. He’d taught her to catch daggers in midair, but this game was much more hazardous. The game was not done.
The men- at- arms repeated the experiment with javelins, then hunting and combat spears. Nawat caught them all, moving so fast Aly couldn’t follow his hands. She cheered him and the men- at- arms on. When the bell rang to remind the household it was nearly time for supper, he looked up at the applauding Aly and waved. She’d seen men catch knives before. She had seen the finest archers in the Queen’s Riders draw an outline in arrows of someone positioned against a wooden fence or wall, just to show they could do it.
She had never seen anything like this. Sarai and Dove ran in. Did you know he could do that?” she asked as she collapsed on her bed. Dove unstrung her bow, shaking her head.
I’m not kissing a man with bug breath!”Aly blinked. I don’t remember him tasting of bugs when he kissed me, she thought. I’d better pay more attention next time. Her mind promptly reined her up. This was highly improper. There would be no next time. Her task was looking after the Balitang children, not mooning over someone, particularly not a crow turned man.
Even if he could pluck arrows from the air. The next morning Aly, still on a goatherd’s hours, walked out of the keep into the dawn. The sun had just cleared the walls to light the inner courtyard and the young man who straddled a bench there. Aly stopped to watch him carefully glue pieces of feather onto the wooden shaft.
Nawat looked up at her with a smile that lit his eyes. Her heart felt strangely squeezed by some powerful emotion.
She bit her lip to distract herself from a feeling that made her horribly unsure. She had let words out of her mouth without thinking, which was not like her! Worse, they were such personal words, ones he might feel meant personal feelings she did not have! This was the kind of thing that other girls said, those girls who were not bored by all the young men who had courted them. How many handsome fellows had sighed compliments to Aly while, unconcerned, she had mentally wrestled with breaking a new code? At home she never cared about her suitors enough to worry if they kissed other girls. She scrambled to blot out what she’d said.
Aly stopped. Nawat’s smile broadened.