Battle Magic

Tamora Pierce has outdone herself, with a book in this saga that brings more magic and religion from her other works. It is long and thirst quenching. I'm glad to see that she doesn't need to break apart her books into smaller ones.

Eh. I love Tamora Pierce, and I'm always eager to read anything she writes. I also usually love her work, so it was a surprise to find Battle Magic so underwhelming.

This book felt a bit rushed, and nowhere near as brutal or violent as flashbacks from the next book would have you believe. It was pretty bad, don't get me wrong, but a lot of the action felt hastily summarized.

Evvy is always an interesting character, and Briar is my favorite of the Winding Circle four, but he and Rosethorn felt less like their usual sharp and resourceful selves and more like one trick ponies. Rosethorn in particular, although I loved learning more about her character, seemed sort of disjointed. I also didn't like her pairing in the book because it seemed to come out of nowhere.

Overall, read it. Because it's Tamora Pierce. If you skip it, however, I don't think you're missing her best writing.

To be honest I'm not that impressed with Tamora Pierce's latest work. Her other books are excellent, but I didn't feel as connected to the characters reading battle magic. I also found it kind of boring and the pacing too slow at times.

The only thing that disappoints me about this is that it is not a Full Cast Audio production. I loved listening to the Circle books because of the great performances and am sad that it doesn't seem to be economical for them anymore.

I love Tamora Pierce. Her worlds are so heart breaking yet enjoyable. You get so close to her characters that you feel their pain, exhaustion, hunger, and love.
Thank you Tamora for letting us visit again.

Short version: if you're looking for a quick, fun read, you'll like this; if you're a Circle of Magic fan or you like to dig into a story, you'll probably find this a bit lacking.

Let's get this out of the way: Battle Magic is a fun read. It's entertaining, and the world of the book is richly drawn (par for the course for the Circle books). The pace moves right along.

There's something very stilted and off about the book, though. In some ways, the pace is too fast: subplots start and are over very quickly, no one stays in one place long enough to really develop the deep sense of place and character the other Circle books have, and there's no real suspense; what should be some really suspenseful subplots and moments are utterly ruined by the fact that either we the reader know nothing really bad has happened, or they get resolved in just a few pages.

****SPOILERS BELOW****

This book doesn't actually fit with any of the previous canon from Will of the Empress or Melting Stones about the war, so if that bothers you, consider yourself warned. It's also very ... perfunctory, when it tries to address the supposed horrors of war - tacking on a typically-happy Circle-esque ending on a book where that undermines the entire plot - and it introduces an active supernatural element that not only really doesn't fit the Circle universe, but retroactively ruins the characters of Evvy and Briar in Will of the Empress and Melting Stones. If you don't like "they all conveniently forget" endings, you really need to skip this book.

The biggest problem, though, is that this book is undeniably racist. Not a single Yanjingyi (Chinese expy) person we meet, aside from the already-established character of Evvy, is even slightly redeemable; the villains are over-the-top cartoony caricatures of Yellow Peril evil, and are portrayed as so backwards they don't even get a single thing about *their own magic* correct - while of course the Western protagonists know everything about proper magic and have such super-special magic they save the day time and again, right under the Evil Asians' noses.

Overall, with this book, the Circle series jumps the shark. It's moved far away from the craft-magic focus of the first eight books, and even away from the complexity and depth of Will of the Empress. It's competent, mostly, but a far cry from any of its predecessors.

So, you remember how I said I was excited for this book? Immediately after I posted about it, Gretchen and I got an ARC. We were both extremely excited. But because Gretchen has more ARCs to review than I do, I get to be the one talking about it! (Which in retrospect may have been a bad idea, because I am very sleep-deprived. Bear with me.) Before I do that, here's some quick, spoiler-free context if you haven't read Tammy's Circle books:

Briar started out as a child mage, orphaned and taken in by Rosethorn and her friend/lover Lark, raised alongside three foster-sisters who were also mages. They (accidentally?) did something which made them heaps stronger, which I imagine caused problems for the adults in their lives because they were like eleven. Now Briar's older, and travelling, and this book happens.

I'm summing this up because I often think of the Circle books-the early ones, anyway-as aimed at a younger target audience. Things got a lot more serious in The Will of the Empress [edit: Lauren pointed out that I was referencing the wrong imperially-titled Tammy book. I swear I know what I'm talking about], but I think I've always thought of the Circle books as benign, light reading. I knew this had the potential to be a lot more serious, but I don't think I really believed it until I saw it. This is not a book for kids. She isn't pulling her punches. This is a war, and it's serious, and nobody is safe. She doesn't flinch away from any of it.

So I guess what I'm saying is, just because some of the Circle books are for a younger audience and you may not have read them doesn't mean you should avoid this book. It stands on its own pretty well, and it's a good book.

As always, Tammy is fantastic at setting, both physical and cultural. I loved the idea that Gyongxe is closer to the gods because of its Himalaya-like elevation. The thin air and harsh environment meld well with the grounded sort of magic that the locals practice, as well as the bucketfuls of awesome mythology (and by the way, that mythology means BUSINESS). The country is loaded to the brim with religions scrambling for space. Yanjing, too, is interesting, although it is dangerous, corrupt, and nasty. Again, I love the way culture is worked into the practice of magic-like any human activity, it is affected by context, even when you'd think it would be universal. The people of Yanjing are portrayed with compassion, and it's acknowledged that there isn't much good that many of them can do with their circumstances.

The plot wanders a bit at times-there were a few things I thought would be super-important that turned out to be less so. The characters are well-rounded and interesting, although of course they're often in very compromising situations. Evvy gets some nice character development, and it's lovely to have Rosethorn's voice after all this time. Having a middle-aged voice in YA is very rare, and I think it works really well here; Rosethorn is not defined by her age, only by her character, and I think that's even MORE rare in YA.

Other things in this book that I don't see often in YA:

Lack of romantic relationships as major plot points. These people are lucky to get out ALIVE. The point is survival, and they are BUSY SURVIVING THANK YOU VERY MUCH. The main relationships are the ones between Evvy, Briar, and Rosethorn. It's awesome to see that in a genre dominated by first love.
Open relationships AND bisexuality portrayed without judgment and, really, without much fuss at all (by the author, at least-Briar is a little queasy, but I'm sure he'll get over it)
An entire book where whiteness is the exception, not the rule, pointed out and described with the same matter-of-factness that other ethnicities get. This shouldn't be surprising, but audiences will take literally any excuse to assume all your characters are white, so it's cool that steps are taken to avoid that here. I think Rosethorn may have been the only all-white character in the book, actually, at least that I can remember.
So yes, this book is cool, this book kept me on my toes, and this book will delight you if you've read the Circle books and stand alone just fine if you haven't. I really enjoyed it! If you read it, come back and tell me what you thought!

First in The Circle Reforged subseries and ninth in the overall Emelan fantasy series for middle-grade readers and generally revolving around four young people who gained their magic medallions very young. The focus in Battle Magic is on Briar Moss, his student Evvy, and Dedicate Rosethorn.

If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Emelan books on my website.

A few cautionary notes. Evvy is captured, stripped naked, and tortured. She's also very clever at avoiding answering and in how she escapes. It's not nice, though, in any way. There is a lot of death as a result of battle, but nothing gory during battle.

My Take
I do NOT know what is or was going on when the numbering for The Circle Reforged was going on, but THIS is the story in which Evvy meets Luvo. The Will of the Empress , 2 (10), and Melting Stones , 3 (11) follow AFTER Battle Magic.

I'm rather confused about Parahan's situation. Oh, it's obvious enough that he's been sold into slavery, but his father is the king and still alive. How could his uncle have gotten away with this? Another thing I'm confused about is the emperor locking up all other religious orders. If he is locking them down, why did he let Rosethorn go? I'm also questioning a comment Luvo makes about Fort Sambachu in which he says that the "land and its guardians do not care for … those who would bring good things here." I can understand their not liking intruders who would damage and kill, but they don't want good things either?

This emperor is such a spoiled brat!! Someone needed to spank him early and often. Too bad they didn't. That incident with the rosebush. What he did to the gardeners!?? The way he's treating Parahan? What kind of an idiot is he? I find that I'm hoping Briar and Rosethorn left a latent spell on that Weishu Rose to spout poison at the idiot.

There are a lot of lessons in this: go with the flow, as Evvy and Briar try to tell the emperor's mages; respect other people, their beliefs and ways of thinking, and their religions; don't be greedy; place plants where they will thrive; don't judge a book by its cover; don't get cocky and think yours is the only way; and, more. Evvy has her own lessons she learns. Some are good, others are simply lessons she takes to heart. The one in which she compares her "awful" life to that of the God-King is very eye-opening.

What was with that stupid mage? If he could detect Evvy doing magic, shouldn't he have been able to see that she is reinforcing the fort's walls?

Ooh, sneaky! Evvy, Rosethorn, and Briar have been using the cats to distract guards and soldiers, lol. I'm thinking the painted gods are Gyongxe's way of distracting people too. They are so funny, and the kids will probably get a kick out of how naughty they are.

Hmmm, turns out those border paintings of gods are actually portals to their homes.

I do have to laugh. Those prideful mages at the emperor's court who thought they were all that. Who put down Briar and Evvy for their "so-called magic". They were the ones who forced the magic to go against its containers, itself, while Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn work with it. Yep, they go with that flow.

I think Parahan will miss Rosethorn very much.

The Story
While visiting the God-King and the First Circle temple in Gyongxe, mages Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy are invited to visit the emperor's summer palace. Although treated like royalty when they first arrive, the mages soon discover that the emperor plans to invade Gyongxe, posing a fatal threat to the home temple of the Living Circle religion.

As the three mages rush to Gyongxe to warn its citizens of the impending attack, they meet up with the prize captive who escaped the emperor, and with the Imperials hot on their trail, he, Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy must quickly help the country prepare for battle.

But even with the help of new allies, will their combined forces be enough to fight the Imperial Army and win the war?

The Characters
Briar Moss is a sixteen-year-old plant mage and former street rat, now a fully accredited mage of the Living Circle school. Evumeimei "Evvy" Dingzai is his student, a stone mage, and a former slave. She goes everywhere with her seven cats: Monster, Mystery, Asa, Apricot, Raisin, Ball, and Ria. Dedicate Initiate Rosethorn (her birth name was Nivalin Greenhow) is another plant mage and has been their mentor. All three work with ambient magic.

Gyongxe is…
…a country poor in land and very rich in spiritual closeness to the gods. Garmashing is its capital city. This two hundred and ninety-eighth God-King is an eleven-year-old boy who is very wise. First Dedicate Jangbu Dokyi, a stone mage, is the head of both the Gyongxe's Living Circle Temple, and ALL Living Circle Temples. Rosethorn's vows are to the Living Circle Temple. General Sayrugo leads the God-King's armies. Zochen Brul is a baby cave snake.

Assorted shamans from different tribes appear throughout, including the Skipping Mountain Goat Tribe; Servant Riverdancer plays a big part.

The Drimbakang mountain ranges are…
…the husbands of La Ni Ma, the sun goddess. Snow King, Ganas Rigyal Po, is the east mountain; Talking Snow Mountain King, Kangri Skad Po, is the one in the middle; and, Snow Leopard King, Ganas Gazing Rigyal Po, is the west one.

Luvo is the 18" fluorite "bear" who saved Evvy. He is the heart of the mountain called Kangri Skad Po, a.k.a., Talking Snow Mountain King. He's absolutely fascinated by this little creature who is part meat and part mountain. Each time he speaks with her, she presents a new idea or problem to a being who has seen nothing new in ages. And he does mean ages. Diban Kangmo is a six-foot peak spider goddess; her daughter healed Evvy's feet. Big Milk is a queen yak.

Parahan's twin sister, Princess Soudamini, is a general and managed to escape the uncle, I think. Jimut will be assigned as Briar's orderly. Some of the captains include Lango and Jha. Atori is an archer. Glacier Cracks is a western chief.

Fort Sambachu is…
…the border fort where Captain Rana escorts Rosethorn, Briar, and Evvy. And where they split up. Sergeant Kanbab is part of Rana's company.

Musheng and Dawei are two of the Yanjingly soldiers who torture Evvy.

The Temple of the Sealed Eye is…
…the only temple that can hide the four sacred Treasures of the Living Circle. Yesh Namka is the High Priest. Tegene Kess is the warden of the gate.

The Temple of the Tigers is…
…guarded by a pair of tiger statues, orange and white. I love these guys, lol. Melanoma is a four-headed god (who has a green bum with four cheeks!?!).

Countries close to Gyongxe include Inxia and Qayan.

Yanjing is…
…where Emperor Weishu Maorin Guangong Zhian, sixth of the Long Dynasty, rules and plots to take over as many other countries as possible to plunder and loot. His gardens are famous throughout the world and Rosethorn would love to see them. General Fenqi Hengkai is a Great Mage and the Commander of the Imperial Armies. Jia Jui is one of the imperial mages and is very friendly. In the Winter Palace. The Mistress of Protocol has become a secret ally. I think the Magistrates of the Vigilant Eyes are the emperor's police. The only truly allowed religions are Yanjing: Kanzan, the goddess of mercy and healing, and Tuyan, the god who was heaven itself.

The emperor is quite confident when he appoints General Jin Quan in command of the Imperial Army of South Gyongxe.

Prince Parahan of Kombanpur is the latest imperial amusement whom the emperor keeps in chains during the day and chained in a cage at night.

Changdao is the master of the caravansary. The Trader caravan Rosethorn and company will join to escape Yanjing is led by Rajoni, ride leader of the Twenty-eighth Caravan Datta. Nisha is her mother. Grandmother is the one who thinks of the cats needing a disguise.

Back home in Emelan…
…Duke Vedris rules, and the trio will learn to appreciate what an amazing leader he is. Winding Circle is there as well, where Briar learned to use his mage powers, and where Rosethorn lives with Lark in Discipline Cottage.

Nanshur and prebu are words for mage. Tiyon is a common language most people can speak. Zayao is what Briar and friends refer to as "boom dust", a.k.a., gun powder. Sky burial is leaving the bodies open to the air. Mila and the Green Man are the gods Rosethorn calls on most often.

The Cover and Title
The cover is DARK, though not as dark as the tunnels Evvy traverses! Instead it's a deep brown with roots and vines of golden browns and blacks arching to create the impression of tunnels. An ancient and short blade stands upright in the middle and is encased in a swirling red foil grape vine representing plants and stones.

The title is what is needed, Battle Magic to save Gyongxe, to save themselves.

Tamora Pierce has been one of my favorite authors for a long time, ever since I was a little nine-year-old reading SANDRY'S BOOK on the way to Georgia. I haven't loved her most recent releases. The most recent book in the Emelan universe, MELTING STONES, was lacking in the plot department and felt detached, even for a side book. Each book in her Provost's Dog series was wonderful as a standalone, but failed to congeal as a trilogy. But man, BATTLE MAGIC reminded me why I've been a fan of Pierce for more than a decade.

BATTLE MAGIC fills in one of the gaps between the end of The Circle Opens quartet and THE WILL OF THE EMPRESS. Briar, his teacher Rosethorn, and his student Evvy are almost done traveling the world when the end up in the middle of a war. They must help defend Gyongxe (fantasy Tibet) against the Emperor (of fantasy China). It's a set up for much action and pain, but the war setting also allows for an exploration of each of their true characters.

There are several new faces, many of them memorable. I can't be the only one who finishes BATTLE MAGIC and hopes that Parahan, a slave of the Emperor, shows up in future books. There's lots of fun magic, not just the academic and ambient types that Pierce has developed through the ten previous books in this setting. And the relationships are heart wrenching. They are far more than teacher-student pairs. Rosethorn, Briar, and Evvy are family - family far from home.

That being said, BATTLE MAGIC does have its flaws. There's very little new strategy or skill on display from the familiar trio. Expect many vine bombs (which are awesome, admittedly). I'm not sure the characters would work as well for someone picking up this novel who is unfamiliar with the world. BATTLE MAGIC is more plot driven than most of the Emelan novels. (I say that, but thinking back, they mostly have strong plots, especially the mysteries. Perhaps I'm just so fond of the characters that their personal journeys always seem like the highlight to me?)

I think BATTLE MAGIC is essential for Tamora Pierce fans. I also think that if you aren't a Pierce fan, you should be. This is a book full of fierce mages, tough women, and a noble cause. There are scenes that will break your heart and others that will make you cheer. It also caused me to reread most of Pierce's backlist, which I hadn't been planning on.

I read this book a few months ago and it is getting late tonight so I will give a simple abbreviated review here.

Battle Magic is the story of earth and plant mages that travel to another region and end up fighting in a large battle. If you think that plant and earth mages are not very powerful, you would be wrong. There are some excellent battle scenes in this book but what makes the book so enjoyable is the characters. You get to know two plant mages. One is a young man who really likes meeting young women but also is both a powerful battle mage and also a healing mage. He is willing to exhaust himself in order to do both jobs. You also are introduced to a very powerful young earth mage and another plant mage that cares for the earth mage girl.

If you haven't read a book by Tamora Pierce and you like the fantasy genre I suggest that give one of her books a try. I rate this book five out of five stars for the excellent character development and interesting action because who can beat reading about mages using their unique powers in a gigantic battle?

It's pretty clear I love Tamora Pierce. What can I say to convince you that if you aren't reading her that you should be? I've talked over and over about how much she's influenced my life as a person and as a reader. This book only proves everything I've always said about her. Instead of hearing me say it again, feel free to search my blog for any mention of Tamora Pierce.

So feel free to assume everything that is magical and amazing about Tamora Pierce's novels also apply to this book. But THIS book in particular, is one that I have been waiting for! I'd say it was for ages (it feels like it!), but if we're going to be honest, I only caught up with the series in December so it would be a lie. Why is this book so special you ask? Well you might remember me mentioning in a review of an earlier book in the series that I felt very confused about parts of Briar's story because it kept referencing things that happened...but we didn't know about said events yet. This is the book that explains it all! We finally get the details of Briar's war experience, of Gyongxe, and what happened that was so terrible. And I have to say, after finishing this, I was not disappointed. It was everything I could have hoped for and more. There's adventure, and dire situations, and you finally get the background on how Evvy met Luvo (which is something I wanted to know about in the second book, so you get answers on that front too!) There's a certain level of graphicness in this series that I don't think is quite at the same level in the Tortall series. It's not over the top (we've discussed how much of a weenie I am before), but it's just enough to really pack a punch. And I LOVE it!

That being said, I have only one criticism of this book, and it's more a criticism of the entire Circle Reforged quartet. If you have not read this series yet (and you really, really, REALLY should!) I would recommend reading this quartet out of order. I would read this book first. Even though it is the third in the quartet, it is referenced so often in the first two books that I think the series would feel more cohesive. I might even read the whole quartet backwards, but I think whether you read the 1st and 2nd book in order doesn't really matter. And in the grand scheme of things, if this is my only criticism of the book...that's NOTHING. So go read this book, and if you're new to the series you are missing out on so much amazingness and you should remedy that. Like. Right now.

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon.com. Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

Evvy, Rosethorn and Briar have been travelling the world so that Rosethorn can visit lots of different plants. Little do they know that they will be caught up in political intrigues and find themselves fighting for what is right, and for their lives.

Rosethorn's mission just lacks urgency. She has to do it, she goes, she comes back. There isn't any real danger for her. And despite Briar being in danger, you know he has to survive. The same with Evvy. Oh no! Something bad happened! Well, oh well, she's just telling us this part next, and I've read Melting Stones, so I know she'll be ok.

I wish Briar had had more action. Yes, this book is about him, but so much of it is on the fighting action, not his development. He spends so much time looking at things that are moving (you'll get it if you read it), and making seed bombs, we forget that he surely has a life of his own.

Something that pleasantly surprised me about this novel were the references to Rosethorn's lovers. This had been hinted at in some of the other books in this series, but it was particularly explicit in this one. Not that there were explicit sex scenes - not at all - but that hetero- and homo- relationships were treated equally. The only thing missing was a bit of action for Briar which I felt sure he should have after reading the others in 'The Circle Reforged'.

Well this one is labelled number 3 in 'The Circle Reforged' series. But it's not really. It comes before The Will of the Empress and Melting Stones. It's important background for both of these books, introducing Evvy and explaining Briar's nightmares. If and when I reread this whole series, I'll be reading them in chronological order.

I know I've ragged a bit on this novel, but perhaps it's because I'm moving past the teenage fiction era of my reading (NOOOOO!!). It's perfectly satisfying and in line with others in this series, and I'm not complaining about it really. Love Tamora Pierce? You'll love this novel.

I can't wait for the next novel which should be about Tris. Tris has always appealed to me (perhaps not quite as much as Daja), but all the same, her university experience has the ability to be electrifying (ha, see what I did there?).

I received this novel directly from Scholastic Australia. It's a lovely paperback that fits in well with the rest on my shelves. I was unbelievably overjoyed to receive it unexpectedly in my mailbox.

Obtained ARC for review via Reviewer status at Netgalley.com

Teaser summary: Evvy, Rosethorn, and Briar are exploring, far away from home in the East. The are surprised by the invitation from the Emperor, renown for his greed, but also beautiful gardens. Their visit takes an unexpected turn, and they find themselves using their talents in defending the young God-King's lands.

Similar titles/Authors: Percy Jackson series, other Tamora Pierce novels

Sequel: This is part of the Circle Reforged series, and takes place between Street Magic and the Will of the Empress.

Review: I first discovered Tamora Pierce's books when I was in middle school, taking turns reading them with my best friend. My favorite aspects of the books were always the depictions of the religions and how the characters interacted in these impossible ways. So I was super excited to be able to read an early copy of this new release.

The books begins slowly at first, as the tension builds, when you know that there is going to be a war. Part of me wondered why the mages would even go to visit this Emperor while he was in the middle of planning to conquer the entire area, but I guess they are meant to be like neutral ambassadors.

Some aspects of the series have darkened since I first began reading these books. At this point Lark and Rosethorn are more obvious about their open relationship. I'm like Briar, not very sure how I feel about it...but I'm pretty sure that I'd be bothered if I saw my adoptive mom cheating on my other mom (for multiple reasons). There is also much destruction in all of the battle scenes, and devastating results.

My favorite aspects of this tale were discovering Evvy's ambient stone magic with stones...including her supernatural experiences with the mountains in the East region. The ambient magic was always amazing to read, seeing what they could discover was possible with their gifts.
Age level: Young Adult (younger side)

Favorite quotes:
"'What people call flaws in stones, those are really just opportunities, you know'" (Location 1552).

"' I will not surrender to evil, or allow anyone in my charge to be harmed by evil, and violence that kills the helpless and destroys the beauties of the world is evil'" (Location 3493).
Overall book rating: Fans will really enjoy this "flashback" back story that was hinted about in the first two Circle Reforged books.

Battle Magic follows Briar, Evvy and Rosethorn as they continue their travels around the world. They're approaching the end of the trip when they are invited to view the Emperor of Yanjing's winter gardens. There they find out that he plans to invade a country that is considered the land of gods - every religion has at least one temple in this place regardless of where the religion originates. As that was where the travelers had been when the invitation arrived, they hurry back to warn everyone.

This book felt like it was trying too hard. There were so many scenes that were clearly trying to get the reader to feel a certain way about a character or group of characters, but they're all over the top. The incident with the Emperor's roses is a great example. I have a hard time believing that was normal behavior for him. Toward the end of the book there are hints of "unrest" with his people, but that sort of thing on a normal basis would have pushed people to revolution long before.

Rosethorn's side quest didn't seem to fit with the book. I wonder if Pierce simply needed to get Rosethorn out of the way during a few critical scenes. Likewise, leaving Evvy behind at the fort didn't make sense. It would have made more sense to bring her with - she was already battle tested and would have been useful on the trip.

My biggest annoyance with the deus ex machina of the ending. There was all the build up and angst over "how will we ever defend ourselves against the unstoppable might of the Empire" and then *poof* everything's solved and the Emperor has pledged peace forever and ever. If this was an expected thing, then everyone, including the God-King was way too worked up about the invasion. If it wasn't, everyone was way to blase about what had happened.

--I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.--

The kids and I have listened to all the Circle books from Tamora Pierce so we know the charachters Briar, Rosethorn and Evvy. I must admit that I enjoy the fact that now Briar is older and a mentor to Evvy and not just the little scamp he made his first appearance in Sandry’s Book. This story was hard to read at times, and I will admit that I am happy I read the book and didn’t listen to the audio book like we’ve done with all the others in the car. There are plenty of interactions with the emperor and his people that, well are not nice. The emperor is a very hard man who wants what he wants right then and there, and will punish harshly any infractions that he sees – which would have brought up some hard questions from my 8 year old as to how could he be so mean. Through this book Briar, Rosethorn and Evvy go through many trials and hardships that I wouldn’t want anyone to face let alone two young kids. But with their magic, intelligence and determination you see these three grow and learn to face their trials head on and to stand up for what they believe in. I do like that perseverance theme in this story, that even when things are hard sometimes you just have to push through and finish your task. This is something that I think the teens and young adults of this world sometimes don’t fully realize- I know my son doesn’t. There is plenty of action and intrigue going on in this book to keep you glued to the pages until you finish, and if you’ve read the other Circle books that chronologically take place after this story you will get many answers to why things are they way they are in the later books – which is always a good thing to my way of thinking. This book is not for sensitive souls who would be disturbed by people hurting other people just because they are a ruler and the other person is not. But other than that I think you will really enjoy this book.

I've read the first 4 books at least 4 times, I've read the next 4 books at least twice, and I've read Melting Stones and The Will of the Empress twice. Every time I read the latter I heard about gyongxin and the nightmares it gave Briar. N I thought to myself, I want to know the details of how Briar got PTSD, this book had been out more than a year before I knew of its existence. I'm very pleased with this story, I cried when Evvy found her deceased cats, and when Briar thought she was dead. I was very excited to meet Luvo whom I had already read about in Melting Stones. The only thing I wonder, is her stories are usually in bouts of 4, will there be another¿ I hope so

Received this book for my birthday and was absolutely not disappointed! I've been a longtime fan of Tamora, and this book rises to the occasion splendidly. It brings back old favorites Brair and Rosethorn, plus new favorite Evvy. It's a fast pace, action and terror filled ride that follows these three as they learn that war is cruel but man can be crueler. Once I started I struggled to put this book down before its completion.

The only downside I can list is that this book is definitely meant for a slightly older ground than the orginal Circle Quartet. Its themes are darker, and it does not shy away from the brutal reality that is war times and actions. Both people and animals are murdered, some brutally. As long as you're aware of that though, you should be fine.

I would like to start by saying that I absolutely adore Tamora Pierce. She is one of my all-time favorite authors and I have pre-ordered and read everything she has written. That being said, I was extremely let down by this book and didn't finish it because it was so at odds with what I've come to expect from Pierce.

If you read THE WILL OF THE EMPRESS and want to know why Briar has such terrible PTSD, don't read BATTLE MAGIC.

The writing was stilted and did not allow the reader to actually get into the story. It felt like Pierce was trying to hit the reader over the head that YES, LARK AND ROSETHORN ARE IN LOVE AND SLEEP TOGETHER because for the first half of the book Rosethorn only ever thinks of Lark as "her lover, Lark." Overall, BATTLE MAGIC lacks the subtlety, complexity, and development of Pierce's other books. The horrors of war fall flat and I cannot think of why this could have caused the PTSD that Briar suffers from in THE WILL OF THE EMPRESS, particularly after surviving the other books in the Circle of Magic series.

***SPOILERS***

I feel like the problems with the book (as far as I managed to get, anyways) can be summed up by Evvy's interrogation, escape, and rescue. Evvy goes for a walk and takes a nap. During that time, the heavily fortified fort she had been staying at is taken over and she is captured. She then gets tortured for information by a character she met earlier in the book and had become friends with. She tries to turn herself into stone (which is a nice call-back to her first attempts at meditation STREET MAGIC) and, when that fails, she thrusts her consciousness into the nearby stone. The next thing the reader knows, she is waking up on top of a pile of corpses which includes all her beloved cats. She gets up, "turns her feet to stone," and wanders off into the mountain where she is taken in and taken care of by Luvo, the heart of the mountain, and a series of strange god-creatures.

This could have been a very intense scene but there is no real sense of betrayal, no real suspense. Briar find out later that his student is dead and is given her stone alphabet, but I couldn't sympathise because I knew that she was not only alive but also being looked after. In contrast, Daine's rage and pain in EMPEROR MAGE when she is told that Numair has been killed is powerful and believable. Even after Briar finally learns that Evvy is okay (after sustaining a serious, life-threatening injury off screen) he maintains his rage at his enemy for no particular reason.

Pierce also seems to forget (or perhaps Evvy does, her memory in that section of the book seems suddenly terrible) that Evvy had made friends with the woman who is torturing her when visiting the emperor. It was as though the character was introduced in the story purely for the shock value when she came back as a torturer, but there was no real sense of betrayal or shock on the part of the characters. She might as well have used a completely new torturer or omitted the woman altogether for the impact she had on the story. In fact, none of the minor characters get much development and the relationships that Evvy, Briar, and Rosethorn make are forgettable and transient.

This book was an extreme disappointment. I have grown accustomed to a certain proficiency at story telling from Tamora Pierce and this book, though perhaps not terrible by objective standards, is so far below the quality of the previous books that I can hardly believe she wrote it. I regret reading it.

Once again a foray into the magical world of Emelan leaves you breathless and wanting more. The richness and texture of Pierce's novels drags you right in from the start and holds you there captive as you walk the walk and feel the emotions of her characters.
Living Circle adherents and plant mages Dedicate Rosethorn and Briar, along with apprentice rock mage Evvy (Evumeimei), have been travelling for two years and we find them in the Kingdom of Gyongxe, the home of many faiths. Actually a sanctuary for faiths we discover as the story continues. The first temple of the Living Circle is here. This is a place where the mountains meet, ruled by the eleven year old God-King, where painted gods move on walls and statues come to life.
The Three journey into the Kingdom of Yanjing and there find disturbing evidence that the emperor, a man of of exceeding ambition and cruelty has turned his face towards the seat of the gods to declare his god head. He intends to invade. As Dedicate Dokyi later says, '[the Emperor] hears Gyongxe is the spindle on which the world turns. He thinks if he takes Gyongxe, people will say he is the spindle.'
The three leave to warn the God-King and the temples. As they leave they release a captive prince, Parahan. All are pursued by the emperor's soldiers and mages.
Evvy is captured and tortured. In her tortured state she is drawn through rock to safety by the song of Luvo, the heart of a mountain. Luvo becomes an important friend and force to be reckoned with.
Terrible battles, shamans, mages and and walking gods are part of the ensuing conflict.
As Rosethorn declared, 'Weishu...the emperor of Yanjing was a monster in human skin.'
All are fighting for a secure, safe world against insurmountable odds.
An absolutely fabulous addition to the Circle stories.

A NetGalley ARC

Tamara Pierce always delivers a great reading experience. In Battle Magic, the characters are believable, interesting and likeable, whether you've read the other books in this series or not, the antagonist is realistic and nasty, the plot is realistic, involving and keeps you guessing till the end. And what she is really exceptional at, is the world-building. Detailed, original, unique and thorough, her world and the magic within it comes alive, as convincing as it is fascinating. Another great book!

This book provides the backstory which was referenced in both "Melting Stones" and "Will of the Empress". If you haven't read them yet, you should read this book before touching the others. Make sure to read the first eight Circle books before that, or at least Street Magic, to familiarize yourself with the magic system and the main characters of this book.

My expectations for this book were extremely high, due to all the backreferences we already had; Briar in particular is completely traumatized in Will of the Empress and his nightmares are described regularly and in great detail. My enjoyment of the "Will of the Empress" book suffered for it, as it constantly reminded me that I "missed" a book (which was only released just now). It was also hard to believe, what could have happened to make him turn out this way? It must have been something rather nasty, considering he's already done battle before (pirate attack etc.) and killed before ("Street Magic"). For Evvy it is much of the same, her entire life was one of hardships (sold into slavery, lived on the streets [as did Briar], abducted and hurt by street gangs, imprisoned by evil rich lady etc.). So while these are still children, they're not your regular 16/14/12 year olds (I forget exactly which). They're no strangers to death.

So. Battle Magic. What the hell happened? The way the expectations were built up, this should have been the most horrible book ever written by Tamora Pierce. I expected mayhem extraordinaire.

Unfortunately, in comparison to what I expected, it turned out to be a walk in the park. And quite different from what was described in the other books. It seems that Briars dreams, for some reason, are a lot worse than reality.

Yes, Evvy gets captured and tortured at one point. Yes, that's probably supposed to be the worst scene in the book. But I felt she came out of it rather immediately and easily. As for the battles, they're more like skirmishes. Vines and thorns, nothing they haven't done before. In Will of the Empress, it's implied that Briar got himself captured and then had to flee. This never happens, not in this fashion.

Altogether, this book was not long enough to convey the battles I expected; it also contains several side plots which eat away the pages for I'm-not-sure what.

Without the built-up expectations, had this book been released first, I'd have given it a solid 4 stars (and then still raised a few eyebrows at Will of the Empress).

I also had to get a hardcopy of this book, as the eBook wasn't available outside US. This was handled better with Mastiff which could even be pre-ordered.

Battle Magic (2013) is the eleventh Fantasy novel in the Circle series, following Street Magic. The initial volume in this sequence is Sandry's Book.

In this novel, Evumeimei is a stone mage in training. Evvy has learned a great deal at Winding Circle. She also has learned to like Briar and his foster sisters.

Rosethorn is a Dedicate Initiate in plant magic. She is a great mage, one of the best in her craft. Yet Rosethorn has a very sharp tongue. Even Evvy avoids Rosethorn's anger.

Briar Moss is a sixteen year old from the Living Circle. He is an Earth Mage whose specialty is plants.

Dokyi is the First Dedicate and head of the Living Circle temple in Gyongxe. He is a stone mage.

Parahan is a Prince of the Realms of the Sun. He was sold to the Emperor by his uncle.

Luvo is the Heart of a mountain. He is solid rock, but able to think, converse, and walk slowly. Humans are always amazed by the talking rock.

In this story, Briar and the God-King are watching the Gyongxin shamans separate two statues from the edge of a cliff. Briar keeps asking questions. Evvy moves a little closer and Dokyi pulls her back.

When the shamans finish their chanting, dancing and noise, two skeletons of rock walk out of the cliff and start toward Garmashing. The shamans follow and several guards bring up the rear. Evvy guides some of the rubble into the hole, but then the hills clean up the gap.

The God-King receives a Yanjing messenger in the audience chamber. The messenger has two scrolls, one for the God-King and another for Rosethorn. Her scroll invites Rosethorn to view the Imperial Gardens in Dohan, the winter capital.

Rosethorn, Briar and Evvy leave Garmashing six weeks early for the Winter Palace. There they are guests of the Emperor. They have an initial audience with the Emperor on his birthday. They get to see an endless column of soldiers marching in review.

They have a more personal audience in the Hall of Imperial Greetings. later Rosethorn gets a tour to the gardens. She finds one rose bush infested with a fungus. The Emperor commands his gardeners to destroy it. Rosethorn saves the bush, but the Emperor has the rest of the roses burned with the gardeners in the center of the fire.

During the garden tour, Evvy goes off with Parahan to get breakfast. The tour had started at dawn and she is not used to getting up that early. Parahan guides her to the tables and shares a meal with her.

The Circle mages soon learn that the Yanjingyi mages all use academic magic. They seem unable to even detect the ambient magic used by Rosethorn, Briar and Evvy. However, the Circle mages can easily sense academic magic.

Later they learn that Parahan sleeps in a cage within the palace. Evvy is very disturbed by the Emperor's efforts to humiliate Parahan. She doesn't think a cage is very nice.

After the tour, the Emperor has to leave the city. Rosethorn declares her intentions to continue the Journey to the port of Hanjian to take ship back home. She makes arrangements with the Trader caravan and they pack their bags.

Briar wakes up the night before they leave and finds Evvy gone from her chamber. He knows where she has gone and finds her trying to lift a granite block out of a wall to get to Parahan. Briar uses his plant magic to remove the rice grains in the mortar.

Together, they pull the blocks out of the wall and enter the hall containing the cages. Evvy has brought her lockpicks, but they are too light to move the chain locks. Briar has brought a heavier set and some magical lubricant. After they get the chains off Parahan, they watch him disappear toward the outer wall and they return to the guest house.

This tale involves the Circle mages in a local war. The Emperor of Yanjing is invading Gyongxe to pillage the temples there. They have friends -- and the First Circle Temple -- in Gyongxe and decide to carry a warning.

Rosethorn and Briar use their plant magic to make weapons. Evvy shuffles stone underfoot to knock down men and horses. Only the arrogance of the Emperor allows them to apply their magic in this manner.

Evvy makes a friend in the mountains. He says that he is the heart of a mountain. Evvy calls him Luvo.

The Circle trio become war mages. The next installment in this sequence is Melting Stone.

Highly recommended for Pierce fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of armed combat, magical weapons, and a bit of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

This is a tricky book to review, because I was not the intended audience. When I saw this book I got excited, because I have heard great things about Tamora Pierce. Unfortunately, this book was probably not the best place for me to start. This book is set in the middle of a longstanding book series within the Emelan universe. I was already supposed to have a relationship with Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy going into this book. I did not though, because I had not read the other books, so I took a long time to care about these characters. In fact by the end I only really cared about Luvo (a heart of the mountain god that they meet along the way) and Evvy. I am sure that if you are already familiar with these characters, you would have settled more quickly into this book than I did. You probably would have cared more about the rest of the plot too. I just focused on pushing through the book and hoping that I would start to like it better.

Even though the characters and plot were not that interesting to me, I kept reading the book, because the magic and world building were amazing. Briar and Rosethorn use plant magic and Evvy uses stone magic. I would be interested in reading other books in this universe to learn about other ambient mages. I feel that this magic system opens up the possibility to all sorts of magic that you don't traditionally see, or at least magic that I typically don't see in books. I would love to see some fiber arts related magic and music magic too. I love the idea that magic can be based on crafts and the environment.

Note: This book has a brief torture scene involving a child. Additionally, some animals are killed. I understand why these scenes are in the book. They fit in well with showing the cruelty of one of the characters. At the same time, I personally do not like reading torture scenes even if they are brief and "not too awful." I am not sure, if I would have have tried to win this book, if I knew that these things happened in this book. Again, these scenes are not gruesome by any means. I work with people who have experienced abuse in their lives, so I typically do not care to read about it for my fun reading.

I received this item for free in exchange for an honest review.

This was originally posted on <a href="oboechica-books.blogspot.com/>my blog</a> It's pretty clear I love Tamora Pierce - if you search "Tamora Pierce" in my blog, there's 5 pages of search results. What can I say to convince you that if you aren't reading her that you should be? I've talked <a href="[...]">over</a> about how much she's influenced my life as a person and as a reader. This book only proves everything I've always said about her. Instead of hearing me say it again, feel free to search my blog for any mention of Tamora Pierce (or click those links).

So feel free to assume everything that is magical and amazing about Tamora Pierce's novels also apply to this book. But THIS book in particular, is one that I have been waiting for! I'd say it was for ages (it feels like it!), but if we're going to be honest, I only caught up with the series in December so it would be a lie. Why is this book so special you ask? Well you might remember me mentioning in a <a href="[...] in the series that I felt very confused about parts of Briar's story because it kept referencing things that happened...but we didn't know about said events yet. This is the book that explains it all! We finally get the details of Briar's war experience, of Gyongxe, and what happened that was so terrible. And I have to say, after finishing this, I was not disappointed. It was everything I could have hoped for and more. There's adventure, and dire situations, and you finally get the background on how Evvy met Luvo (which is something I wanted to know about in the second book, so you get answers on that front too!) There's a certain level of graphicness in this series that I don't think is quite at the same level in the Tortall series. It's not over the top (we've discussed <a href="[...]"how much of a weenie I am</a> before), but it's just enough to really pack a punch. And I LOVE it!

That being said, I have only one criticism of this book, and it's more a criticism of the entire Circle Reforged quartet. If you have not read this series yet (and you really, really, REALLY should!) I would recommend reading this quartet out of order. I would read this book first. Even though it is the third in the quartet, it is referenced so often in the first two books that I think the series would feel more cohesive. I might even read the whole quartet backwards, but I think whether you read the 1st and 2nd book in order doesn't really matter. And in the grand scheme of things, if this is my only criticism of the book...that's NOTHING. So go read this book, and if you're new to the series you are missing out on so much amazingness and you should remedy that. Like. Right now.

Where Tamora Pierce truly excels is writing dialogue and character, and building worlds the cultures of which are so rich and vibrant that you finish feeling like you've travelled across continents and visited countries you've never visited in reality. This is very much the case in Battle Magic.

The three main characters (Rosethorn, Briar and Evvy) and all the side characters are brilliantly drawn. They each have such distinctive voices you can tell which character is speaking simply from reading their dialogue. The way Pierce constructs the relationships between these characters is even more impressive: I particularly love the way she's developed Briar and Rosethorn's relationship over the course of the series. Their interactions gave me that inner-gooey-laughing-crying feeling that all the best-written fictional relationships give me.

Another thing I very much admire about Pierce and her writing is that she is incredibly politically and socially conscious. She constantly updates her books as she becomes aware of modern social issues: She explores questions of ethnicity and gender and sexuality, and constantly deconstructs stereotypes. On the first page of the book, describing her main male protagonist, Briar, Pierce writes: "He was the foreigner," and this is demonstrative of the way she handles issues of race throughout the book. Her main characters are "the Other" here, foreign travellers in Yanjing and Gyongxi

Pierce in Battle Magic completely breaks the mould of YA fantasy targeted at young women: This book is not a romance; in fact, it doesn't contain any conventional romantic relationships. The central relationships are platonic, and all the more powerful for that. Moreover, her writing is gripping and I found the book impossible to put down. Indeed, I finished it, and an hour later picked it up and (skim) read it again.

Highly, highly recommended, both for Emelan fans, and for those who've never before read a Tamora Pierce book.

As much as I love Tamora Pierce and looked forward to this book, I have to say it wasn't very good. It was the worst book she's ever written in my opinion (I've read every one of them). Rosethorn, Briar and Evvy are some of the strongest characters she's ever created and they all fell flat in the story. None of their emotions are particularly believable. It seems like these strong, rebellious characters were suddenly instantly submissive when they went to Yanjing. The entire book lacks the witty banter that plays throughout all the other stories she's written even when the situation is dire. The new Asian-based characters seem more like orientalism to the maximum, instead of character development. It is like she made the hollow image of a character and never filled in the details. The plot lacks drive.

*Spoilers* It's supposed to be sad, but no one with any character development dies. Innumerable masses die, but it doesn't really effect you as a reader. The only thing that had any emotional reaction from me was the odd behaviour of Rosethorn. After having made a spot for a truly loving lesbian relationship to be shown in a generally mainstream book series, breaking boundaries in the literature world, Tamora then decides to make it an open relationship. Rosethorn and Lark were the image of the ideal same sex couple raising adopted children. Suddenly, all the meaningful progress through out the Emelan stories turned into a very twisted situation.

"Battle Magic" is consistent with the rest of the "Circle of Magic" books about Briar, Tris, Sandry, and Daja: it's interesting enough, but because of the age of the intended reader nothing much happens from a grown-up perspective (I always want a little romance!). I also am not a fan of violence, which makes it hard to get behind a book in which most of the "good guys" are murderers just as much as most of the "bad guys" are. That said, Tamora Pierce books are like pizza: even when they're not great, they're still pretty good.

It kinda messed with my perception of events because this story happens before Will of the Empress and Melting Stones, which were released first but other than that it was extremely entertaining! Just wish this had been released before 2 subsequent stories were made and released first....??

A great addition to the preexisting series, finally filling in just what happened to give Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn all those loads of PTSD. Bonus points for the author finally being allowed to explore the queer and polyamorous natures of the characters she'd been previously forced to keep closeted. LOVED it.

We all read will of the empress, and had to deal with Briar and Rosethorn hint at what happened while they were away.

This book really brings home the fact that Briar isn't a child anymore. It defines his relationship with Rosethorn even more than pulling her back from death had. Forget what everyone else says about not liking this book. If you care about Briar and Rosethorn, and enjoyed Evvy in street magic and melting stones, read this book. It was really good. I enjoyed it immensely.

My husband hasn't seen me for a week! I have loved all of this series. The only problem with this book is that it had to end. The characters are all like people you know. The story itself is easy to get into and hard to put down. I would recommend this book to anyone, young or old, that likes adventure, true friends, and interesting new words.

I'm sure this book is interesting, I'd even like to give you my hard earned money so that I could read it. But apparently if one does not reside in the United States one cannot buy a digital copy. Pity. Geographic restrictions are ridiculous and bad business. LET ME BUY THE EFFING BOOK!