plumpages's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. I have been waiting to read this book for years and I was not at all disappointed. Her new POV style was incredibly interesting too. Love this book. I cannot wait to get my own copy.
yapha's review against another edition
5.0
Oh it was so good to be back in the world of Tamora Pierce again! As hinted at in Will of the Empress, Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy have fought in an epic battle on their travels through the world. This is the story of that battle. On their travels, Briar and Rosethorn, as green mages, and Evvy, as a stone mage, must learn to use their ambient magic for battle, and do it in a way that does not get them killed, as they try to defend Gyongxi and the God-King in this incredible land.
I highly recommend reading The Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens quartets before this one. You will appreciate it much more. Grades 6 and up.
ARC provided by publisher.
I highly recommend reading The Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens quartets before this one. You will appreciate it much more. Grades 6 and up.
ARC provided by publisher.
rachofspades's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cgbart's review against another edition
4.0
This is still not my favorite of the Circle books--due mainly to the oddity of going back in time after WotE, I think, but partially to the sudden turn for the divine; I'm still not used to Emelan's mythology playing such a huge roll in the books--but man, I love Briar and Evvy and Rosethorn.
drolefille's review against another edition
5.0
Oof. A hard read Madame Pierce. But I'm glad to see it rather than to just have it referenced.
oworthyfool's review against another edition
5.0
It was wonderful to actually get to see what happened to Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn. I thoroughly enjoyed the deeper look into the more religious and spiritual side of the Emelan universe, and I thought Tamora Pierce's handling of the horrors of war and conquest was very timely, given the current political climate.
As always, her characters are a delight to follow and I can't wait to find out where she's going to take us next!
As always, her characters are a delight to follow and I can't wait to find out where she's going to take us next!
delaneybull's review against another edition
5.0
I always love Briar's stories, and I loved getting Rosethorn's perspective as well! This was more mature in tone than previous books, but I loved that Tamora Pierce is having them age and face challenges realistic to their ages, it's very well done!
leah_markum's review against another edition
4.0
This may be the Circle Reforged book three, but I purposely read it first. I had read the first chapter in The Will of the Empress, but it felt far too much like I skipped a book--this book. I had checked out both from the library at the same time, so I switched the order I would read them.
The first book hints at something traumatic that happened to Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn while they were out east. They got caught up in a war and have nightmares most nights. What happened?
Early in Battle Magic, before the main characters enter a war, Pierce states that Briar and Rosethorn already had nightmares. It's hinted that they are weary from fending off bandits in their travels. I have not found any other plausible theories. I can only surmise that between bandits and the war, Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn simply have a psychological weakness for events that people tend to react to on a spectrum from easily traumatized to incredibly resilient. Maybe instead of making them resilient, each of these three's rough childhood's made them more sensitive.
As for the book itself, I found it an above average, outdoor adventure--my favorite kind of fiction. The group travel the map included on some of the first pages: Gyongxe (Bhutan-Nepal-Tibet Fantasy land?) to Yanging (China-Fantasy land) to Gyongxe to Unlabeled land, which at the very end I learned was Kombanpur (India-Fantasy land?). In all irony, it's a giant circle.
Gyongxe is a land where the gods are active. The human ruler is known as the God-King, and is an eleven-year-old with centuries of wisdom. I suspect he's analogous to a Dalai Lama. Yanjing's emperor is set on acquiring lands and treasures. He doesn't take the god things seriously but as an implication of great treasure.
They drive the circle the protagonists travel. Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn spend the winter with the God-King and a stone mage dedicate who teaches Evvy. In the spring they're invited to see the emperor's renowned gardens. They see hints of the emperor's harsh colors and leave as soon as it's respectful to do so. Of course, something less than respectful happens with the youngsters, driving an interesting sequence told in such a way I couldn't stop reading. The circle continues.
I love how familial Rosethorn and her kids are. Everyone is so nurturing and refusing to let anything else happen, even though things do keep happening. Sometimes due to the individuals' sense of right and due to forced circumstances--my favorite way to drive a story. Battle Magic in fact has more emphasis on emotions than action. Heck, there are several points in the story where I wondered, "Wait, you aren't going to show that? Why make that a part of the story at all? You could've used another excuse to get this and that to happen that wouldn't be so besides the point and disjointed." That would be Rosethorn's reason to travel the circle.
Briar is the least main of the main characters. His narrative doesn't lead anything or entwine with unusual magic. He's mostly a valuable supporting character and I still enjoy his personality, as I have in previous books with him.
Evvy has the most interesting narrative. She's the one who most ought to have nightmares. I also appreciate the symbolism in her story, where she gets what might be a permanent stone magic teacher and the phrase "moving mountains" applies. I also identify with her personality the most and several scenes with her made me cry.
As a biology and geography nerd, I find the landscape in the story confusing. Kombanpur functions like India and shoves up the tallest mountains in the world. But those mountains are thin and run along an immense bay. The buckling of the land creating the mountains would make the range thick--like the Himalayas--and the land would lift the bay until it would no longer be a bay. Other mountain ranges run perpendicular--how were they formed? It looks like they're all sandwiching the plains of Gyongxe between them. Also, why is it when the team travels down from a mountain pass they transition from broad-leaved trees to evergreens? They also descend into a region that sits shy of the snowline--Pierce continues to mention snow when Evvy makes trips to creeks. If that's the case, how could the team go from a high pass down to broad-leaved plants that then transition to conifers?
It's a running gag at this point for me, but Pierce can be slippery with timelines. I still laugh and get mildly frustrated that Keladry in Squire magically skips a year of life. I think Pierce forgot that Kel graduated from a page while still 13 (as opposed to the normal 14 in Alanna's time in The Song of the Lioness). It's been many years, but I believe Kel managed to never be 16. Well, Briar and Evvy have a few weird age things going on. I do want to go back to the library and double check this, but Evvy was 9 in Street Magic and Briar was 14. Battle Magic takes place two years later. Yet Evvy is 12. There was even a tidbit of information that made me think they were 12 and 17 but subsequent information--the repeated mentions of two years--made me forgive the previous confusion and set the characters at 11 and 16. Then Pierce repeated says Evvy is 12. Fine. Whatever. Still better timeline keeping than the guy who created the Naruto series.
Ultimately, my favorite aspects of the book are the physical travel and the emotional ties between Briar, Evvy and Rosethorn, and I believe that was Pierce's intent. The flow of the story had awkward points and some bizarre, dropped points that quickly became irrelevant even though they seemed to have major plot potential. The symbolism with the circle of travel and the placement of the rulers at the top--beginning and end--of the circle moved me. The other symbolism with the mountains was clever. The book is a worthy installment and I read it swiftly.
The first book hints at something traumatic that happened to Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn while they were out east. They got caught up in a war and have nightmares most nights. What happened?
Early in Battle Magic, before the main characters enter a war, Pierce states that Briar and Rosethorn already had nightmares. It's hinted that they are weary from fending off bandits in their travels. I have not found any other plausible theories. I can only surmise that between bandits and the war, Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn simply have a psychological weakness for events that people tend to react to on a spectrum from easily traumatized to incredibly resilient. Maybe instead of making them resilient, each of these three's rough childhood's made them more sensitive.
As for the book itself, I found it an above average, outdoor adventure--my favorite kind of fiction. The group travel the map included on some of the first pages: Gyongxe (Bhutan-Nepal-Tibet Fantasy land?) to Yanging (China-Fantasy land) to Gyongxe to Unlabeled land, which at the very end I learned was Kombanpur (India-Fantasy land?). In all irony, it's a giant circle.
Gyongxe is a land where the gods are active. The human ruler is known as the God-King, and is an eleven-year-old with centuries of wisdom. I suspect he's analogous to a Dalai Lama. Yanjing's emperor is set on acquiring lands and treasures. He doesn't take the god things seriously but as an implication of great treasure.
They drive the circle the protagonists travel. Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn spend the winter with the God-King and a stone mage dedicate who teaches Evvy. In the spring they're invited to see the emperor's renowned gardens. They see hints of the emperor's harsh colors and leave as soon as it's respectful to do so. Of course, something less than respectful happens with the youngsters, driving an interesting sequence told in such a way I couldn't stop reading. The circle continues.
I love how familial Rosethorn and her kids are. Everyone is so nurturing and refusing to let anything else happen, even though things do keep happening. Sometimes due to the individuals' sense of right and due to forced circumstances--my favorite way to drive a story. Battle Magic in fact has more emphasis on emotions than action. Heck, there are several points in the story where I wondered, "Wait, you aren't going to show that? Why make that a part of the story at all? You could've used another excuse to get this and that to happen that wouldn't be so besides the point and disjointed." That would be Rosethorn's reason to travel the circle.
Briar is the least main of the main characters. His narrative doesn't lead anything or entwine with unusual magic. He's mostly a valuable supporting character and I still enjoy his personality, as I have in previous books with him.
Evvy has the most interesting narrative. She's the one who most ought to have nightmares. I also appreciate the symbolism in her story, where she gets what might be a permanent stone magic teacher and the phrase "moving mountains" applies. I also identify with her personality the most and several scenes with her made me cry.
As a biology and geography nerd, I find the landscape in the story confusing. Kombanpur functions like India and shoves up the tallest mountains in the world. But those mountains are thin and run along an immense bay. The buckling of the land creating the mountains would make the range thick--like the Himalayas--and the land would lift the bay until it would no longer be a bay. Other mountain ranges run perpendicular--how were they formed? It looks like they're all sandwiching the plains of Gyongxe between them. Also, why is it when the team travels down from a mountain pass they transition from broad-leaved trees to evergreens? They also descend into a region that sits shy of the snowline--Pierce continues to mention snow when Evvy makes trips to creeks. If that's the case, how could the team go from a high pass down to broad-leaved plants that then transition to conifers?
It's a running gag at this point for me, but Pierce can be slippery with timelines. I still laugh and get mildly frustrated that Keladry in Squire magically skips a year of life. I think Pierce forgot that Kel graduated from a page while still 13 (as opposed to the normal 14 in Alanna's time in The Song of the Lioness). It's been many years, but I believe Kel managed to never be 16. Well, Briar and Evvy have a few weird age things going on. I do want to go back to the library and double check this, but Evvy was 9 in Street Magic and Briar was 14. Battle Magic takes place two years later. Yet Evvy is 12. There was even a tidbit of information that made me think they were 12 and 17 but subsequent information--the repeated mentions of two years--made me forgive the previous confusion and set the characters at 11 and 16. Then Pierce repeated says Evvy is 12. Fine. Whatever. Still better timeline keeping than the guy who created the Naruto series.
Ultimately, my favorite aspects of the book are the physical travel and the emotional ties between Briar, Evvy and Rosethorn, and I believe that was Pierce's intent. The flow of the story had awkward points and some bizarre, dropped points that quickly became irrelevant even though they seemed to have major plot potential. The symbolism with the circle of travel and the placement of the rulers at the top--beginning and end--of the circle moved me. The other symbolism with the mountains was clever. The book is a worthy installment and I read it swiftly.
art_and_anna's review against another edition
5.0
there were some continuity issues with the will of the empress but it is still excellent.