emsisfab's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this! Anyone who enjoys stories with magic that somewhat resembles neo-paganism and Harry Potter put together give it a go!
snchard's review against another edition
3.0
Excellent middle grade high fantasy. Love me some Tamora Pierce.
17kmcollins's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
katereads2much's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this. When it comes to magic and adventure Tamora Pierce is one of my favorite writers. Her books tend to age with the characters which I personally love though it means reading a little younger than I normally do (for something that isn't a picture book) occasionally including this particular case.
lynnaeaowens's review against another edition
3.0
The Protector of the Small series by Pierce is one of my favorite series of all times. I haven't read Pierce's earlier works, like the Circle of Magic series and was excited to pick this up.
The good - well-written middle-grade characters. Pierce does an excellent job capturing their unique characters as the story jumps between each point of view.
The meh - the plot never gripped me. There's really no "developing action" and the central plot is each character learning to work together. There is a big climax but almost no build up to it, and I found it hard to stay engaged throughout. The world building also didn't work for me fully. I like the unique kind of magic Pierce writes about here, but I never felt as though I fully understood the "rules" of this magic. Adult characters are mostly caricatures with little development.
This may work better for actually middle-grade-aged readers and it may improve as the series progresses, but I'm not sure I'll continue with book 2.
The good - well-written middle-grade characters. Pierce does an excellent job capturing their unique characters as the story jumps between each point of view.
The meh - the plot never gripped me. There's really no "developing action" and the central plot is each character learning to work together. There is a big climax but almost no build up to it, and I found it hard to stay engaged throughout. The world building also didn't work for me fully. I like the unique kind of magic Pierce writes about here, but I never felt as though I fully understood the "rules" of this magic. Adult characters are mostly caricatures with little development.
This may work better for actually middle-grade-aged readers and it may improve as the series progresses, but I'm not sure I'll continue with book 2.
smeenk_ak's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
mildmay's review against another edition
4.0
The Circle of Magic was always my favorite Tamora Pierce series growing up (and I think the first I read) so rereading this was very nostalgic for me. The pace of the story is very slow (not much happens except world building and character set up in this one) and the language is pretty simple, but it's definitely meant for a much younger audience. Even though a lot of the characters in this are pretty one-dimensional and the kids only just start understanding their power & coming together as a family at the end of the book, I'm a huge sucker for found family stories and themed magic, so this is an easy series for me to have a lot of fond feelings for. It's really nice to revisit these characters and still love them just as much as I did almost 20 years ago.
sarahjanet's review against another edition
4.0
I cannot explain why I have never read these books even though I am ride or die for Tortall. Someone told me once that they weren’t as good and it stuck with me! And it wasn’t as good as Tortall, but what is, and it was still a very pleasant read, so I will read the rest of them.
ellen's review against another edition
4.0
i mean this was good although it didnt feel like a full book. like i know there was a climax but the story never felt like it was leading to it so idk
but i love the characters in this circle series im so excited to read the rest and hopefully i love them as much as my tortall gals
but i love the characters in this circle series im so excited to read the rest and hopefully i love them as much as my tortall gals