emeraldreverie's review against another edition
4.0
Reread. Really like Briar and Evvy and Luvo's meeting. I like the world building in this part.
aamccartan's review against another edition
I was worried, after Mastiff, that Tamora Pierce might have lost her edge, but this was a good, solid, battles-and-adventures book. It filled in the gaps from The Will of the Empress very nicely, too.
futurepotus's review against another edition
2.0
I have loved Tamora Pierce's books since second grade. She has always been my favorite author and it kills me that I didn't like this book. Will of the Empress is my favorite of hers, hands down, and I was expecting Battle Magic to be along the same lines in quality. Instead, the book felt very empty. As usual, the action scenes are superbly written, but I feel as though the characters weren't as fleshed out as normal. The side characters felt very two-dimensional.
In addition, a lot of what Briar said/hinted at in WotE was not included. FOLLOWING ARE SPOILERS FROM WILL OF THE EMPRESS: The biggest thing was creating the rooftop. The exact quote from WotE is "I was locked up for a while in Gyongxe. It was either go mad... or retreat inside of me. I did things I'm not proud of when I got out..." Never happens in Battle Magic. Some of the other things he mentions in passing as well are completely ignored.
END SPOILERS FROM WotE
I don't usually nitpick, but when an author is as consistently good as Tamora Pierce is, you hold them to a higher standard. I found as I read, that I didn't really care about most of the characters, which is new for me in a Tamora Pierce book. I'll just stick with rereading Will of the Empress.
In addition, a lot of what Briar said/hinted at in WotE was not included. FOLLOWING ARE SPOILERS FROM WILL OF THE EMPRESS: The biggest thing was creating the rooftop. The exact quote from WotE is "I was locked up for a while in Gyongxe. It was either go mad... or retreat inside of me. I did things I'm not proud of when I got out..." Never happens in Battle Magic. Some of the other things he mentions in passing as well are completely ignored.
END SPOILERS FROM WotE
I don't usually nitpick, but when an author is as consistently good as Tamora Pierce is, you hold them to a higher standard. I found as I read, that I didn't really care about most of the characters, which is new for me in a Tamora Pierce book. I'll just stick with rereading Will of the Empress.
hallow3d's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
spiderstapdance's review against another edition
3.0
I know I'm not alone among Tamora Pierce's fans in saying that I prefer the Tortall books to the Circle Books. I know also that I'm not alone in Briar and Rosethorn being my favorites among Emelan's ambient mages. It seems that many reviews of this book express similar sentiments. And so, like many other readers perhaps, I looked to reading Battle Magic with equal parts eagerness and dread. Of course, part of the dramatic irony working in Battle Magic is that readers of [b:Will of the Empress|153783|The Will of the Empress (Circle Reforged, #1)|Tamora Pierce|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328868594s/153783.jpg|1060295] or [b:Melting Stones|492486|Melting Stones (Circle Reforged, #2)|Tamora Pierce|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347230939s/492486.jpg|480682] have already gained an idea of the horrors Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy experienced during the war in Gyongxe. Pierce uses that irony to good effect, . In addition, after feeling so strongly Briar's absence in Meliting Stones, it was nice to have him back as an active character rather than the ever-present memory. However, he felt somehow flat, and in fact much of the story felt that way, as if the book was trying to compound into its covers a story that might otherwise have taken a series. The book is long, following a trend of Pierce's recent novels, but it only seems to scratch the surface of what was possible in the story it tells. I do not, however, agree with opinions that the violence and horrors of war are in some way sanitized; Pierce may not describe them in all their gory detail, but the images stick in the imagination.
With this being said, Battle Magic was not one of Tamora Pierce's best works. Four hundred and forty pages was not enough to cover everything the book attempts to cover, and the result is a book that doesn't go into much detail on anything. The plot and the characterization of the minor characters feels rushed. It's still a good book (it is still Tamora Pierce, after all), but it's not the kind to live up to the book fans dreamed up in the midst of their expectation.
Spoiler
(particularly with the anxiety over the eventual fate of Evvy's cats!)With this being said, Battle Magic was not one of Tamora Pierce's best works. Four hundred and forty pages was not enough to cover everything the book attempts to cover, and the result is a book that doesn't go into much detail on anything. The plot and the characterization of the minor characters feels rushed. It's still a good book (it is still Tamora Pierce, after all), but it's not the kind to live up to the book fans dreamed up in the midst of their expectation.
meghan21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
A re-read. My review stands even after a fresh re-read of the series. I would have preferred that these had been written in chronological order. And the later books perhaps would have had some more depth. But these aren't bad fill in books and they could have been read in chronological order. The ending was a bit abrupt.
Much darker fill-in story in a fairly good length series. Unlike my daughter, I haven't read this series over and over again, so my expectations are not all that high, and my preconceptions are minimal. I found this a well-thought exercise in how the magic of this world would work in battle. There was death and torture and bad things happened to good and bad people. There could have been a bit more character development and it could have read a little quicker and cleaner, but all in all a good read.
Much darker fill-in story in a fairly good length series. Unlike my daughter, I haven't read this series over and over again, so my expectations are not all that high, and my preconceptions are minimal. I found this a well-thought exercise in how the magic of this world would work in battle. There was death and torture and bad things happened to good and bad people. There could have been a bit more character development and it could have read a little quicker and cleaner, but all in all a good read.
wetdryvac's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent read with one closing trope I hate above all others.
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You will forget all these things.
Yeah, that's right up there with, "It was all a dream."
I understand the why of it, but... yeah. I still hate it a lot.
Despite my complaint on that one trope, a fabulous book in every other regard.
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You will forget all these things.
Yeah, that's right up there with, "It was all a dream."
I understand the why of it, but... yeah. I still hate it a lot.
Despite my complaint on that one trope, a fabulous book in every other regard.
quasinaut's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy find themselves in a fraught political situation that turns into a devastating war. I loved spending time with these characters and getting their individual perspectives. Plus, we were introduced to some delightful supporting characters (Parahan, Luvo, and Jimut, to name a few).
There were definitely elements that didn't get fully fleshed out, or that I thought would play a bigger part than they did, or that resolved too quickly. It felt like maybe Tamora Pierce struggled with figuring out whether she was writing for kids, teens, or adults -- or perhaps there just needed to be tighter editing for consistency.
All in all, some of my favorite character interactions and world building, with some issues around pacing and tone.
There were definitely elements that didn't get fully fleshed out, or that I thought would play a bigger part than they did, or that resolved too quickly. It felt like maybe Tamora Pierce struggled with figuring out whether she was writing for kids, teens, or adults -- or perhaps there just needed to be tighter editing for consistency.
All in all, some of my favorite character interactions and world building, with some issues around pacing and tone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Torture, Animal death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Slavery
Minor: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content