Tempests and Slaughter

I love Tamora Pierce and haven't read one of her books in a long time. Trickster's Queen is one of my all time faves. So when this popped up when I was ordering other books, I was excited. This is Arran's story. He is a young mage at mage school. His powers are impressive and out of control so the masters take him under their wings. (not literally!) He meets two friends Varice, a beautiful charismatic kitchen mage and Ozorne, one of the line of princes who may one day rule the land. But he is so far back in the line of succession he only wants to become a mage. These three form an unbreakable bond as they maneuver through the rigors of school, family and societal norms. That is a fancy way of saying, they struggle through school. But the more Arran sees of the world, the more injustices he wants to fix- especially slavery. The gladiators of the arena have caught his attention and he hope one day they can be freed. As Ozorne gets closer to the throne, Arran gets more hopeful that his friend will make this wish come true. Arran meets many interesting characters including the river god in the shape of an enormous crocodile. The god puts Preet, a rare and priceless sunbird, in his care and she is the most wonderful character in the book. I loved this book which is setting up great tales for the future. Will these friends be able to remain friends as their worlds shift into adulthood? Will the bonds be tested? Of course they will and I, for one, can't wait! Happy reading my friends!

Iron Gold

Well, it's been a while my friends! I finished this one a few weeks ago, but spent my spring break on a  dream river cruise of the Rhine River, so reading wasn't on the agenda for a change. This book brings us back to the Red Rising series that I thought was over. I had happily left Darrow a victor in his war, happily on the beach with his son and wife. But here we are again- more death, destruction and heartbreak as Darrow is now an older man- in his 30's making decisions that ruin his friends and family all so he can end the vicious war he started. Sevro stands by his side, even against his beliefs, but when their children end up in mortal danger, the ties of friendship are strained. Mustang is trying to lead the society, but she faces opposition on all sides. Cassius is off with Lysander who find themselves in tragic predicaments. Nothing good happens in this book 4. Betrayal, death and destruction is all it brings to the reader. I was almost glad when it was over, I needed a break. The good thing is that the only way (I hope) to go is up?? I love this series, but be warned it is a violent and mature one, not for the littles. It is almost now out of the YA genre and into adult sci-fi. But if you have started, you should get back on Darrow's journey and see if he can pull out one more victory for the Reds. Happy reading my friends- 7 weeks to a summer of books and the beach- but who's counting!?