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Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
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Trickster's Choice

by Tamora Pierce

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1,724301,692 (4.21)40
Recently added bytuckerfrye, gryph, private library, cwelch3, livylovesotis, SNS101, jeweled_weevil, kamiawolf, kase_ie

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  1. espertus recommends Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, "Both books are fantasies with strong-minded young female protagonists fighting tyranny in alliance with forces of nature. While both heroines come from (see more) noble families, they are very different: Crown Duel's Countess Meliara is a naive and untutored orphan, while Trickster's Alianne has been well schooled by her spymaster father and has lived in the shadow of her famous mother. I think the two sets of books (each of which was first published as two separate novels) might appeal to the same readers, although Court Duel is lighter and Tricksters more complex."
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Summary: Being a fifteen-year-old girl is never easy, but it's a lot harder when your mother is the first female knight in the realm, and the King's Champion to boot, your father is the head of spy network for the entire country, and your godparents, aunts, and uncles include powerful mages, immortals, and the king and queen themselves. Everyone is on Aly's case to *do* something with her life, but she's more interested in having fun, and the one thing she really wants to do - become a field agent spying for her father - is forbidden to her. After a particularly nasty fight with her parents, she runs away for a few weeks... only to get captured by slavers, and taken to the Copper Isles to be sold.

However, things aren't as dire as they may seem. The trickster god Kyprioth has his eye on Aly as well, and makes her a wager. He was deposed from the rule of the Copper Isles at about the same time as the local people, the Raka, were conquered by the invading Luarin. If Aly can keep the children of a local nobleman - including two half-Raka, half-Luarin daughters who may fulfill an ancient prophecy - safe throughout the summer amidst the political tensions of a kingdom in turmoil, Kyprioth will send her home to Tortall.

Review: I started this book because I was looking for something reliably entertaining, and I'd listened to and enjoyed Tamora Pierce's previous Tortall books. And, I got what I was expecting: good. Nothing great, nothing fancy, nothing world-shaking, but solidly, reliably good. Tamora Pierce can write entertaining, interesting stories, and her heroines are always sympathetic if always also a little Mary-Sue-ish (although it's forgivable in Aly's case because of her extensive pedigree - at least she comes by it honestly.) I also have to give Pierce credit for making her heroines distinct; I can easily imagine how, after writing so many books in the same universe, her main characters could start to bleed into each other, but Aly's got her own personality, and since most of the action takes place on the Copper Isles instead of Tortall, this series has its own distinctive feel.

Because of this, and because this series is almost a generation removed from the earlier Tortall books, I think it could be read on its own without knowing what precedes it. Plenty of characters from earlier books make cameo appearances, but since the vast bulk of the action takes place when Aly's on her own, far from home, knowing the backstory isn't particularly critical. There's plenty of interesting new characters to choose from... I was particularly fond of Nawat, the crow-turned-human who's more than a little smitten with Aly.

My main complaint about Trickster's Choice is that it's clearly half of a duology. By the end of the book, the story comes to a resting point, but not really an end, which makes the second book a required follow-up read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Whether or not you've read the previous Tortall books, Trickster's Choice is a light, entertaining piece of YA fantasy adventure. It probably won't blow your socks off, but it will keep you reading, which is sometimes exactly what's needed. ( )
fyrefly98 | Jun 11, 2009 |  
A terrific addition to her Tortall books. Something of a coming of age novel for Aly (the daughter of The Lioness) in which the Trickster god of the Copper Isles involves her in his schemes. By the end of the book she has finally figured out what she wants to so with her life, at least for the next little while. I really am looking forward to the further adventures of the characters introduced here.
hailelib | Jun 9, 2009 |  
A great book for all teens and young adults! The main character will make you fall in love with her every action. The story never falls into the pit of predictability, and the writing style makes this book perfect for readers of all abilities. ( )
Saieeda | Jun 7, 2009 |  
Tamora Pierce is an excellent writer although some of her books are not as great as others. Trickster's Choice is interesting and will keep your attention. Some of the ideas suggested in the book will sound odd but that is because the "world" is different in the book. It wasn't my favorite but it wasn't a bad read either.

For teens. ( )
I_recommend | May 8, 2009 |  
This is the first Tamora Pierce book I've read and I'll admit, I chose it for the title. I have an affinity for trickster characters. Guess it comes from being an April Fool's baby.

Needless to say, I was not disappointed with this book. It was very well written with endearing characters and a story that kept me hooked til the end. Already looking forward to reading the second one! ( )
PardaMustang | Apr 26, 2009 |  
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Series (with order)
Canonical Title
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
George Cooper, Baron of Pirate's Swoop, second in command of his realm's spies, put his documents aside and surveyed his only daughter as she paused by his study door.
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Book description

Amazon.com (ISBN 0375814663, Hardcover)

To the great joy of her many fans, Tamora Pierce with this book begins a new saga of Tortall to add to The Song of the Lioness Quartet, the Immortals Quartet, and The Protector of the Small tetralogy. At the center of each of these books is always a strong and resourceful young woman who masters the arts of swordplay and knightly warfare in the magical medieval country of Tortall. Alianne, or Aly, daughter of the warrior queen Alanna the Lioness, has all these skills, but also a delicious sense of humor, which serves her well when she is chosen by the trickster god Kyprioth to serve as his secret agent and a slave for a year in the embattled Copper Isles. There the dark-skinned natives, or raka, have been conquered and crushed by the laurin, light-skinned people from the mainland. The burning raka resentment is fueled by prophecies of a twice royal queen who will free them, aided by the "wise one, the cunning one, the strong one, the warrior, and the crows." Just how each of the colorful characters and Aly herself fit into this prophecy and Kyprioth’s tricky plan keeps readers guessing. Aly plots to show her skill at spying as she flirts with the god and is courted by Nawat, a crow transformed into a handsome young man, who is puzzled when she rejects his attempts to mate-feed her with grubs and ants.

The pages of this long but fast-paced adventure zip by, enlivened by intrigue, skirmishes, comedy, romance, and lots of dramatic clothes. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:03 -0400)

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