Wolf-Speaker (Immortals) (original 1993; edition 1997)

Daine has been called North to Dunlath Valley by the pack of wolves that used to live near her hometown. The wolves are concerned because the humans of Dunlath Valley are exploiting its natural resources (although they certainly don't express their concerns in those words). Numair undertakes the journey with Daine and they soon discover that the lord and lady of Dunlath are plotting for their own advancement - perhaps to royal levels. Daine for the first time discovers her ability to see through other animals' eyes and that she can shift her own body. She also discovers that prolonged contact with animals, particularly if they ingest some of her blood, leads to them thinking more like humans. We also see more dimensions to the Immortals who have returned to Tortall. As usual I greatly enjoyed Pierce's storytelling although this is clearly a middle volume in Daine's adventures. I look forward to listening to the next two!

Listened to the Playaway narrated by the Full Cast crew. Previously read several times. ( )

This didn't excite me as much as its predecessor, [b:Wild Magic|13836|Wild Magic (Immortals, #1)|Tamora Pierce|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266450918s/13836.jpg|1171314], primarily for the following reason:

Daine and Numair are in the forest then
Daine enters into the mind of an animal.
Daine and Numair and some wolves are in the forest then
Daine enters into the mind of an animal.
Daine and Numair go to a castle then
Daine enters into the mind of an animal.
Daine hangs out with wolves and then
Daine enters into the mind of an animal.
Daine meets some immortals, good and bad, and then
Daine enters into the mind of an animal.
Daine enters into the mind of an animal to talk to Numair through a barrier.
Daine is always tired because it takes a lot of energy when
Daine enters into the mind of an animal.
Daine enters into the mind of an animals to go everywhere, all the time, forever and ever amen.

Okay, that's it, you get the point. I still love Tamora Pierce and I'll still keep going with the series because I like the world. ( )

Weaker than the first in the quartet, yet Tamora's worlds still are interesting enough to be worth the time to read. ( )

Daine's wolf pack from her former home asks her to talk to humans about the destruction of the land, the water, and the hunting grounds in the new valley they have moved to, but it turns out that the situation is much different - and much worse - than anyone could have guessed.

Wolf-Speaker is one of my favorite Tortall books. Although the main characters are (as usual in Pierce's books) just a touch too good to be true, Daine grows and learns and makes mistakes throughout the story, and people besides her play roles vital to the plot. I particularly like Maura, a young noblewoman who is terrified but brave, and Tkaa, one of the immortals that Daine meets and befriends.

Margaret Strom is an inconsistent reader. Often she's fine, even pleasant to listen to, but she also mispronounces words and pauses at odd times, especially during dialogue, which sounds awkward or even changes meaning. I recommend the Full Cast Audio version instead.

This is the second of The Immortals series featuring Daine, who was introduced in Wild Magic. For me this is the weakest book of the series, even the book by Pierce I like the least. I found the environmentalist/animal rights theme heavy handed and at times eye-roll worthy. Those kinds of themes are certainly present in all of Pierce's books, but this is the one where I found it nearly unbearable. That said, I first read these books as an adult on the recommendation of a friend who fell in love with them as a child. I'm sure if I had read these when I was in the targeted age of 12 to 16, I would have eaten up this tale of a girl who not only can talk to animals, she can shapeshift into one. And even I loved the next two books in the series, which have scenes I'd call cinematic and memorable quotes suitable for bumper stickers. And there were enjoyable bits here too, such as the dimension give to the Stormwings and "Kitten" the dragon. ( )