Cold Fire

* Review contains spoilers*

This is a young adult series, about a quartet of young mages who have come to the powers early and strong. It would appear that each of the books of this series stand alone very well - I have previously read book 4, with little or no problems due to lack of back story. This one started out very confusing, because it took me a couple of chapters to work out that the main character is *not* the same as in book 4! Fairly simple plot, no attempt to hide who the bad guy is, so there is the pleasure of watching the characters work it out. This is very well done, as to begin with the main character, Daja (a metal mage), has a great deal of respect for the bad guy, and the progress of this turning to distrust has been show more beautifully written show less

Hell. Yes.

Daja's book in the original Circle books was probably my favorite of the series, and her book in the second series is equally excellent. Just to give you some idea: I started this book when I got on the elliptical, and didn't get off until I was finished. Even for me, reading an entire novel takes awhile, but I was too wrapt to notice the time going by. That's how enthralling this book is.

Daja Kisubu and her teacher Frostpine have come to a series of islands to learn more metal magic. The islands are frozen most of the year, and Frostpine spends most of the book kvetching about the cold (even going so far as to meditate naked in the kitchen hearth fire, much to the kitchen staffs' amazement). Amusingly, it seems he chose his show more name without realizing quite how cold it gets where frostpines live. Daja is having the time of her life learning to iceskate and make metal filigree. Like the other members of the Circle, she stumbles upon an undiscovered ambient mage--and her equally magical twin sister. Unlike her friends, she manages to find teachers for their cooking and carpentry magic, but still takes on teaching them meditation. Unfortunately, what works for one twin is precisely the wrong method for the other, and vice versa. But Daja grits her teeth and bends to the task--even though it takes her away from her other interest, creating protective metal gloves for the city's head fire-fighter. Her work is particularly important, because an escalating series of fires has begun to strike the islands, and the firefighters and she are called upon to increasing heroics.

And wow, but Daja is a heroine for the ages.

review tbc show less

Substance: Excellent depiction of the progression of a hero to mass-murderer. The villain shows far more depth than the heroine.
Oddity: Pierce apologizes to PETA-friends who might be offended that the novel's characters wear furs in a pseudo-medieval northern climate. She does not apologize to anyone for executing a rather horrible death penalty.
In the other novels of this series, she has no qualms about letting the protagonists decide unilaterally to execute malefactors (nevermind that the villains unquestionably deserve their fates). Seems a tad unbalanced to me.

I originally reviewed this book on my blog - The Cosy Dragon. For more recent reviews by me, please hop over there.

Daja and her teacher Frostpine have gone far into the wintery cold so that Daja can learnt from other metal mages. Like the other 2 books in this quartet, she unexpectedly finds herself teaching meditation and finding the gifted children the teachers they need. To complicate things there is an arsonist afoot, and Daja doesn't know which of her feelings to trust.

Once again, it is the teaching element of this novel that really makes me like it. It's great how Pierce has changed things up a bit about meditation because there are only so many descriptions of measured counting that a reader can put up with.

Daja really matures in show more this book. Although she is usually more adult than say Tris or Briar, occasionally she isn't as driven as Sandry to show off a good front. Here you can see that she really is a 14 year old in some ways (like trusting friends) but an adult in others (being concerned for her students who are only a couple of years younger than her).

The fires in this book aren't exactly nice to read about, particularly as they become more sinister and kill more people. It's nice though that Pierce constantly challenges the assumption that magic can fix everything. Sometimes it is also part of the problem!

The ending is a little too neat for my liking, but it's not bad. And it will keep you reading, no doubts about that. I would recommend this book again for children and teenagers. Pierce avoids describing anything too sinister, but perhaps those children with very active imaginations should take care not to read before bedtime. I wouldn't recomend reading it just before bedtime anyway, because you'll get too stuck into it and stay up late! This book is slightly longer than the others, and my copy has tiny font to make up for that. show less

A good story, except for a major flaw in the foreshadowing too early in the narrative. Aware readers can easily see where the plot is going in realizing who is the fire-setting culprit.
Pierce's narrative tale lost its momentum, since suspense and thrilling eagerness in reading her novel was derailed. Enjoyment withered since I couldn't shake off the angst (perhaps disappointment?) in knowing who was orchestrating set fires.
The book finished on a somewhat satisfactory ending, but closer to feeling this is a 3-star book, even though the characterizations are strong and the newly-discovered young children with magical gifts are charming.

Daja travels north where she discovers two young mages and helps in a series of dangerous fires.

I hadn't realized just how violent this series was until this book made me think about all of them together. So far all of the children have had not only to deal with personal deaths among their families and friends, but also with serious questions about dealing with battle and dangerous criminals. For a series that I had really considered to be a children's adventure series that made me happy, it can be fairly dark. Still, the relationships that pull the kids through these times are what makes the series still full of love. I'll read the final book of this quartet now, and the following books are for audiences who are a bit older. I'm show more looking forward to them, as well. show less

Oh man this was one very intense! I think this was less mystery and more thriller, which is a cool kind of genre change up here. It also meant I personally was so much more tense and screaming at the book at certain points. But if you want Criminal Minds for kids, this is right up your alley I think. (The cop/carcerality stuff uh bugged me but ymmv, most kids books are not written for prison abolitionists.)