4.5/5.0
The final installment of this remarkable series left me with a slightly underwhelming feeling. However, I am overjoyed to discover that we are right back on track with this third installment! It is truly engaging and offers a level of enjoyment that makes it nearly impossible to put down. I'm not entirely certain how I feel about the way it ended with Carthak's emperor, but there's no doubt that it's a surprising twist!

*As a side note* While all of Ms. Pierce's books (at least those that I have read) are classified as YA, this is only in the most literal sense. Her protagonists are teenagers, but the writing, storylines, and depth are incredibly rich and well-developed. To such an extent that one completely forgets the characters' ages and simply relishes in the delightfully told stories.

It's as if we are transported into a world where age is irrelevant and the power of a great story takes center stage. Ms. Pierce has a remarkable ability to create characters and worlds that draw readers in and keep them captivated from beginning to end. This third installment is no exception, and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Actually, this isn't my favorite Daine book, and that might seem like an unusual opinion. However, I did have the pleasure of recalling some of the details I'd forgotten about this particular volume. For instance, the role that the hyenas play is quite memorable. I also appreciate how this book brings the arc of Daine and the stormwings to a conclusion by having her form a friendship with one of them.

Nevertheless, the elements that are set up for the romance in the next book still irk me. Tamora Pierce didn't necessarily have to have Numair tell Ozorne that he's Daine's teacher and not her lover, but she chose to do so anyway, even though (I assume) she knew where the story was headed.

Numair's backstory has become more interesting to me now that he has his own book, which I'll be reading once I finish rereading the Immortals series. But as we draw closer to the romance, my liking for him diminishes.

I swear Daine picks up a new animal sidekick in every book and I love it!!

This was definitely my favorite book in the series so far. It's a bit weird because in this installment, Daine is mostly in the company of animals or other Carthakians, rather than with Numaire.

I just have an immense love for this series. However, my brain is feeling rather tired at the moment, and I'm also not feeling well. So, that's really all I can manage to say for now. Lol.

Despite my current state of mind and body, the charm of this series continues to captivate me. I can't wait to see what adventures Daine and her ever-expanding group of animal friends will embark on in the next book.

The way the author weaves together the relationships between Daine and the animals is truly remarkable. It adds a unique and enchanting element to the story that keeps me coming back for more.

Even though I'm not at my best, I still highly recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy and animal companions. It's a wonderful escape into a world full of magic and wonder.

Diane Sarrasi sets off on a rather unexpected journey...to the Middle East? Well, not exactly. She heads to Carthak to engage in peace negotiations with those she has been in various battles with throughout the series.

Upon her arrival, she quickly judges everything she sees as strange and barbaric, and soon becomes the talk of the town, as is often the case. She isn't content with simply conversing with a few gods; she also emasculates a group of trained soldiers, for which she is highly celebrated by those same men. She then proceeds to take on the roles of Jesus and God, first raising people from the dead and then, in a fit of outrage, decimating the city.

Despite all this, I found this book to be the most enjoyable in the series so far. Diane is truly a somewhat insane character, perhaps a bit over-the-top in her unbeatable power and charm. However, Pierce's other well-developed characters make up for Diane's flaws. Although the reactions of some characters in the book can sometimes be unbelievable, for the most part, the story keeps you engaged in Pierce's world and makes you eager to turn the pages.

One aspect of the book that left me a bit disappointed was Diane's main reason for being on the "Peace Negotiation Mission." Her task was to take care of the emperor's precious birds, which were suffering from a strange illness described as a black mist around their bronze auras. I initially thought that someone was poisoning the birds and that this would be the big mystery Diane had to solve to save the negotiations. However, it turned out that the birds had lead poisoning from eating the sealant off some decorative murals. This felt like a rather lame narrative device, and it seemed that the birds were only included as a reason to get Diane to the right place. Additionally, given Diane's other powers, one might have expected her to figure out the cause of the birds' illness more easily. But then again, if she had, her presence would have been unnecessary, and she wouldn't have fallen into the emperor's trap later.

In general, I liked the book, but compared to some of Pierce's other work, I thought it was a bit sloppy. I didn't experience the same sense of nostalgia while reading it, which was a bit of a letdown. I think I stopped feeling nostalgic after the second book, but now I'm reading them mainly to finish what I started.

In case you hadn't realized, this is now a Tamora Pierce stan account.

Tamora Pierce is an incredibly talented and beloved author. Her works have captured the hearts and imaginations of countless readers around the world.

Her stories are filled with strong, complex female characters who face challenges and overcome them with courage and determination.

From the adventures of Alanna the Lioness to the magic of Daine in the Immortals series, Pierce's books are a joy to read.

She has a unique ability to create vivid and detailed worlds that draw the reader in and make them feel like they are a part of the story.

Whether you're a long-time fan or new to her work, this account will be dedicated to celebrating all things Tamora Pierce.

Expect to see reviews, fan art, and discussions about her amazing books.

Join me in this journey of fangirling over one of the greatest fantasy authors of our time.

Now, THAT'S more like it!

What a major redemption for the yawnfest that was book 2. In Emperor Mage, Daine gets to experience a whole new world. Instead of being just a girl who wants to be an animal and is constantly surrounded by them, she now gets to pretend she's a girl sent from a royal envoy as a diplomat into a foreign land.

Human interactions are truly awesome, and I'm extremely glad that Daine isn't just talking and plotting with animals all the time anymore. Now, she's actually solving a decent mystery and dealing with major international intrigue. It's like everything I enjoy about this series has been thrown together in one book. I can hardly find a single fault with Emperor Mage.

Daine, Numair (and is it terrible of me to admit that I want to burst into the Numa Numa song every time I read his name?), Alanna, and other emissaries from Tortall are sent to Carthak as a peace delegation. Their hope is to avoid war, and Daine in particular is looking forward to helping emperor Orzorne save his menagerie of sick birds.

Daine receives mysterious messages from the badger gods, a hag witch god, and is granted powers that can bring dead things to life. And boy, is she bad-ass with her new powers.

Daine meets the heir-apparent to Carthak, Kaddar. Despite getting off on the wrong foot and having different views (like Daine's inborn Northern hatred of slavery), the two manage to become friends. However, I never really liked Kaddar. He's just one of those characters who made a bad initial impression that never really redeemed himself no matter what he did for the rest of the book.

Daine also gets conflicting messages from the Emperor Mage, Orzarne. He's supposed to be this evil, powerful despot king, yet he clearly loves animals. But still, he keeps his people enslaved and maintains a zoo of loved-yet-confined animals and immortals. The jury is out on him for much of the book, so I wasn't sure where he stood on the side of good or evil, and I really liked that characterization of him.

Daine...wow, she really saves the day in this one. My admiration for her just keeps growing. The only complaint I have with this book are the gods. My, they are so annoying. I'm glad that at least in this world, I'm not religious, and the gods do not see fit to play around with mortals. The godly beings in this series are more along the lines of Anansi or the Native American fox trickster god than the likes of Buddha.

I absolutely LOVED THIS. I devoured it in no time, while the second book took me a bit more time to get through. Right from the start, I was completely engrossed in the story. I really liked the change in setting, which added a fresh and exciting element. Meeting all the new characters and creatures was a delight. Zek!! And Kaddar was so incredibly interesting. His relationship with Daine was truly great. I couldn't help but keep picturing the Graveyard Hag as a strange mix between Mulan's grandmother and the short Fate sister from Hercules. This book was just so exciting and awesome. I think I'll start the next one right away. I really have a deep love for Daine's powers and it's fascinating to watch her learn more and more about her wild magic. Her communications with the variety of animals is my absolute favorite part! Also, every single time Numair calls Daine "magelet", it just makes my heart melt a little inside <3.

I can't wait to see what adventures await Daine in the next book. I'm sure it will be just as amazing as this one.

Once again, I find myself as that oddball girl with a penchant for fantasy, yet somehow, I've never been able to form a connection with Tamora Pierce's characters. And let me tell you, Daine is a self-righteous pain in the ass! There, I've said it. *Hides from angry fans* But hear me out. She possesses a plethora of qualities that I find particularly grating. (And I've had similar gripes about Alanna and many other characters too.) Here's a short list.

First off, she is never depicted as being in the wrong. Everyone seems to adore her, except for the villains, of course.

Secondly, she engages in that whole "what? you think I'm talented? you think I'm pretty? No, I'm not pretty or talented" shtick that drives me bonkers every single time it's trotted out. Just once, I'd love to see a female character respond with "Hell yeah, I'm pretty and I'm twice as talented!"

Another overdone scene that needs to be put to rest is the whole girl proving herself to a bunch of boys who doubt her abilities. Good lord, this is so played out. You know exactly what's going to happen. Some punk boy says she can't do a particular task because she's a girl. The girl gets angry and performs the task flawlessly. And voila, the boy instantly respects her.

Her quasi-vegetarian lifestyle also makes no sense to me. In the previous books of the series, Daine claims to have no problem eating meat, even though she considers animals her friends. The reasoning being that she can tune them out while hunting so as not to have an unfair advantage. I'm not a vegetarian myself, but that's probably because I've never had in-depth conversations about life with animals. But if you had the choice between eating something that you could hear pleading and screaming for help or a salad, wouldn't you choose the salad? Especially if you consider animals your colleagues?

That being said, I did like Alanna in this book, which is quite surprising considering I had many of the same complaints about her as I did about Daine. Her moment of expressing frustration at being unable to do anything was a great one because it humanized her, and so many people can relate to her feelings. I also enjoyed the Graveyard Hag because she was so unique, and even Ozorne was interesting because you never knew if he was misjudged or truly evil. Carthak itself was an interesting world with a unique culture. I just wish they would have delved into the politics and negotiations a bit more.

I know that Tamora Pierce can be a good writer, but I don't think I'll ever have the same level of love for her Tortall books as I do for her Circle of Magic series.

Maybe I'm awarding this four stars because it stands in such stark contrast to the previous two books. But regardless, I truly did enjoy it, and it definitely remains my favorite of the Daine books. POLITICS. I have a deep love for the politics in this story.

That being said, I do have some notes.

1. Who in their right mind would send Alanna, known for her infamous temper, to a notoriously volatile empire as a diplomat? Doesn't that seem... rather foolish? I adore Alanna, but I don't believe Carthak is the appropriate place for her. This is evident when the emperor decides to have his way and they are forced to leave Carthak under guard, and Alanna is powerless to do anything about it. In other words, if she was sent as a threat or a reminder of Tortall's military might, she doesn't seem to be a particularly effective one. And she's not a diplomat. So once again, what exactly is she doing there?

2. However, the moment when Alanna realizes it's a trap and that Daine is in real trouble, yet is unable to do anything, is a really excellent character moment.

3. I'm a bit confused about the logistics of the palace. The emperor requests a robe for Daine, and the slaves bring one in a mere three seconds later - HOW? Do they have an endless supply of wardrobes near every place the emperor eats? Is there a mage slave who can summon things as needed? I require more details!

4. The ending feels very familiar. It's almost identical to the ending of Street Magic, where Briar uses the often-underestimated plant magic to destroy Lady Zenadia's home. There's the same concept of less-widespread powers not being accounted for by traditional magical barriers. But it's more successful when it comes to plant magic: there's something much more seemingly tame about plants compared to animals, and plants are also far more prevalent. The idea of literally using someone's garden to bring down their home is far more chilling than using a god-granted power to wake up dinosaur fossils and destroy a palace. That could have been accomplished by anyone, not just a Wild mage, so this doesn't feel as much like Daine's victory as it does the Graveyard Hag's. (Which is what it's supposed to be, it's the Graveyard Hag's country, blah blah. But I would still like a better character arc for Daine.)

5. One aspect I like about the plot of Daine being kidnapped is that it showcases the emperor's absolute power. He calls her and she can't refuse - he offers her food she can't refuse - and he casually drugs her while they're sitting there. CRAZY. And I really liked the (heavily emphasized) mentions of the emperor caring about his birds but being completely cavalier about his citizens, to the extent that he was willing to make greater concessions after Daine healed his birds. (Well. \\"Greater concessions\\" really just means he pretended to concede more things while plotting eeeeeeeeevil plots and pretend!squashing Numair.)

(PS: How does one create a simulacrum that knows how to fake!die by hanging, not just fake!read behind a magical barrier? Inquiring minds want to know.)

Overall, I still believe Daine doesn't have much of a character arc, which bothers me. But this was still enjoyable to read. I'm actually excited about Kaddar becoming emperor. Jonathan gets his treaty, so the mission is successful, right? Although Gary and his papers probably would have preferred less excitement. Just picture his face when he sees all those destroyed palace records. PRICELESS.

The Emperor Mage is the third book in Tamora Pierce's The Immortals Quartet.

By this stage, if you haven't read the previous installments (Wild Magic and Wolf Speaker), I heartily recommend that you don't start here. You'll be completely baffled.

A peace delegation including Alanna the Lioness, the Gareths, and other nobles from Tortall has been sent to the hot, swampy Charthak Empire. Their mission is to negotiate peace with the war-mongering Emperor Ozorne.

With them is Numair, who was once the Emperor's best friend but is now his sworn enemy. Also along is Daine, who has been chosen to heal the Emperor's beloved and sickly birds. And there's Kitten the baby-dragon, whom the Emperor is intensely curious about.

Although the negotiations are intensely important to Tortall, considering that war with Charthak could have disastrous consequences.

Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

I was finally in the right mood and mental state to delve back into the Immortals quartet, and I'm truly glad that I did.

I'm not sure if it's because I was simply prepared to handle all the talking animals this time around, or if the plot was inherently more interesting, but I found myself enjoying this installment much more than the first two.

Dane's powers continue to expand, and we get a bit more insight into her parentage, perhaps. Numair remains a delight, and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice Prince Kedar is as well. Carthac is given more depth as we actually get to visit it and meet its people, rather than it always being the Big Bad Across the Sea. I liked the way the conflict with the emperor was resolved.

Although I immediately guessed that Numair was using a cloning spell when he was "killed," since I already knew from listening to First Test that he was still alive and well in that one. Oh well. Let's just pretend that if I hadn't known that, I would have been worried because he's one of my favorite characters in this world so far. LOL.

Since I'm in such a good mood, I'm jumping right into the next book. I've already listened to the prologue and the first chapter, so that reveal has already occurred!

I've been engaged in some profound thinking and have arrived at a conclusion that, in hindsight, perhaps should have been blatantly evident much earlier. The conclusion is this: I have a deeper connection to Tamora Pierce's characters than to almost any other fictional characters. They manage to infiltrate my very being, seeping under my skin, coursing through my blood, and lodging firmly in my heart. I can so effortlessly see the world through their eyes that it truly astonishes me.

I've lost count of the number of times I've read this series, yet I still experience the same intense emotions that I vividly recall from the very first time. And the last few chapters of this particular book continue to have a powerful impact on me, as if delivering a gut punch, even though I'm fully aware of what's coming. I almost shed tears, and I rarely find myself crying over books.

I believe that Pierce's true mastery lies not in her remarkable plotting, or her excellent pacing, or the way she weaves magic and integrates it seamlessly into the societies she constructs. It's not the vivid portrayal of different cultures either. Nor is it solely the sharp and wry dialogue that I absolutely adore. What makes her one of my all-time favorite authors is the way she crafts her characters to be so incredibly human, with well-developed personalities and flaws. This allows me to live vicariously through them, almost breathing in sync with them, without even having to consciously think about it. When I'm engrossed in a Tamora Pierce book, the fictional world of Tortall becomes the real world to me, and woe to anyone or anything that dares to interrupt my immersion.

This specific book can be simply and accurately described in two words: Fucking Epic. The scale of the Immortals Quartet expands significantly in this installment. As a seasoned reader of the Lioness Quartet, I'm well aware that in Tortall, the question isn't whether the gods are real but rather how long it will take for one of them to make an appearance. And in this book, at least one of the gods emerges as a driving force, and in a major way. Okay, so maybe I'm a bit biased, but I really like the Graveyard Hag. She has so much spunk! Also, it's refreshing to see old goddesses take center stage. There simply aren't enough of them in mythology or fiction. (Off the top of my head, the only other one I can think of is Elli, the Norse goddess of old age who defeated Thor in an arm-wrestling match.) Even Pierce's deities are humanized, a fact that becomes abundantly clear in the fourth book.

But I digress. There's really very little I can say about this book without spoiling the ending because everything wonderful about it is directly tied to the conclusion.

So, instead, I'm going to waste a little more of your time by analyzing one particular scene, one of my absolute favorites in the entire book: when Daine and Prince Kaddar visit the archery yard and Daine outshoots all the Carthaki nobles.

First of all, we have this exchange:
"Women aren't up to the discipline of military life."
"You must tell Lady Alanna that sometime. I'd do it from a distance."

Given the sexism that Alanna had to overcome to earn her shield, this little dialogue always brings a smile to my face. It's easy to overlook the cultural revolution that Tortall has experienced in a relatively short period of time, but Alanna serves as a distinct reminder of that. (And Kel too, although she hasn't made an appearance yet.)

The best aspect of this scene is that instead of using it to simply highlight how stupid and sexist these young men are, Pierce takes a more nuanced approach and makes it rather pleasant. Daine impresses them all with her remarkable archery skills, and they immediately accept her, almost treating her as one of their own. They're not hopeless bigots, nor are they haughty and dismissive of her as an anomaly. It's very clear that these are young men who have been raised to believe certain things, but they're not so closed-minded that they think what they were taught is the only truth. It's not a simple black-and-white situation.

In conclusion, this book is truly awesome. And now, I'm going to go ahead and start reading Realms of the Gods.