**Title: The Importance of Reading**

Reading is an essential activity that offers numerous benefits. It broadens our knowledge, enhances our vocabulary, and improves our cognitive abilities.

When we read, we are exposed to different ideas, cultures, and perspectives, which helps us to become more open-minded and empathetic.

Moreover, reading is a great way to relax and unwind. It allows us to escape from the stresses of daily life and enter into a world of imagination and creativity.

In addition, reading can also improve our writing skills. By observing how other authors construct their sentences, paragraphs, and stories, we can learn valuable techniques that we can apply to our own writing.

Finally, reading is a habit that can last a lifetime. It is a source of entertainment, education, and inspiration that can enrich our lives in countless ways.

Therefore, we should make reading a regular part of our daily routine and encourage others to do the same.

Loved it!

The characters in this story truly come to life. They are so vividly described that I could almost imagine them standing right in front of me.

As I read, I was completely transported to magical lands. The author's description of these lands was so detailed and enchanting that I felt as if I was actually there, experiencing the wonder and excitement myself.

It was a truly immersive experience that left me longing for more. I can't wait to see where the story takes me next.

This is definitely a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good adventure and a touch of magic.

I did not like the setting of the story. It felt rather dull and uninteresting, lacking the charm and excitement that I usually look for in a good book. The new characters also failed to capture my attention. They seemed flat and one-dimensional, without any real depth or personality. Additionally, the pacing was too slow for my liking. It took a long time for anything significant to happen, and I found myself getting bored and losing interest.

I have already read 3 mediocre books this month, and I am not off to a great start. It is quite disappointing, as I had high hopes for some really great reads. However, despite my dissatisfaction with these books, there was one thing that I did like - the monkey. The monkey added a touch of humor and playfulness to the story, and it was the only character that really stood out for me. I hope that in the next book I read, the setting, characters, and pacing will be more to my liking, and that I will be able to enjoy a truly great reading experience.

After the failed coup, Daine, Numair, Alanna, and several significant Tortallan officials travel to Carthak for peace talks with Emperor Mage Ozorne. Given that the emperor is known for holding grudges and this negotiation involves pardoning Numair from a potential death sentence, the entire group is on high alert.

Daine is somewhat fortunate as she doesn't have to participate in the treaty negotiations. She is there to help cure the emperor's beloved birds of a strange illness. However, things are never that simple for her. The badger has "gifted" her with new magic without her knowledge, and this magic tends to go haywire when she's supposed to be staying低调.

It's already difficult for her to hold her tongue when she wants to speak up for her friends and the oppressed or ignore the slaves serving in the palace. The emperor's nephew and heir, Kaddar, is kind enough to offer Daine tours of the palace and its surroundings. He is easy to get along with, but Daine must be careful not to say too much about her views on how Carthak is run and risk ruining the negotiations.

If only the bones would stop coming to life when she touches them, she might be able to keep a low profile. But when the gods use her as a vessel to convey a message, staying低调 is not an option. How she presents their message, though, is an entirely different matter.

It has been a long time since I read this book, but the various foreshadowing clues were easy to piece together, either from long-buried memories or just familiarity with this world and how magic and tricks work. Even though I knew what the trick was because it was foreshadowed, I still worried for the character involved. That's when you know a book is well-written and has drawn you in completely – you know what's going on, yet you still fear for the character as if you don't know how it will end.

Daine has really matured since we first met her, yet she remains the same in many ways: still stubborn, still determined to help others, and firmly committed to doing things her own way. She is coming into her own, with confidence, knowledge, and enough innocence and trust to make her a well-rounded character. At 15, she is growing up, and there are little hints here and there about her developing feelings, which also explain why her later choice seems right and well-made, never coerced or uncomfortable.

Carthak is quite an empire, even though we mostly only see its capital. With echoes of Ancient Egypt, this near-desert society is rich in color and very different from Tortall and the northern lands that Daine is most familiar with. Carthak also manages to attract great talent, like Numair's teacher Lindhall, with his halls of bones and micro-habitats for exotic animals. Beneath all the glamour and gold, however, darkness lurks, especially from Ozorne. The gods are not pleased with him and what he has done while leading Carthak, and their voices will be heard and heeded.

There is so much depth to this book that I'm only scratching the surface of what it accomplishes and the emotions and connections it evokes in the reader. Definitely read the first two books in the series, as they build on each other, not least in how Daine is growing into herself and her wild magic.

Quote:
“Yes, but haven’t you seen how often people look for someone to blame? Not to find a way to keep some bad things from repeating itself—just to blame.” – page 290