It’s basically a given that a Tamora Pierce novel will bring me joy and amusement; this one has sparks of all the best parts of previous series: Kel, Daine, the Circle of Magic. I hope Tortall-verse (perhaps a misnomer since this part is set in Carthak, but that’s how I think of it) never stops expanding. It really takes a special kind of writer to create such a well-developed world where the characters really are each the hero of their own story, even when they make a cameo appearance in another’s, and each is as interesting as the last.

Arram is, of course, wholly likable — young and impressionable, but honest and straightforward and compassionate. He and his friends are lots of fun, the kind of literary trio I’d love to hang out with irl. Can’t wait to see what they get up to next!