Circle of Magic: Briar's Book by Tamora Pierce

[meganbmoore]

The final book of the quartet is, as I was told, more about the title character and less of an ensemble than the other books were. This actually makes good narrative sense, as separating Briar from the girls serves to emphasize the bond between the four, but it was a bit jarring after the first three books. I do really like Briar, though, and even though it’s very much a cliché, I tend to like the trope of the street rat being told to pick a birthday by his new friends. The plague aspect was interesting, and I liked that we also got to see more of the teachers, and learn about their pasts.

The quartet didn’t quite live up to how much Pierce has been built up to me, but I’m also told it isn’t one of her best. I liked the friendship aspect, and the magic bond between the four and how it was explored, as well as the different types of magic, and how they were directly tied to commonplace things. I have to ask, though: does Pierce always have a character like Tris, who she pushes really, really hard? Not so much Tris herself, but a character that’s pushed so hard. Because, while it’s probably a bit hypocritical of me, I probably would have liked Tris a lot more if I wasn’t expected to like her so much.

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yeah, fondness for main characters and favoring them over others makes sense if te story is about that character, as long as the writer realizes they have faults. It's just when they're favored in ensemble books, especially in parts that are supposed to focus on other characters, that it becomes problematic.