Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions.
GENRE:
Young Adult, Fantasy
PAGES:
456 pages
PART OF A SERIES?:
First in the Series
RELEASE DATE:
February 6, 2018
YOU CAN FIND THE BOOK AT:
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GOODREADS SUMMARY:
Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for trouble.
Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram begins to realize that one day soon he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.
In the Numair Chronicles, readers will be rewarded with the never-before-told story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. Newcomers will discover an unforgettable fantasy adventure where a kingdom’s future rests on the shoulders of a talented young man with a knack for making vicious enemies.
MY REVIEW:
It was so great to return to the world of Tortall…well, in this case, Carthak, with a character that is both familiar and brand new. I’ve been feeling extra nostalgic for Tammy Pierce lately and I was basically counting down the minutes and seconds until this book came out. I can’t even remember when these first started being talked about but I feel like its at least a decade and finally, finally, its here and I loved every moment of it.
I’ll admit there was one thing that made the book a little…not difficult exactly, but just different to read than a previous Tammy book because I’ve never read a book by her that a main character that was a male. I never really got into the Circle books and have been a staunch Tortall fan for years so I’m used to Alanna and Kel and Daine and Beka and Aly so it was definitely weird to recognize Tammy’s style but in the mindset of a boy. It definitely threw me off guard at first and the first third of the book was a little slower reading for me than the rest.
That being said, I loved every minute of this book. For one thing, even with how young he is in this book and even though you know that he is going to evolve as a character, you can definitely see the Numair of the later years in the younger years of Arram Draper that we see in this book. A willingness and need to learn more and more, an incredible power, a fierce loyalty to his friends and those he loves, his desire to do the right thing…it all felt familiar. It felt like opening a book you’ve already read before but just slightly different. It was so interesting to see Numair as a child, as his humble beginnings when he was simple Arram, trying to learn to harness his power.
It was also interesting too, to meet characters that we’ve already met before. To meet Varice and Ozorne and Tristan and Gissa and Lindhall and Sarge. It was cool to see the beginnings of those characters that we love, that became heroes and its difficult, but really interesting to see characters like Ozorne, who is intense but a good friend to Arram, and to know what kind of person he becomes in the future. Its interesting to see the beginnings of these characters when you know exactly where they end up. It almost feels like spoilers or that it could potentially not make the story interesting, but that’s not true at all. Numair is a pivotal character in the Immortals series but besides what we see of him with Daine and what he tells her, we don’t know much about his past, not like we do with other characters and this is truly great to see.
I honestly can’t wait for book two. I love the build up that Tammy has created and I love that she has given a heart to these characters and she’s breathed life into them and that we like them. I like Arram and Ozorne and Varice (not Tristan but geez, was he always a jerk?) and I’m interested in seeing what on earth happens between this book and the Immortals series to make it all fall to hell. Knowing Tammy, its sure to be a great story and I can’t wait for more!
RATING:
5 out of 5 Stars
Related
Haha that was my main takeaway from Tempests and Slaughter too – “Wow, Tristan has ALWAYS been awful.”
But seriously, I loved this book so much! Ozorne and Numair’s adult relationship is all the more cutting, now – I can imagine how the roots of their intense friendship/love for one another will turn to anger and how Ozorne will feel betrayed by Numair. I’m so excited for the next installments!
Now I’m rereading the entirety of The Immortals while I wait… basically trapped in a lifelong Tammy reread cycle.
My sister and I just covered Tempests & Slaughter for our YA fantasy nostalgia podcast, Dragon Babies – we have a few Tamora Pierce episodes if you’re interested!
Happy reading,
Grace