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Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce


Title: Sandry's Book - The Magic in the Weaving
(Circle of Magic #1)


Author: Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )
Originally published: 1997
Page count: 252


Dates read: 1/27/2020-02/02/2020
2020 book goal progress: 3 out of 20
Reading category: TBR Shelf - Circle Universe


Read my other Tamora Pierce book reviews.
Read my other book reviews for my 2020 goal HERE.


Description on back of book:
With her gift of weaving silk thread and creating light, Sandry is brought to the Winding Circle community. There she meets Briar, a former thief who has a way with plants; Daja, an outcast gifted at metalcraft; and Tris, whose connection with the weather unsettles everyone, including herself. At Winding Circle, the four misfits are taught how to use their magic  - and to trust one another. But then disaster strikes their new home.

First sentence (from each of the 4 main characters):
Sandy - "Blue eyes wide, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren watched her near-empty oil lamp."

Daja - "When she sat up and looked at herself, Daja thought she was a ghost."

Briar (Roach) - "The first time the Hajran Street Guard caught Roach with a hand on someone else's purse, they tattooed an X on the web of skin between his right thumb and his forefinger, then tossed him into a big holding cell overnight."

Tris - "In the darkness of the temple dormitory, when she was trying to cry herself to sleep with the least amount of noise, Trisana Chandler heard voices."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 8.3 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters      - 7
Atmosphere   - 9
Writing Style - 10
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 7
Logic             - 8
Enjoyment     - 9
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:
This children's' book a quick and simple read. There isn't too much depth to the story and the characters are rather straightforward with basically no subtlety to them. If I remember correctly, I think the kids are about 11-years-old and, because of their age, they are all quite petty and let little things bother them.

Sandry is from a noble family but was recently orphaned when her parents died of a disease. Her magic has to do with weaving and her master mage teacher is Lark. Daja is from a Trader family, which are disreputable merchants/pirates. She was recently orphaned when her parents died in a shipwreck. Her magic has to do with metalcraft and her master mage teacher is Frostpine. Briar is an orphaned thief who lives on the streets and never knew his parents (I think). His magic is gardening and his master mage teacher is Rosethorn. Tris is from a reputable Merchant family but was rejected by her parents and has been shipped around to different family members and temples/orphanages. Her magic has to do with the weather, which tends to show itself due to her anger/trust issues.

Unlike the other master mages that match their student's type of magic, Niko, Tris's master mage teacher, is a sort of foreteller mage and we don't really know what he's capable of. He was the one that found the 4 kids individually and brought them to the Winding Circle University. The kids didn't get along with the other children in their respective dormitories, so they all moved into the smaller home called Discipline, where Lark and Rosethorn live. Frostpine has his own Smith shop at Winding Circle.

Overall, I really liked the story and was able to just lose myself in the fictional world. The book is written so the reader gets the perspective of all 4 of the main characters - which I really liked. I love the idea of crafts being a form of magic. I look forward to reading more about how magic really works in this universe and learning more about the master mages. 

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Tamora Pierce have the last words:

"The long day had caught up with them all, and suddenly no magic in the world seemed as good to them as their own beds."

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