Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles #1) by Tamora Pierce Book Review

29 Nov

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Title- Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles #1)

Author- Tamora Pierce

Publisher- Random House Books for Young Readers

Links- Amazon | Goodreads

My Rating- ★★★★★

Goodreads Rating- ★★★★4.09

Fantasy | Young Adult | Magic School |High Fantasy | Mages | Gods

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Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for trouble.

Blurb
MY REVIEW
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Blurb

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.

““Don’t make me regret taking you on. If I get irritated, I might drown you a little bit.””

— Tempests and Slaughter

My Review

For any Tamora Pierce fan, this is a must read (as well as anyone who loves fantasy and magic). We follow the story of young Arram Draper as he attends Carthak University where he is already recognised as a powerful mage from an early age.

You may know Arram as the lovable Numair Salmalin from the Immortals quartet first published in 1992. This is the story of his younger years alongside his two best friends Ozone and Varice.

Numair and Daine were my favourite characters from Tortall and I was so excited to dive back into their world from my own childhood.

Highlights

Seeing Numair in his younger years
Magic classes (it’s basically everyday life at school for mages)
Being back in the world of the Immortals
Coming-of-age day-to-day life. It’s slow paced, but I loved this about it.
The world building— epic as always!

Characters

It made me a bit sad to get to know Ozone and Varice and learn how much impact they had on shaping Arram’s life, while at the same time knowing what the future held for all three youngsters from when we see them in The Emperors Mage.

They are brilliant characters and I have grown quite attached to them. This book is very character driven, focusing on Arram and his struggles as a boy growing into a teenager, and the everyday challenges with love and life as well as being thrown into crazy situations brought on by magic and gods.

World Building

The magic and gods are as amazing as ever, Tamora Pierce has created such a brilliant detailed world that I feel I’ve been part of it since I was 12. It is wonderful to be able to see more of it.

“Ozorne, please don’t let him try to make me into a battle mage. I wish you’d told me that’s what you wanted.” Arram stopped and grabbed his friend by the arms. “I won’t do it. I’m not a killer. I’ll never be a killer.”

— Tempests and Slaughter

About the Author

Tamora Pierce

I was born in South Connellsville, PA. My mother wanted to name me "Tamara" but the nurse who filled out my birth certificate misspelled it as "Tamora". When I was 8 my family moved to California, where we lived for 6 years on both sides of the San Francisco peninsula.

I started writing stories in 6th grade. My interest in fantasy and science fiction began when I was introduced to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien and so I started to write the kind of books that I was reading. After my parents divorced, my mother took my sisters and me back to Pennsylvania in 1969. There I went to Albert Gallatin Senior High for 2 years and Uniontown Area Senior High School for my senior year.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I wrote the book that became The Song of the Lioness fantasy quartet. I sold some articles and 2 short stories and wrote reviews for a martial arts movie magazine. At last the first book of the quartet, Alanna: The First Adventure was published by Atheneum Books in 1983.

Tim Liebe, who became my Spouse-Creature, and I lived in New York City with assorted cats and two parakeets from 1982 - 2006. In 2006 we moved to Syracuse, New York, where we live now with assorted cats, a number of squirrels, birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and woodchucks visiting our very small yard. As of 2011, I have 27 novels in print, one short story collection, one comic book arc ("White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion") co-written with Tim, and a short story anthology co-editing credit. There's more to come, including a companion book to the Tortall `verse.