Shatterglass (original 2003; edição 2003)

My usual gripes about criminality in this series aside (and in the acknowledgements she does go into talking a little bit about her sources in terms of criminal justice techniques, especially about The Mind of the Pathological Criminal, so I was right, thank you everyone) this maybe was my favorite one? Though I am uh Wary of Fantasy India's Caste Systems (and the Chekov's lowest caste) but I am not super qualified to comment there.

All that said, I did love the character relationships; it feels like Tris's apprentice was so beautifully constructed to clash with her in the most perfect ways, and to watch her grow and appreciate her being Mean but also so deeply kind and determined to stick to her obligations. Keth was such a great foil, it was fun having some more disabled representation in the series, and the magic stuff was super cool to watch unfold. It made me want more with him, and I'm excited to see what happens in the next series! ( )

My favorite book of my favorite series, I really enjoy the glass makers aspect and Chime. ( )

I think out of all the teacher-student relationships we see in this series, Tris's and Keth's is the best.

(Talking about Tris)
Dema (says something along the lines of): You're starting to scare me.
Keth: Join the guild.

Wow, I just love all the characters in this book. I kind of think that these four books, each one got exponentially better. You know, Magic Steps was a'ight, Street Magic was very good, Cold Fire was an emotional roller coaster (I really liked Ben!), and then this one, Shatterglass, was amazing with emotions and wit and wit makes everything better, as you know. ( )

This quartet follows the four young mages from the Circle of Magic quartet as they go their separate ways and take on first students on their own. Briar, Daja, and Tris all go to distant lands and Tamora Pierce has some pretty interesting world building going on in these novels, which was really fun to read.

In the Circle of Magic quartet, Daja's Book and Briar's Book were by far and away my favorites, and I was pleased that this time I loved Daja's, Briar's, AND Tris's stories. My favorite new place was definitely Namorn (Daja's book, Cold Fire), and my favorite plot line was Tris's in Shatterglass.

Where the Circle of Magic quarter seemed to focus more on natural disasters and issues in a scale of mass destruction (forest fires, plagues, earth quakes, pirate attacks...), in this quartet Tammy turns her hand to what I can only relate to cozy mysteries. Each book has a sort of double-plot of each kid teaching their new student (or students), while also solving, helping to solve, or being somehow affected by strings of murders. Don't know if Tammy got her serial killer research on and felt inspired or what, but they definitely made for some interesting reading. Another really interesting part of these books was the explanation of the new crafts, especially the well-researched and beautifully detailed descriptions of glass-blowing in Shatterglass.

I was happy to see Tammy's writing has continued to improve over the years, and these books were much less painful than last month's of the Tortall books, but then again I was also reading these books for the first time, so getting caught up in the new stories could have been a part of that.

Reading these books has made me look forward again to seeing what Tamora Pierce will come up with next! =) ( )

Tris is the most talented weather mage in generations, but that's just her problem. She's so powerful that people either doubt that she's telling the truth, or want her for war magic. Tris travels the world with her friend and mentor Niko Goldeneyes, trying to find a way to use her magic to help people. In Tharios, an ancient city obsessed with death and cleanliness, she stumbles across a mage with both glass and lightning magic (a terrible combination). She tries to teach him to control his magic, but all he cares about is finding the serial killer stalking Tharios.

I have read too many mysteries and watched too many police procedural shows not to feel a little impatient with the mystery plot. I understood why the characters were having such trouble with the investigation, but it seemed like it moved very slowly, and depended too heavily on magic. However, Tris remains the awesomest. I love, love, love her. She is cranky and ambitious, she can price someone's outfit at a glance but still shies away from getting close to people. She takes on far too much responsibility and has absurdly lofty goals (when we first met her, she tried to stop the tide--now she just controls hurricanes and looses lightning from her braids). She is unafraid of madness or weakness in others, but impatient to get things done. Basically, she is the bestest ever, and I loved getting to read more of her adventures. ( )