I really enjoyed this book and it is a book that is on a higher maturity level than the original Circle of Magic books. Among the themes at play here are Sandry's devotion to her uncle and her desire to care for him out of selfless love as opposed to the selfishness of Duke Vestry's third son and current heir. In the original Circle of Magic books we saw Sandry as both the most psychologically damaged of the four youths due to her accidental imprisonment in the dark and also as the most compassionate of the four (think of how the children came to adopt the dog, Little Bear). During the Blue Pox she worked herself to the bone to provide the medical gear that the Water Temple forgot about. Also, she was the one that wove the four friends' magic together, then tirelessly sifted them apart again.Sandry's caring/motherly instincts extend to the young boy she comes across during an outing with her uncle. Like Sandry herself was, he is an unrecognized magical talent, with his specialty being dance magic. As becomes the theme in Street Magic as well, Sandry finds herself having to mentor this youth while uncertain of her ability and skill to do so. Yet, with the help of her mentor, Lark, she manages to persevere. The underlying theme here as well is that the boy's family at first is not that thrilled that he is a mage who is aspected to dance magic. The family serves the local guard and to be a mage in the family means a university education at Lightsbridge, with strictures and set expectations. Winding Circle magic the opposite as the methodology is to find that which is particular to the individual, not to bend the individual to the strictures.Of course, to make things juicy, Ms. Pierce needs something to be going on that keeps us exciting, reading and on the edge of our seats. More so than in Street Magic, the antagonists of this book provide murder, mystery and mayhem. While we feel little sympathy at first for the murder victims, it is the continuing targeted assassinations that we are concerned with and the widening circle of people at danger. The assassins are using magic that confounds both the duke's men and Sandry until they finally start to piece things together. What makes it all worse for everyone involved is the concept of addiction and decay inherit in the dangerous methodologies of the assassins. As I said before, this is a more mature book than the previous Circle of Magic books as we are introduced to outright blood, murder and many of the dark sides of human nature. Ms. Pierce does a better job with the murder/mystery plot in this book than she does in some of the other Circle of Magic stories. While the Pebble Sea setting is very much a highly evolved Renaissance one (Ms. Pierce based much of the world on the Mediterranean), there seemed to be a few things that were a bit too modern for me, but that is mostly my nitpicking. I did have a few issues with the dance studio that was introduced, though its instructor was a highly engaging character. The studio just seemed a bit too modern for me.Overall, I highly recommend this book and its companions for young readers. Despite the bloody and dark aspects that you will find throughout, I feel that the underlying themes are extremely positive and good.
Sandry, you are an inspiration. Seriously, she's an amazing person and a great teacher (while at the same time she's struggling with it, losing her patience with Pasco etc., illustrating how very human she is) and reading about her is a joy; she's probably my favourite "Lady" character of all time. She spins her magic, she's soft-spoken and thoughtful and observant and feminine and if you think any of that is a weakness, you couldn't be farther from the truth - and both Sandry herself & this book serve to illustrate that beautifully.Add to that a fast-moving crime/mystery plot with quite a twist waiting for you and engaging minor characters (from returning ones such as Lark and Vedris to the new faces of Yazmín and Wulfric and many more) and it's really no surprise that I love this book as much as I do.(I wanted to say something smart here about the theme of growing up that's present in this book, or of the way unmagic made me think of depression, or Sandry's views on teaching and how the last paragraph of the book ties into that, but I can't think of anything. I get so emotional about all of it, too. So I'm just going to point at these things and adore the book some more.)
Do You like book Magic Steps (2006)?
Sandry knows magic when she sees it. She witnesses Pasco dancing on a fishermen’s net for luck, and immediately knows that he is dancing magic. Pasco is incredulous, but Sandry knows if he isn’t taught to use his magic properly, it could quickly get out of control. In the meantime, a series of horrendous murders is taking place, and Sandry and Pasco may be the only ones who can stop them. I picked this up blindly at the library, and while it is the first book in a quartet, I found out that it follows another quartet. Slightly aggravating, but the book did stand alone decently. There were references to the previous quartet, but nothing essential to the plot.I don’t think this one will stick in my memory for long, but I did find the plot compelling. I’d be interested in reading more of Tamora Pierce’s books, as I think she’s a fairly prolific writer of young adult fantasy. There were some gruesome descriptions of the murders, but other than that, I think it would be appropriate for the younger YA or older middle grade crowd.
—Jo
This first book of the Circle Opens quartet puts Sandry at the crossroads of adolescence. Leaving behind Discipline Cottage to care for her uncle the Duke, Sandry must grapple with the responsibilities that come with her extraordinary power. She thinks nothing could test her more than her unruly student Pasco until a series of mysterious, horrific murders prompt her to join the search for the killers. Together she and Pasco must take down these murderers, but what will the cost be?In terms of Pierce's work, the Tortall series are superior in quality. Still she creates compelling characters and moves the story along quickly. I hope that one of her stories comes to the silver screen someday! Magic Steps is a good read but can't top any of the Tortall series for me.
—Sarah Hills
A general comment about this whole series - I enjoyed having books that were really about each of the four characters, but I felt like something was missing from all the books from having them apart. The books all felt like they were missing characters and there weren't enough new characters and character development of the new characters to satisfy me. Also, the four books didn't seem like a series, but four stand-along books, because nothing linked them together.My review of this one specifically: I enjoyed the story, but really felt like it was missing something. Maybe I find Sandry's character less compelling/interesting and maybe I find her magic also less interesting, but I wasn't as vested in this story. I also felt like Lark was only a minor character in this book and the book really lacked in characters. I did enjoy reading it and was drawn into the overall story, but really felt it lacking in characters (especially ones I already knew).
—Kimberly
