Review: Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

Title: Mastiff
Author: Tamora Pierce
Pages: 560
Publisher: Random House Books, Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:
The Legend of Beka Cooper gives Tamora Pierce's fans exactly what they want—a smart and savvy heroine making a name for herself on the mean streets of Tortall's Lower City—while offering plenty of appeal for new readers as well.

Beka and her friends will face their greatest and most important challenge ever when the young heir to the kingdom vanishes. They will be sent out of Corus on a trail that appears and disappears, following a twisting road throughout Tortall. It will be her greatest Hunt—if she can survive the very powerful people who do not want her to succeed in her goal.

My Review:
Oh goodness, I definitely needed a refresh on what happened in Bloodhound, because I was pretty lost through some of it. (please excuse any misspelling errors, I'm half asleep as I write this) Nevertheless, Mastiff was eloquently captivating, from the funeral to the epilogue which made the series come full circle.

Mastiff was a good weekend read, especially since I got to see the author on Friday! But that's not what I'm here to write about.

Okay, so there's this really big surprise near the end which devastated me. Absolutely devastated me. I mean, I could see it coming but I never want it to be real! So be prepared for heartbreak.

There were just little things that bothered me, like the name Farmer. Don't get me wrong, I totally loved his character and I'm so glad he gets a HEA, but really, his name? I get it, but honestly, who wants to read about a mage named Farmer? And the lack of romance. Not gonna lie, that kind of bothered me. I know Tammy Pierce doesn't usually have a whole bunch, but after the last two Rebekah Cooper books, I was expecting some more. And just how it all ended. It was too quick, like tying up all the loose ends at once and just sudden. Also, Bekah really didn't speak much to the dust spinners or the dead, which made me sad.

Now, what I did like about the book.

Farmer. Oh he's just an amazing new character! I love him! He's so adorable! I can't get enough of that guy. I was so worried about him, all the time.

Achoo!! She plays a major role in this book and she's by far one of my more favorite characters.

How the book took place outside of Corus. The story takes you to places you've read in other Tortal books, while also taking you to places you've never heard of. It's kind of like visiting this new kind of Tortal.

The names! Oh my gosh the names, some are the same used in other books and I got really excited. Like how Gary came to be short for Gareth. Now that was definitely an interesting tale.

The tale itself was interesting. Not entirely original, but it came with its own spin to keep it interesting and true to the style of writing we expect from Pierce.

Overall, I give it three stars/five.

Did I fall in love with the book? No not really, but it was good story.
Would I recommend it to someone else? Of course, especially if your're a fan of her writing.

Don't forget to check out the giveaway! We're giving away a signed copy of Terrier, the first book in the Bekah Cooper Series.

Giveaway: Terrier by Tamora Pierce

So I just got back from seeing my all time favorite author at the library, Tamora Pierce! Ah I love her! You can ask April, I basically cried when I saw she was coming to visit. She was promoting her newest book, Mastiff, which is the 3rd book in the Becca Copper series.

What's great about this series, is that it doesn't really tie in with the other Tortall books she's written, since it takes at least 200 years before Alanna the First Adventure. Which means, all of you haven't had the chance to read Tamora Pierce, can do so now! With the first book! Which we're giving away!

Unfortunately, she hurt her hand so the books were signed by a stamp (which makes it look like her actual sig,) and her fingerprint. But it was totally better than nothing at all.

Guys, she's really funny and fun to listen to. She's not only a batman fan, but she thinks we're all crazy for doing NaNoWriMo. In a good way, of course. I mean I'm crazy, and I haven't even hit 1k words yet. (On a side note, be my writing buddy at nanowrimo.com and my name is cookiesanonymus').

Here's the sypnosis to Terrier:

Tamora Pierce begins a new Tortall trilogy introducing Beka Cooper, an amazing young woman who lived 200 years before Pierce's popular Alanna character. For the first time, Pierce employs first-person narration in a novel, bringing readers even closer to a character that they will love for her unusual talents and tough personality.

Beka Cooper is a rookie with the law-enforcing Provost's Guard, and she's been assigned to the Lower City. It's a tough beat that's about to get tougher, as Beka's limited ability to communicate with the dead clues her in to an underworld conspiracy. Someone close to Beka is using dark magic to profit from the Lower City's criminal enterprises—and the result is a crime wave the likes of which the Provost's Guard has never seen before.

So enter to win! Giveaway goes on to the end of the month, and it's US only!
Be patient as the Rafflecopter giveaway form loads, I promise I did put it up!

Review: Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales

Title: Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales
Author: Tamora Pierce
Pages: 369
Publisher: Random House, Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:
This collection of fantasy stories contains all the tales from Tamora Pierce's land of Tortall. In addition to pieces previously published in anthologies, Tortall & Other Land contains two new stories. The collection encompasses stories about characters both old and new.

My Review:

Ms. Tamora Pierce never fails to amaze me with her work.

What I enjoyed most about her newest book was that it gave you another view to the Tortall World. Most importantly, it gives you what happens to Nawat and Allie after Trickster's Queen.
The short stories are just that, short. They all have the beginning, the climax and then an ending. I wish some of them could have gone on longer though! Especially the ones about characters we knew, I can never get enough of them.
The stories about the veils I found amazing! I loved seeing both sides to the stories, both points of views. It kind of gave me a new perspective about veiled women in today's world.
I really found her non-Tortall world short stories interesting too. The Artemis story was one of my favorites, even if the concept of the Pack was a bit creepy.
All in all, I give it a big thumbs up and a must read. This book defiantly keeps me wanting more and satisfied my Tortall need until Mastiff , whose excerpt is included in the end of this book, comes out.

My rating: 4 stars of 5
-Karina