Trickster's Choice

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
Briana: 12th grade
Aly, daughter of Tortall's famous Lioness warrior and untraceable spy and thief, is of fabled lineage, but is forced to disquise herself when she is captured by merchanaries. Aly is visited during her enslavement by none other than the trickster god, who gives her the task of guiding two young women- one of whom is foretold to bring an end to the cruel dynasty in which they live. Sarai is passionate and charming, a teenage noblewoman who is more concerned in what she wears and who she sees than believing in the prophecy set before her, where as her younger sister, Dove, has a calculating mind and hidden depths that Aly fears, knows that she is ment for something better than being her sister's "right hand man". While in enslavement, Aly is forced to teach these girls, prepare them for the world and the burden they share, but is unable to do it herself. Nawat, a crow turned human, but not quite a man- loves Aly and knows she is fearful, and he does whatever in his power he can to ease her burden. Throughout the story, Aly is visited by the trickster god and is constantly reminded of her task, and the awful horrors that will ensure should she not finish her goal.

Aly is a strong character that the reader loves right from the beginning, and while reading, you can feel her frustration and her pain, her joy and her love. I enjoyed this novel because it is very well written and is extremely entertaining. I like the espionage and trickery, but also have a soft spot for the romance in the story. I picked up this book to read for fun, and became enthralled with the story and with Tamora Pierce's style of writing.

I finished the book, and was ready for the next one, which was also very good.

I would give this novel to anyone who is in need of a fun book to read. It is a great "time-killer" book and it is very easy to get lost in the pages. No matter what style of books you like, or your age, or your background, I would suggest this book- or at least one of Tamora Pierce's other novels.

***** This was an EXCELLENT novel!