Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness Book 1)

Rating:
Summary: Very good book for fantasy lovers...
Review: Fantasy is often rather boring and difficult to read. However, with Tarmora Pierce's new book, Trickster's Choice, fantasy is brought to life in a whole new perspective. The story, which is set in the magical kingdom of Tortall, follows a young teenager named Aly. Aly is the daughter of the famous knight Alanna, and Alanna's husband, George of Pirate's Swoop, who is one of Tortall's most important spies. However, Aly wants more than her boring life in the palace where she lives. She wants to follow her father's footsteps and become a spy. Though her parents adamantly refuse for her to do this, Aly runs away from home, and soon gets captured. When she is captured and sold as a slave to an exiled royal family in the faraway Copper Islands, it is her spy skills that she inherited from her father that make a difference in a world filled with political intrigue, murderous conspiracy, and warring gods.
Tamora Pierce's fans will gobble this book up in no time, and will soon be reading the next book in the series, Trickster's Queen. Unlike some of Tamora Pierce's other characters in other books of hers, Aly is not the "I want to fight" type, but more believable, capable, clever, even vulnerable. Tamora Pierce writes in such a way that makes one really care what happens to the characters. The writing is sure-handed, and fairly easy to read with all the made-up words and places. The plot is very engaging with quite a bit of political intrigue, something that often doesn't appear in teen books.
Mostly Tamora Pierce fantasy lovers will enjoy it. This type of fantasy is unfamiliar to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings fans, and in addition, the book frequently mentions other characters Tamora Pierce as written about that new Tamora Pierce readers may not know about. Also, there is the fact that people complain about the made-up names. But all in all, Trickster's Choice is a good and refreshing read.