Rating: 
Summary: WONDERFUL! A MUST READ!
Review: I first fell in love with Tamora Pierce's excellant novels two years ago and sequentially read all her books within a week. Her wonderful plots and ideas are delicious mixed together with her vibrant and fun characters. Cold Fire was an excellent addition to the series and I found it utterly satisfying to return to the world of Daja and her three friends, if even just for teh afternoon it took me to whiz through it. Daja, just 14 years old, is already a full mage and charged with the responsibilities of one. Like her fostersiblings, she is faced with the challenge of teaching young mages that she's discovered. As well as teaching the twins that she is charged with, she must get to the bottom of a set of arsonries in a town that is made entirely of wood. Once again, a must read for everyone, and a must-have for every Tamora Pierce fan. If you haven't, you should seriously consider picking up all of Ms. Pierce's books as soon as possible! Happy Reading![....]
Rating: 
Summary: Lacking substance
Review: I found no depth in this book, no soul. Even as an avid Tamora Pierce fan, I feel that her most recent books (specifically the Protector of the Small series and Cold Fire) share this common flaw. Perhaps because I'm several years older, I fail to relish in each new book as I did when I was twelve. But upon recently rereading two of her earlier quartets (Song of the Lioness and The Immortals), I found substance in them that her newer works lack. Although I did not particularly enjoy this novel, I must comment on an earlier negative review. It was based on the reviewer's belief that the content of the book was inappropriate for young children. I feel inclined to point out that this book was not aimed at young children. As for those within the young adult age range, its implications are nothing they have not been previously explosed to. Cold Fire, while not high on my list of recommendations, is most assuredly not the Joe Camel of the publishing world.
Rating: 
Summary: An OK Story But with content unsuitable for younger readers
Review: I had been anxiously waiting for this book to come out and had eagerly anticipated adding it to the collection of the elementary school library where I work. (Other books by this author have been very popular here.) Unfortunately, after reading it I ended up sending it up to the middle level. Hopefully students there will enjoy it. In this book the reader ends up wallowing in the mind of an arsonist. The person lighting fires all over the city "gets his kicks" from watching things burn and watching people scurry helplessly to put the fires out.(There's more to it than that but telling the rest gives away the identity of the arsonist.) The further into the book one reads the more one learns about the mindset of this person. There were some very interesting things happening in this book and more is learned about both Daja and Frostpine. Unfortunately the arson overshadows everything else. I was very disappointed in this book. I hope she does better with the fourth book.
Rating: 
Summary: good book
Review: i have been reading tamora pierce for years and waited expectantly for a year for this book to come out. on the whole i think the circle of magic quartet and the circle opens books are a little young, but i still enjoyed them. this is a good book but i would suggest reading her others first.
Rating:
Summary: I WISH I COULD GIVE MORE STARS - this deserves 100!
Review: I love all the books in this series. This, i think, is not the best one, but is certainly worth reading! It has everything a book should have - magic, romance, tradgedy, joy, and more! It was great, and i can't wait until Tris's book comes out in March!
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: I love this book!! It is absolutely amazing, and I personally think its even better than the other The Circle Opens books, which is saying something.
The plot is fast-paced, and I really liked the setting. Also, Daja is a wonderful character. In the Circle of Magic books she was always overshadowed by the other characters, all of whom are louder than she is. You finally get a chance to meet her in this book, and the other characters are cool, particularly Heluda Salt and Jorality.
One thing; before you read this book, you HAVE to read the Circle of Magic books and the first two in this series. It makes it MUCH easier to understand.
Rating:
Summary: Cold Fire burns up competition
Review: I LOVED Cold Fire. Daja is my favorite character of the Four, and I couldn't imagine a better problem than an arsenist for the setting. Daja has always been a superb character, and her works with living metal astound me. While training Niamara and Jorality Bacanor, she has to stop a mad firebug. Metal has always called to me, and I love how Daja deals with it. This is a wonderous book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I'm a big fan of 'The Song of the Lioness' and 'The Immortals', and I have to say that when I first read 'The Magic Circle' I was expecting something along the same lines - and I was disappointed. These are written with children a bit younger in mind. HOWEVER, after a year or so of having these sit on a shelf gathering dust, I dug them out again and found that I could now appreciate them as the well written little snippets of fantasy fun and adventure they are. This series, 'The Circle Opens' has rounded out the already beloved characters, and makes a welcome addition to my collection. So, I decided to begin reading these to the group of children who patronise my local library - where I help out. I was astonished when several of the children came back the next week to tell me that - completely of their own accord - they had borrowed other books by Ms Pierce to read at home. One had even commanded her parents to buy the whole 'Song of the Lioness' quartet for her birthday. As this girl is not usually an enthusiastic reader, I was very gratified. Not since the dreaded Harry Potter has such a reaction been seen. Well done Tamora Pierce!
Rating:
Summary: Not her best...
Review: I've read all of Tamora Pierces books. Her books can make you feel like your in a different place and you can't help but love her characters. This book was about Daja, an arsonist, and dajas two new twin students. The story about the twin students was great and had everything you looked for in her earlier books. The book also got you more in touch with Daja and her way of life and her beliefs. The only part in the book that really brought everything to waste was the arsonist. The whole arsonist concept was not bad, but the details and feelings that the arsonist expressed are definatly not suitable for younger audiences. This book would probably be good for ages 12 or 13 and up. It would definatly not be a good one to read to little kids!
Rating:
Summary: Review by 14-year-old reader
Review: In recent years, Tamora Pierce has not written a bad or even mediocre book. "Cold Fire," third in the "Circle Opens" series, is no exception. The series continues where the "Circle of Magic" books left off: the four mages are now fourteen, and have left Discipline Cottage in Emelan to travel with their teachers. "Cold Fire" tracks Daja Kisubo, metal-mage and Trader, as she and her teacher, Frostpine, travel north to Kugisko in the Namorn Empire, where they stay with old friends of Frostpine's. During their visit, an arsonist sets fires all through Kugisko: it is up to Daja to find the perpetrator and, ultimately, help bring him to justice. The most compelling part of the book was the intense psychological portrait of the criminal. Pierce portrays his rationalization of his crimes so well that the reader almost believes it - though not quite, of course. The characterization was very good here, too: that of the arsonist, and others, too! I particularly liked Nia and Jory, Daja's twelve-year-old students (beginning mages themselves). Daja's character was matured and developed, as well. There was a slight problem, though: the "Circle Opens" books are supposed to take place four years after the "Circle of Magic" books begin - which would make Daja fifteen, as she was eleven in "Sandry's Book." But she is fourteen in "Cold Fire"! That can be ignored, though, and it's such a tiny quibble. One of the best things in this book was the vivid picture of Kugisko: the costumes, the frozen canals, the people, and the customs. Namorn, I have figured out, is loosely based on Russia, and my mother assures me that her Russian grandfather did indeed drink his tea from a glass and strain it through a mouthful of sugar or cherry preserves - a ritual depicted in "Cold Fire," and one that disgusts Daja! This is one of the reasons I like the "Circle Opens" books: I get to learn about realistic cultures filled with both the magic of mages, and that of different peoples. The "Circle of Magic" books are my favorite of Tamora Pierce's, and I have read every one of the author's works. But I love "The Circle Opens" almost as much, and "Cold Fire" is a welcome addition to my bookshelf. It combines the wry sense of humor in Pierce's earlier books with the eye for detail in her later ones to make a wonderful read and the best book in its series.
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