Review Detail

I liked this book for two reasons. The first reason is that its not set in Tortall. I like how its set in a different country, so you can get a feel for the different places. I didn't know much about Carthak before I read the Emperor Mage. This also made me think more about the other countries that area also in these quartets.

The other reason is that the idea of this book is very creative, especially the ending, which was very unexpected. I liked the idea with the gods, and the sick birds. I thought that the idea of the emperor himself was pretty cool to. In some parts of the book, I wondered how Tamora Pierce had come up with these amazing books.

Sent to Carthak as part of the Tortallan peace delegation, Daine finds herself in the middle of a sticky political situation. She doesn't like the Carthaki practice of keeping slaves, but it's not her place to say anything -- she's just there to heal the emperor's birds. It's extremely frustrating! What's more, her power has grown in a mysterious way.

As the peace talks stall, Daine puzzles over Carthak's two-faced Emperor Ozorne. How can he be so caring with his birds and so cruel to his people? Daine is sure he's planning something. Daine must fight the powerful Emperor Mage, knowing that the safety and peace of the realm depend on stopping Ozorne's power-hungry schemes.

I liked this book the most out of all the series, and the last one was a major disappointment, because all the other ones were simply amazing.