When horse-wrangling Onua takes on a new apprentice, she gets more than she bargained for in Daine. As the two travel towards the capital and meet some familiar faces from Tamora Pierce’s Tortall-set works (the Alanna aka Song of the Lioness series was written before this), it becomes apparent that Daine’s ‘way with animals’ is so very much more.

The Immortals quartet has been re-realised following the new Tortall book, Tempests and Slaughter, which I hadn’t realised until now was a prequel, telling the early days of Numair aka Arram Draper – who appears here as a fully-fledged magician. He realises that Daine has ‘wild magic’, and takes her under his wing as the trio face an influx of immortals – creatures from myth, trapped for centuries in the realm of the gods, and for some unknown reason making appearances all across the land. Some – gryphons, undines – aren’t unwelcome, but more are the stuff of nightmare.

Tamora Pierce writes for a younger audience, so this is a gentle tale, with a young lead I would have adored back in the day. Daine is more shy, more of an outside, than Alanna – the only of Pierce’s books I was lucky enough to find when I was a pre-teen. Wild Magic has aged well, often a problem with 80s and 90s fantasy fiction, although it might be a tad unchallenging for those who prefer George RR Martin or Lord of the Rings.

I enjoyed the light read. I could easily imagine younger me envying Daine’s way with animals, and the way that helps her be accepted by so many important adults.

The author has added an afterword which I really liked – not least because it shows she uses the same ‘casting’ for her characters as I do in my own scribbles: picking famous actors to serve as reminders for physical appearance and mannerisms. It’s rare to see with such clarity the visual the author had in mind – certainly, picturing Numair as Jeff Goldblum has changed my mental image entirely!

I came into this series after receiving an arc of Tempests of Slaughter and absolutely loved it!

The world that Pierce writes is wonderful and I would love to be able to visit it. Diane is a fantastic heroine and just a gret character In general. Her ability to talk to animals is one that a lot of children her age would love to have and this makes her an utterly believable and relatable character.

Massively excited to read the next book in the series.

I was SO excited to see this trilogy on Netgalley. I am a late-comer to Tamora Pierce but have been gobbling up her titles, and it's such a joy to have more adventures to read. I could get lost in this world forever, quite happily!

After hearing about Tamora Pierce for years as a must-read fantasy author, I finally got round to reading her! I wasn't sure what to expect, and I wonder if I didn't find Wild Magic as gripping as others seem to because perhaps my expectations were too high...

I would definitely recommend Wild Magic for a young YA audience, maybe even middle-grade. I loved a lot of the themes and characters in the book, but everything felt very simplified and black-and-white in this world.

The Alanna books were some of my favourites growing up, so Tortall has a very special place in my heart as a result. Yet for some reason, I've never read about Daine's adventures, so it was brilliant to return to a very familiar world, yet be completely in the dark about where the story would lead us.

Daine is a fantastic heroine. Stubborn, yet kind; a loner, who somehow brings out the best in the people around her. Her dynamic with the other main characters really enhanced the story: I loved the relationship between her and her teacher, Numair, but seeing Alanna and the rest of the characters from the Lioness books through Daine's eyes made me fall in love with them all over again.

And the creatures? Don't get me started. Wild magic itself is amazing worldbuilding (as is all of the magic system with the Gift, if I'm honest) and it was great seeing the extent of what Daine could do growing over the course of the novel. Stormwings were fantastically creepy, borrowing just enough from the harpies myth but becoming something horrifying on their own. I also have a soft spot for the dragons and griffins, but that's definitely personal bias.

This book has made me want to binge-read all of the Tortall books again, so definitely a successful effort on Tamora Pierce's part. Can't wait to read more about Daine's adventures!

Wild Magic is an enchanting story that grabs hold of the reader from the first page, caution only start to read when you have a full evening free.

The world that Wild Magic is well built and Tamora's ability with descriptive language places the reader at the heart of the story.
Daine is an interesting and likeable character that definitely has her flaws but is strong and grows as a person as the story progresses. Daine's magic is one of the most interesting I've read about and being able to communicate with animals would be one of the most amazing abilities to have.

Although it has characters from the Lionness Quartet, I still enjoyed reading Wild Magic without prior knowledge of them, however it does have some spoilers for the Lionness series.

I would highly recommend Wild Magic as an introduction to the fantasy genre, it can easily be read from age ten and up.

*ARC received from publisher via netgalley, all opinions voiced are my own*

A re-read but one that proves this series holds up to the test of time and even yields new angles that I didn't catch as a young adolescent. Daine is possibly Pearce's most likeable heroine and her magical abilities are undeniably cool. Plus Numair. I love Numair - he and Daine have such a great friendship.

Daine is an illegitimate girl from Galla on the Tortallan border. She doesn't know who her fathef is and now her mother can never tell her after bandits attacked and sacked her home, killing all the occupants. Forced to make her own way in the world, Daine travels to a trade fair and looks for work as a groom. All her life she's had a way with animals but behind that is a much darker secret. Meanwhile troubling reports of monsters abound in Tortall. Creatures that were banished to the divine realms centuries ago and should not be abroad now.

Daine must confront her dark secret or she will never learn to use her gifts in time to stop the coming threat.

I still.absolutely live this series. Pearce has produced one of her most enduring heroines here - so much more dynamic than the trend in flimsy female mcs we so often see in YA today. Highly recommend this grreat fantasy series.

Oh my gosh. I don't come to this conclusion very often, or easily but I bloody loved this book!

Tamora Pierce is now one of my favourite writers of all times, and what's more, I have found a book (and hopefully series) for my future children to love just as much. The characters are so passionate, human, flawed and good that it provides such a good example for anyone reading.

You couldn't throw a pebble in the magical fantasy realm and not hit a strong female character - something often lacking in fantasy novels. I urge you, pick this book up right now, you will love the narrative, characters and it will keep you coming back for more.

Pierce, you are a superstar and I am so sorry I haven't read this series before!

I’ve never read a Tamora Pierce book before this one, but I can safely say she has a new fan! Wild Magic was a super fun read. I loved Daine, the main character, and I was rooting for her the whole way through the book. Willing her to reach her full magical potential, and willing her to help those she has come to think of as friends. I really liked the magical elements in this one, and add to that some freakish creatures and a battle, these made the book really hard to put down! Highly recommended!

Oh how I wish i had had this book as a young girl.
This is a magical tale with fabulous characters and an exciting plot.
The magic system is easy to grasp yet incredibly interesting and going on this adventure with Daine was a lot of fun.

Truly a joy to read.

This is one of my very favourite books from childhood, and I've read the quartet about once per year for the last 18 or 19 years. Daine is a wonderful protagonist; the world of Tortall is enthralling as always; and I'm thrilled to think so many new readers will be coming to Wild Magic for the first time. I love these new covers!

If you've ever enjoyed a feisty heroine, an enthralling adventure, or the excitement of magic, please pick this up!