One of my favourite YA fantasy series. I really loved Tamora Pierce's Tortall novels growing up so I'm glad they've been re-released with these new pretty covers.

This is another great installment in Tamora Pierce's series - action-packed and exciting, I love that we continue to see Daine learn and grow as she overcomes challenge after challenge. Who doesn't love a heroine who can commune with animals? It's badass and compassionate at the same time, and Daine is the perfect character for this.

This book begins with Daine helping out a pack of wolves who once helped her. She goes to them with her teacher, the powerful mage Numair Salmalín. When they arrive, they find things are not what they seem and the rulers of the area are disregarding the impact of their actions upon the local wildlife. Numair recognizes one of their guests as a Combat Mage from the Carthaki Empire, and it soon becomes apparent that the Lady of the fief is engaged in double-dealings.

Overall, this book was a brilliant continuation of the story. It had excellent character development, new characters were introduced fully fleshed out and all f them dug deep into my heart. I can't wait to read the next book.

Last year, I went through a huge blitz of getting advance reader copies of Tamora Pierce’s novels via NetGalley. And I only read Wild Magic. I liked it (will put link to my write-up here) and I had plans to read the second and third (Wolf-Speaker and Emperor Mage) in the series soon after as I got them as well as her newest novel, Tempests and Slaughter. And I somehow didn’t get round to it. I just lost track of time. Earlier this year, I audiobooked First Test, the first in another quartet by her, Protector of the Small. After audio booking and again, liking it, I decided that if I want to continue with that series, I really should try and finish the ARCs I have and, maybe even completing the series somehow.

But it’s been nearly a year, could I pick up the story of how Wild Magic ended and Wolf-Speaker begun…?

Daine has wild magic. She can talk and sway the actions of animals. So when Daine is summoned by a pack of wolves who saved Daine’s life years ago, she goes without thinking, taking her mentor, the legendary mage Numair. They travel to the Dunlath Valley, but both are shocked at the danger that awaits them. The animals and humans of the valley’s lives are in danger as the valley’s rulers have been blinded by greed and power, and they plans to overthrow the king must be stopped at all costs…

I kinda wish I discovered Tamora Pierce when I was younger and in the depths on my Harry Potter obsession. I feel that, if I had, I would be obsessed with all her series, in the same way I am with Garth Nix, who I discovered while the world is waiting for Order of the Phoenix.

But, I have discovered her now, as a thirty-something. Even though I’ve know her name for YEARS (but not read her due to the Fear as she sounds like A Big Deal), it’s one now I’ve gone “Am reading her now!”

Like I said, I wish I discovered her sooner as I have fun listening to this. I find that, with this and the previous novels I’ve read or listen to that her female characters are interesting and refreshing in the world of fantasy. It feels like she paved the way for strong, interesting, complex female leads within the genre.

Am going to be honest now, while I did like this, I sense I liked Wild Magic and First Test more. There feels like there’s more of a plot, whereas this felt… I can’t explain it, but I didn’t engage with this in the same way as the previous two. I wonder if it’s a bit of a filler book, where ideas and characters are introduced to set-up the later books in the series.

I did like this and I do plan to continue on my Tamora Pierce reading adventure in the next few months, but this doesn’t feel as strong as First Test or Wild Magic, but I do think this is setting something up which is going to be important.

Unfortunately I found myself unable to sink into the world and characters the author had created and had to DNF at 30% .

There was a slight disconnect for me with this second instalment in the Immortals quartet. It tells the continuing story of Daine as she tries to reconcile the different aspects of her wild magic abilities while also navigating the machinations within court life. I felt like the stakes in this second book weren't really apparent and the action had moved to a completely different part of the world, which was a little jarring because there was no real bridge between the first and second book. I do really like the world of Tortall and some of the characters are really great. I also think the interaction Daine has with animals is wonderful but overall, I was a little disappointed with this instalment.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book equally, if not more than the first book in the series; Wild Magic.
They are brilliantly original and beautifully magical.
I and my daughter both love these books, dearly. She adores the creatures and I really enjoy the intrigue and relationships. Which goes to show how wonderfully imaginative and accessible Tamora Pierce's writing is.

Thankyou to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, HarperVoyager and the author, Tamora Pierce, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Wolf-Speaker in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
This book is the second in The Immortals series. I thought this book was well written and the characters well intriguing. Such a captivating read and well worth your time.

It is hard not to fall head over heels in love with a book that involves animals such as a dragon called Kitten, a wolf pup called Silly, and a hound called Prettyfoot. What is hard to do is combine these beloved creatures inside of a plot that delivers as much intrigue as it does adorable creatures, and as much authenticity as it does no-hold-bars belief in its creations. However, Pierce does all that with ease.

The first book in the Immortals series introduced the reader to central character, Daine, and her wild magic abilities. The story was a fun, straight-forward adventure story and I adored it for that. In this second instalment however, the political stakes have been heightened and the story-line become more convoluted. With it, the reader is allowed to traverse through previously unseen segments of this vast world, explore more aspects of the unique magic system, and also see Daine begin to grow into the fierce, strong, and proud individual we already saw inklings of her becoming, in the first book.

I only grew more enraptured as the story progressed and only more attached to these characters as their continued survival seemed more precarious. I may be new to discovering the wonder that is Tamora Pierce but I am now a life-long fan, after discovering this series.

This is the second book in the Immortal series and I couldn't wait to get into it to see what Daine and the Numair were going to get up to. Daine in this boo is now 14 and when one of her wolf friends arrives looking for help, she sets off on another fantastic journey in this enchanting land. In Wolf-Speaker we learn more about Daine's wild magic and the things she can do and we get to meet some great immortals too. This book is filled with action and adventure and some tricky situations for Daine too.

We find out more about Daine's time with the wolf pack after her family was killed and we also get a greater insight into what her magic can do. There's a lot happening in this book, but at no time did I feel it was drawn or dragged out.

I love being immersed in this world and the author does an amazing job of taking you right inside the character of Daine. I love how she builds the anticipation and how she writes the descriptions especially when Daine is travelling in one of her animal friends. I have to say the character of Flicker was brilliant and I loved Kitten. I'm also growing very fond on Numair and look forward to finding out more about all these characters in book 3.

One of the things I really enjoy about these books is the piece from the author at the end where she explains where she found her inspiration for the characters and the research into animals that she did. It's interesting and her research and understanding of the world she's created really shows in the story.

This book and the entire series is suitable for readers of all ages and I love how Daine is growing and learning in each one.

I received a free ebook version of this from Netgalley. Thankyou to both Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this! My review is still honest.

I'm really sorry to say that I think this book has second book syndrome, and I don't think it's as good as Wild Magic. I am still invested in the series and the characters, and I have high hopes for Emperor Mage, but this one wasn't up to the standard of the first book.
This series is based around a young girl who has wild magic, powers that allow her to communicate with animals in various ways. Immortal creatures who haven't been seen in Tortall for centuries have recently began appearing, and something is amiss.
I do really love the magical aspect and the animals, there are some really strong characters that emerge in this way. I especially loved the cats and Flicker, and I enjoyed the wolf pack's dynamic. The introduction of Maura in this one was great as I think she's a very likeable and strong character. I do always love Daine, and Numair is growing on me. Pierce is very creative with the creatures she creates and with her interpretations.
I guess for me this one felt a little pointless. I don't yet understand how the events of this one tie in with the overall series arc and the issues that were first presented in Wild Magic, and the action scenes and conclusion paled in comparison to the excellence of the battle in book 1. I didn't feel like that much really happened and it was quite slow for a short book, so I wasn't as enthralled. I'd also call this a middle grade rather than a young adult, as our characters are always very safe and everything is resolved perfectly and wrapped neatly up. I do want a little more angst and danger, and sometimes it's good for things not to go the main character's way.
Will I still read Emperor Mage with hope in my heart? Of course! I love these characters and the world, but I am left disappointed with this one in particular.

“The wolf who sings alone is not happy.”

Wolf-Speaker is the anticipated sequel to Wild Magic; in this story we focus almost solely on Daine, with some input from Numair and Alanna. The majority of the other characters are the wolf pack that was briefly explored in the first book. We follow as Daine begins to explore more about her powers, and uncovers a treasonous plot against her King and Queen.

What I've noticed when reading Pierce's books is that there is no set-up to the story; you begin right in the middle of the adventure. With the first one this was okay as it set up the world quite well, but I found it an issue with this one as it was unclear how much time had past since the second book, and what had happened between then and now. We jump immediately into the issues with the wolves, with no real explanation. In contrast to the first one, I found this story dragged quite a lot in the middle; we watched as Daine spends time with the wolves, enters the mind of an animal, spends time with the wolves, enters the mind of an animal - you begin to get the picture there? It was just not as interesting as the first book was.

I think this book was also sorely lacking the ensemble cast. What made the first story so great was the range of characters that accompanied Daine on her adventures but in this story they were virtually not present. Even the villains themselves were only present at the start and the end; there was no build up of them in the first book, they just suddenly appeared, disappeared for the majority of the book, and then reappeared for the ending. It was just difficult to invest in anyone that much. Which brings me to Onua - where was she? Being such a central character in the first book I would have expected her to be present or at least mentioned in this book, but she wasn't at all which I found disappointing.

I do think the development of Daine's power was interesting, but I just don't think we needed to spend so much time focusing on that. This felt very much like a middle book to the bigger conflict; I didn't hate it. But I also didn't love it. I am intrigued about where the next book goes.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for allowing me to read a review copy of this book. .

This is the second book in Tamora Pierce's THe Immortals Quartet and tells more of Daine’s magical ability to communicate with all animals.

Daine is contacted by one of the wolves from the wolf pack she knows from her earlier life. The are asking for help as humans are ruining the lands where they live and hunt. So along with Numair they travel to Dunlath, and find the rulers secretly mining, using immortals in some dubious dealings.

This is really a tale that continues Daine’s abilities and wild magic, with some new characters introduced, such as Maura, Stormsong the baby dragon and the wolf pack.

There’s some great writing in these characters and really builds on the world making, this a really enjoyable fantasy novel.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

#NetGalley #WolfSpeaker

My thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for a review copy of this one.

This is the second of the Immortals series by Tamora Pierce. The one opens with the wolves that Daine once hunted with trying to reach her and thinking over the news they’ve received of her from other creatures of the forest. Daine, now fourteen, meanwhile is heading with her mentor/teacher, the mage Numair Salmalin, their horses including Cloud, and Kitten the dragon baby, towards the pack for they have sent for her help as their new home, Dunlath is in trouble. The two-feet there are cutting down all the trees, mining incessantly, chasing away prey making the place unliveable for them, and ultimately for themselves. When they get there however, they find that it isn’t only the animals who are in trouble. A family of local nobles, the lords of Dunlath, are plotting treason against King Jonathan, and switching loyalties. Here they are aided by a whole group of rogue mages, who have some very powerful magic at their command, and don’t seem to care who or what they destroy. Circumstances become such that Daine is left all alone with only her animal friends and some immortal ones in Dunlath. The only other human helping her at first is ten-year-old Lady Maura, younger sister of the Lady Yolane. Daine begins to learn and practice more of what her wild magic makes her capable of, and these new found powers and her friends are what help her face and defeat the “villains” of the piece.

If anything, I think I enjoyed this one even more than the first book. The first book obviously had to set out the background, and introduce us to the world that Daine lived in, and the friends she found in Tortall, but this one to me felt more rounded as a story. I enjoyed watching Daine, who spends much of the novel away from human company, explore her new powers or rather the new uses she discovers of her magic. This helps her not only to do things she couldn’t earlier but view the world through the perspectives of her different animal friends. This was an element I really enjoyed. Pierce does a great job of highlighting the various things—sounds, smells, sights—that different animals would notice, and making one (even the reader) feel that they were looking through the eyes and mind of the animal in question. The adventure elements for me were fairly exciting as well. But besides these, the book also had some important messages to give. It may be set in a fantasy world, but even there “humans” continue to behave as they do in real life, destroying their environment, surroundings, disrespecting other living creatures for what they think is their own gain. The other was about needing to understand creatures/life that is different, human or animal, as life, as creatures/people who have thoughts, feelings, concerns, and who shouldn’t be judged as monsters or evil in an off-handed way. Here Maura, who is scared of some of Daine’s “friends” manages to shows Daine how she herself might be prejudiced unfairly against some others. Pierce manages to show us that even people who are “good” aren’t always flawless and may have their own prejudices and discriminatory attitudes that they need to address—another message extremely relevant for our world. Once again a wonderful read, in which I especially enjoyed all the animals and Daine’s interactions with them!

I won't lie, I think the reason I like these books more than the Song of the Lioness series (which I also loved, I'm just talking comparatively) is that it has quite a few more talking animals/creatures. Never has that been truer than in Wolf Speaker, in which Daine (whose praises I sang in my previous review, but who has gone from strength to strength) is cut off from most human contact. It's not an exaggeration to say that the majority of the characters in this particular book are non-human (and I like them more than most of the human characters). 

From squirrels to basilisks Daine encounters them all. I loved the way that Tamora Pierce captured the distinct voices and characteristics of each animal, you get a sense of the work she put into the details of each animal (the afterword is well worth a read if you want a bit more insight into that). 

I think I may have enjoyed Wild Magic just a little bit more, most likely because the plot felt a little stronger, there was a more clear motivation at hand. That's not to say that there isn't a strong plot in this book, but Daine's own character felt like it took a bit of a back seat, there wasn't quite as much intrigue and excitement, it was more about proving things and discovering things that were most likely going on. That might be my personal preference for court intrigue coming through, and I did still enjoy the plot of this book, I just felt that Wild Magic was marginally stronger.

It was an interesting way to go for a sequel, and definitely does the job of positioning Daine on her own within the wider world, rather than her just being a way through which Alanna and the other characters from Song of the Lioness' stories could be continued. I liked a lot of the new characters that were introduced (human and animal) and I'm hoping for even more of them in the books to come (two to go), I'm also excited for there to be more dragon - but I always want more dragon. 

What is perhaps most significant is that you can really feel this book revving up for something even more interesting. The seeds are being sown for bigger things and Daine is being positioned on that game board (ah mixed metaphors, my old friend). Given that these books are each quite short, their stories closing off quite tidily, it's nice to have that expectation, that sense of something waiting in the wings. It definitely gets you in the mood to keep reading. 
Utterly enchanting and exactly the kind of thing you need to transport yourself into the world of talking animals we all secretly wish we inhabited. I would recommend it to any fantasy lover.

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I flew through this book in just over a day. After reading the first book I found myself utterly under Daines spell, and my need to follow her story grew with reading this book.

One of the main points I liked in this book was the growth in the relationship between Diane and Numair, even though they are separated throughout most of the novel you still feel their bond.

The introduction of new character and creatures made this a riviting storyline and the plot kept me reading write until the end.

I was approved for the entire trilogy in one go so reviewed on the first title, but just to say I love these books! If you like Tamora Pierce already, you'll be very happy.

I’m really enjoying this series. Daine is a great character, full of charm and determination, and I really enjoy reading her escapades with the animals as they attempt to save the realms from dangers both seen and unseen. Definitely one of my favorite discoveries of 2018!

An excellent addition to the "Immortals" series. Daine is such an engaging heroine and I loved reading a story where she is more in control of her powers. Her relationship with the wolves was fantastic, and I liked how her new abilities led to different, closer bonds with her animal friends. Numair, despite being offscreen for a lot of it, was fantastic as usual and I think I enjoyed the plot of "Wolf-Speaker" even more than "Wild Magic", emphasising the need to preserve the nature which surrounds and sustains us. I can't wait to get started on the next one!

I really like Tamora Pierce writing so i saw this series i wanted to read it. I requested Emperor Mage but i saw it is not the first book so i requested first book too. But i got declined. Weirdly you approved second and third book. But i can't read and review them without reading the first book. I trying to contact the publisher but i couldn't get an answer. I know it is going to be a great series so i don't want to rate low. If i read first book i will change my review.