Blog Tour: Tempests & Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles, Book One) by Tamora Pierce
Published by Random House Children's Books on February 6th 2018
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Friendship, General, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 480

Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for trouble.

Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram begins to realize that one day soon he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

In the Numair Chronicles, readers will be rewarded with the never-before-told story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. Newcomers will discover an unforgettable fantasy adventure where a kingdom’s future rests on the shoulders of a talented young man with a knack for making vicious enemies.

We are very excited to be a part of the tour for TEMPESTS AND SLAUGHTER by Tamora Pierce! Before we jump into the tour stuff we want to tell you a bit about the book!

Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for trouble.

Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram begins to realize that one day soon he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

In the Numair Chronicles, readers will be rewarded with the never-before-told story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. Newcomers will discover an unforgettable fantasy adventure where a kingdom’s future rests on the shoulders of a talented young man with a knack for making vicious enemies.

Jaime’s Thoughts

While this is not my first Tamora Pierce book (I absolutely love The Song of the Lioness series) this is the first I’ve read in the Tortall universe. This is the beginning… the story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. How he came to be who he is. And after reading this I’m convinced I need to make more time in my reading schedule to pick up the Tortall series and give it a go!

As always, Pierce creates amazing fantasy worlds and this is no exception. Arram is such a likable character, you’ll find his awkwardness and unsureness about everything utterly endearing, and seeing him navigate new friendships while learning to control his amazing powers is so enchanting. As a reader it was so much fun to see Arram’s magic grow and mature. When we first meet him he’s younger than all his classmates and in advanced classes … but he’s even further advanced than he’s been placed, and he’s struggling to understand his powers and what he can truly do.

I mentioned Arram navigating new friendships… specifically I meant Varice and Ozorne. I just loved how these two immediately took to him and encouraged him to trust in his power. I also want to mention that I really loved the incredibly diverse cast of characters that Pierce has included here. While there is a whole bunch of names that were new to me, I never felt like I couldn’t keep track of them and Pierce has a way of just creating these distinct voices for each one of them that just made everyone incredibly unique.

For someone who hasn’t ever read a Tamora Pierce novel, this is as good as any place to start… In fact, I’m kind of excited that I didn’t read the Tortall series before picking this up, because I think it will be a unique experience to get to read this early book and then go back and meet these characters as adults!

A big, giant, special thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!