Wild Magic (The Immortals #1), by Tamora Pierce

Speaking of covers, here's one I didn't really like, but it didn't stop me from loving the contents within!  Wild Magic is the first in The Immortals series and it was the first book of Tamora Pierce's that I've read at all.  It is not the first of all her books, but that's okay, because I loved this one so much I didn't mind having started out of order.  This book focuses on a young girl named Daine who has some "wild magic" inside which allows her to communicate through her thoughts to animals.  Daine has been an orphan for awhile and has learned to care for herself with just the help and love of her horse, Cloud.  Seeking work ends up changing her life forever when she is introduced to the right people who can help her harness her wild magic.  Maybe it's my lifelong draw to animals that made this book so special to me, but whatever it was, I loved her affinity with all the furry, feathered and scaly creatures.  I loved how they would sneak into her bed or she would sneak down to the barn to sleep with them and I loved reading as her abilities grew and changed with the help of her new friends.  This book was a lot like Light of the Oracle, by Victoria Hanley (read my review of that one here), The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz and it definitely satiated my craving for a comforting fantasy to read.  I can definitely see why Tamora Pierce has 20+ books for sale with this kind of welcoming writing.  I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good rainy day read, fans of fantasy, animal communication, YA, female heroines, magic or RPG video games (I felt a lot of similarities to the various Final Fantasy games or World of Warcraft and the like).

Favorite things:  Daine's amazing ability, the interesting world Tamora Pierce has created, the displays of loyalty and friendship, the comforting familiarity that reminded me of so many of my favorite childhood reads, the distinction that the animals were only choosing to help Daine and she didn't really have any control over them and the differences between the various species of animals and the unique ways they each played a role in this story. 

Criticisms:  I guess it did seem like there might be some things I am missing and I suspect that is because I started these books out of order, but this book mostly stood alone.  I didn't feel like I was missing much, but it did lead to a few moments of wonder or confusion.  Other than that, nothing!

Overall:  5 out of 5 stars!  I have been enjoying a wide variety of really good books lately!  I am more likely to love a book if I spent my money to buy it though, because I never do that without first reading a sample and also having a lot of prior interest in the book as well, so don't expect too many bad reviews from me in general.  It doesn't mean I'm not objective, it just means I'm really picky before ever buying in the first place.  :)

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good end to their week and I'll ttyl!  *hugs*