Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness, #1)

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Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness #1)

by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author)

4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 · rating details · 22,489 ratings · 691 reviews

Tamora Pierce brings readers another Tortall adventure! Alianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying. When she is captured and sold as a slave to an exiled royal family in the faraway Copper Islands, it is this skill that makes a diff...more

Hardcover, 422 pages

Published September 23rd 2003 by Random House Books for Young Readers (first published September 1st 2003)

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Jan 03, 2009 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-kids-are-all-right, gmba, meh-at-you

Okay, I did like this. But, the fact that it took me over a month to read it knocked off a star in my overall review.

I've heard so much about Tamora Pierce on this site, that I figured this would be a no brainer... maybe it's me. Yeah, it's probably me.

But, first of all, I found out that this is the first book in the SECOND series of books and that was turn off numero one. I don't like coming into a story if characters have already been introduced. It's like watching Problem Child 2 before Prob...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Meg rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-young-adult, 2009

This was a good book in some ways, but messed up enough that I probably won't look for more in this series. The writing style was fine - easy to read, nothing detracting from the story, etc. The plot was interesting and moved at a good pace (even if it was clearly part of a series and didn't really conclude, there was a nice ending). The world, while not overwhelmingly original, managed to stay far enough out of generic fantasy kingdom to be interesting (I really liked the crows).

Unfortunately,...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Carolyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, to-read-ya, strong-female-lead-character, read-ya_13-and-up

2.5
I really like all the other Tortall series so I was primed to enjoy this one. Have to say I was very put off by the supremely self-assured manner of the main character. Never a moment's uncertainty or self-doubt, or much introspection at all. Not a good quality in a YA book, or really any story where you want to see some character development and growth. I'll be reading the sequel, but just because I'm a fan of Tortall, and they are very quick reads. Disappointed, to say the least, because I...more

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Feb 15, 2009 Arya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, adventure

04 February 2009
The Trickster's Choice

Alianne...Kyprioth...Nawat...

Alianne (Aly) Cooper is the daughter of George Cooper, His Majesty’s Spy-master, and Alanna (Lioness) Cooper, King’s Champion. She has as her god-parents a King and Queen and as her adopted uncle and aunt the most powerful Mage in the realm and a half-goddess enchantress. But what will happen when sixteen year old Aly sneaks away from her over-protective and powerful family? The adventure begins...

Captured by slave-traders (and...more 04 February 2009
The Trickster's Choice

Alianne...Kyprioth...Nawat...

Alianne (Aly) Cooper is the daughter of George Cooper, His Majesty’s Spy-master, and Alanna (Lioness) Cooper, King’s Champion. She has as her god-parents a King and Queen and as her adopted uncle and aunt the most powerful Mage in the realm and a half-goddess enchantress. But what will happen when sixteen year old Aly sneaks away from her over-protective and powerful family? The adventure begins...

Captured by slave-traders (and with it not being Pirate season yet- dumb pirates, can’t they tell time, they’re not due for at least another month!) she is taken from her ancestral home Tortall to the political turmoil of the Copper Islands. Bought by Duke Mequen, third in line for the throne, she resolves to escape and return to her father as soon as possible, but is swayed from her resolve by The Trickster.

Kyprioth, Trickster and rebellious little brother, he is determined to reclaim his throne- the worship of the Copper Isle peoples- that was stolen from him by his bother, Shining Mythros, and his sister the Mother Goddess. Aly is caught up in his scheme from the very beginning. He offers her a wager- keep Duke Mequen’s children safe for the summer and win a trip home and a place within her father’s inner circle of spies, or lose and be Kyprioth’s thrall for a year.
The draw of the game is too alluring to refuse, she accepts, and is thrust into the world of political intrigue and violence, where you are assassinated for the blood that runs through your veins.

Nawat Crow, the handsome “Crow-man” took human shape to protect Aly from the dangers that haunt her. He can run like a horse, swift as and eagle, yet silent as the wind, and his fingers are so swift they can pluck arrows from the air like ripe cherries, and delicate enough to fletch arrows with deadly Stormwing feathers. This man is protector and danger, all rolled into one of the funniest heroes every to stalk the pages of the mystical realm. Protector of Aly’s future and danger to her heart, he is both alluring and frightening.

Sarai, Dove, Namair, George, Jonathan, Thayet, Alanna, Mythros, Winnie and Alan are just a few of the characters that will march into you heart through the heralding pages of Trickster’s Choice and lodge there, bringing mystery and excitement with them. The game of The Trickster, is just beginning...The Tricksters Choice, has been made...(less)

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Oct 17, 2008 Clair rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I didn't think I would like this-- yeah, yeah, Tamora Pierce trying to make Alanna more interesting now that she's in middle age, suprise here's her kid who's just as whacky and awesome, OMGs.

But seriously. She's teh awesome. And nothing like the Lioness books, which make them even better. While Alanna was all about her proving herself to be stronger and better than people originally assumed she was, the Trickster series is about a spy, born and bred; she lets people think she's dumb as rock...more

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Dec 25, 2008 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Tamora Pierce and colonialism

Recommended to Heather by: Barbara

My initial reaction: what happened to all the good, easy to pronounce names like Jon and George? I seriously dislike a majority of the names in this book. I know Tamora was probably going for something exotic with the whole Raka thing but it was just weird I had a hard time remembering who was who.

As a girl power book, I didn't like it as much as Alanna. Aly seemed to get thing more dropped into her lap than actually fighting for what she wanted, which bothered me. Also, I know she wants to spy...more

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Nov 27, 2008 Emily Millay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Emily Millay by: Corey Alexander

Shelves: fantasy

This book, and its sequel "Trickster's Queen," were given to me for my birthday by my dear friend Corey. I had recently been longing for some escapist media -- the world has felt a little too real recently, and I wanted a break. The books came highly recommended from Corey, who loved them for the ways that they are explicit tales of anti-colonial uprising, with cross-species romance and Gods-touched descriptions of obligations and duty.

Needless to say, I ate this book up with a silver spoon. Re...more This book, and its sequel "Trickster's Queen," were given to me for my birthday by my dear friend Corey. I had recently been longing for some escapist media -- the world has felt a little too real recently, and I wanted a break. The books came highly recommended from Corey, who loved them for the ways that they are explicit tales of anti-colonial uprising, with cross-species romance and Gods-touched descriptions of obligations and duty.

Needless to say, I ate this book up with a silver spoon. Reading it on the subway or otherwise in the down time minutes, I flew through it in a few days. One of the things that's on my mind these days is how to tell a different story than the story that repeats the narratives of white male supremacy and neoliberal global capitalism. (Forgive the buzz word lingo for a minute, friends. In the essay that I'm thinking about and sorting out how to write these days, I'll take the time to explain what I'm talking about when I say these things. But for now, bear with me.) I think about this as an ideological problem with just about everything I see/read/consume these days -- from James Bond to Indiana Jones to smaller works like a *great* independent movie I just saw "Sleep Dealer" to these books. And what I was deeply touched by in these books is the attempt to tell a different story -- and that these books are intended for a young adult audience. Hell yes, I think.

The specific problem that I am wrestling with, which I think is a primary focus of this novel, is how to convince/recruit folks with privilege to the cause which will bring about the liberation of everyone -- a liberation that will require the loss of privilege/resources by the owning/ruling class. What does it take for people to get on the right side of history?

This novel's answer is pretty specific. The "luarin"/white woman who is the novel's protagonist is kidnapped and sold into slavery and becomes ensnared in another country's revolution, largely through a wager with a deposed Trickster God. By being a foreigner and a slave, the protagonist sees and experiences the world from the eyes of the people who have been violently oppressed by the luarin ruling class for several centuries. She is operating out of her own interests (freedom from slavery via the God), and using the skills that she was raised with as a member of her home country's luarin ruling class. So, her privilege is definitely in play, and she is not actually brutalized by her slavery (still has that luarin white skin, for one thing, and for another her slavery rapidly becomes a disguise to her advantage). But the pivot point which makes her realize that she will stay to fight the revolution (which is, honestly, the climax of the story) is when the luarin ruling class of this country has proven itself so corrupt and bloodthirsty that they attempt to murder the whole family of honorable luarin that the protagonist has been sold to. That they succeed in killing the patriarch is significant -- it is with that news that the protagonist decides to willingly give her energy and expertise to overthrowing the corrupt luarin throne.

I'm fascinated by this, because even with a story that's interested in the narratives of liberation, the story is still told via the perspective and experience of a ruling class individual. This person is stripped of the outward vestiges of her power, yes, and it is that change of perspective that gives her the ability to broaden her thinking and see what needs to be done -- and what her role must be, as a person with a set of highly dangerous, highly regulated skills (thieving/spying).

But see, here's the criticism: the luarin protagonist with privilege maintains privilege throughout the book (and certainly into the sequel, which lays out the mousetrap of their revolution). At no point does this character actually have to make a sacrifice for her revolution. She provides a service, certainly, but the liberation of the raka (the brown folks of this world) is never *her* liberation. And yet -- and here's the trouble -- she is given a privileged place amongst the rebels. She sees things they don't see, because she is the daughter of a ruling class of mixed blood (immortal/mortal) heritage, and because she is specifically touched by a God, and is preternaturally good at what she does. She makes a few mistakes along the way, but they are not actually all that costly. And in the end, there is regime change -- and, importantly, a redistribution of land -- but I'm struck by the way that the fundamental power structures were never really challenged.

So now that I've held this text to the coals and run it through my particular ideological lens, I will say this -- it's very entertaining, and well-plotted, and still does portray an uprising that at least touches on these issues. And I'm glad that young people are reading this, and thinking through these narratives (with probably an even more critical eye than my own).

With thanks and love to my friend Corey on my birthday. Don't worry that I take the text apart, hon. That's one of my favorite activities, too...dontcha know. **grin**(less)

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Nov 20, 2008 Alicia Nabors rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: any moran who says this book is crap

Recommended to Alicia by: me, my selfm and I

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just loved this book. Aly's nerve is alsome. If only I could find Trickster's Queen... X(

~Dislikes,and would love 2 chamge it~
Duch dies
3yr old king
Aly the "slave"
Sarai the beautiful
...................

Oh well, these made the story instresting. Bad stuff alwas do that. XD Be grateful!!!
~keep same.. likes?~
Nawat's 1st kiss(aww)
Dove's calculating mind
Aly's family
Mister-sweet-and-all-but-power-hungry Borau
Powerful mage (oh yeah! but lurain hater.. BOO!)
Aly's crooked eye
Aly's brokend nose
Aly's sca...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Menmee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Aly, a kid with a very impressive family background (including god-parents/adopted family members). Spoilers ahead !

When I first picked this book up, I didnt have much expectations. I had seen Ms Pierce's books in the bookshops/ebookshop/elibrary but I never really had an urge to read them. After reading so many other books (almost everything that caught my fancy), I came across this again and thought to myself, why not. I didn't regret this at all. I was thrown into a world where there are spie...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Corinne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

4.5 stars

My sister has been telling me to try Tamora Pierce for ages. I don't know what was holding me back, but I finally told her I was ready and asked which one she liked the best that I should start with. She recommended this one, Tricker's Choice. And wowza.

Aly is the daughter of a famous warrior and a spy (my understanding is that her mother is the central figure in many of Pierce's books, but I didn't need to have read any of them for this to be a great read). Having been schooled in all...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Sana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is completely amazing! From the first time I read it, it automatically became my favorite book. Before this book, while adored reading, I had never found a book that was my ultimate favorite. One of the best things about this book is that you don't have to read the earlier series before you read this book for it to make sense, through I do recommend reading the other series just because they are so good. From the very first page, you are pulled into the story and the characters are so relat...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Heidi Turnquist rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about a girl named Aly. Her father is the spy master of her country, Tortall, and her mother is the KIng's Champion. She wants to be a spy, but her father will not allow it.Her mother is pressuring her, telling her that as a sixteen year old she needs to figure out what she wants to do in life. To get away from this she takes a break and sails to her relatives house. She thinks it is too early for pirate season but is, unfortunatley, incorrect. She is taken on a slave ship. In order...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Barb Middleton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya

Aly wants to be a spy like her father but both of her parents refuse to let her go into the field. She decides to visit a relative and is captured by pirates and sold to a noble family. She sees an opportunity to begin her spy training when the god, Kyprioth, comes and makes a deal with her. He’ll convince her parents to let her be a spy if she keeps the two daughters of the family she was sold to alive. Aly ends up using all her spy skills and more to keep them safe.

Aly is an independent head-s...more

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Aug 24, 2011 JoLee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, childrens-young-adult, audio

This Tortall story follows Alianna (Aly), the daughter of Alanna and George. Aly has her father's talent for spying, but she doesn't have her parents' permission to get into that family business. Then Aly is abducted by pirates and sold as a slave to the Copper Islands. She fails into the Balitang's household that has recently fallen out of favor with the king. Kyprioth, the old god of the islands and of the suppressed Raka people, makes a wager with Aly: keep the Balitang children alive through...more

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Sep 06, 2010 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is compulsively readable, with a plethora of female characters who aren't ever going to wait around for any man to rescue them. And that's awesome. I really liked having an action-adventure-fantasy book where the women are the dominant and active force. The political machinations are intriguing and at times unexpected, and the writing quality is top-notch.

So why three stars?

To quote another reviewer (Meg):

"The plot basically hinges on a native [dark-skinned] people taking their land ba...more

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Aug 04, 2010 Kerstin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As the only daughter of Alana the Lioness and George Cooper, the Torallen spymaster, Alianne seems to have no real goals in life. She is flirty and flighty; but with a nack for the shadows were her father’s work lies. The only real job she wants is to be a spy, but her father refuses to put his only daughter in such danger, never mind she is more than qualified. But his daughter’s fate is taken out of George’s hands when Aly is kidnapped by slavers and sold into the distant and dangerous Copper...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Emma Michaels rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Let me just say that as an Alanna fan I was already fairly certain when I started this novel that I would love Alianne. The novel starts off wonderfully and it is very obvious that Aly is Alanna and George's daughter. With George's mischievous nature and Alanna quick mind Aly is able to easily win your heart. After a short while of reading it is no longer your love for George and Alanna that fuels your wanting to learn more but instead your love for the intelligent and unique young woman who is...more

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Jul 14, 2010 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, series, bought-copy, ya

Tamora Pierce returns to the world of Tortall, in this story about Aly - the teenage daughter of Alanna the Lioness and George Cooper. At the beginning of the novel, Aly is a bored young noblewoman, desperate to take her father's path as a spy but not being allowed to. Her relationship with her mother is fraught, since neither stubborn woman will back down on their ideas about Aly's future. After yet another argument, Aly decides to spend the summer visiting relatives rather than endure her moth...more Tamora Pierce returns to the world of Tortall, in this story about Aly - the teenage daughter of Alanna the Lioness and George Cooper. At the beginning of the novel, Aly is a bored young noblewoman, desperate to take her father's path as a spy but not being allowed to. Her relationship with her mother is fraught, since neither stubborn woman will back down on their ideas about Aly's future. After yet another argument, Aly decides to spend the summer visiting relatives rather than endure her mother's wrath, but ends up being taken by slavers en route. She is shipped to the Copper Isles and purchased by the Balitang family.

While there, Aly is visited by a minor God - Kyprioth, who used to be all-powerful to the raka people of the islands. He offers a wager - if Aly keeps the two eldest daughters of the Balitangs family alive til autumn, Kyprioth will return her to her family and speak to George Cooper on her behalf about becoming a spy.

From there, Aly is plunged into a life fraught with dangers, where the mad royal luarin family have reason to see the Balitangs first driven into exile and then attempt murder. Aly comes to see that Sarai, eldest daughter of the Balitangs, has both luarin and raka royal blood and therefore is destined to bring the people of the Copper Isles together.

Surrounded by interesting characters - such as Nawat Crow - Aly is determined to win her wager...

As is her wont, Pierce has once again given us a sassy and fiercely independent young woman, who is prepared to die out of loyalty to friends and who sees men as no more than a pleasant diversion in the pursuit of duty. Aly manages to overcome her title of slave and becomes integral to the lives of the Balitangs, through straight talking and unquenchable spirit.

My one complaint about Aly - who otherwise is a genuinely likeable young heroine - is that she is almost too clever and resourceful. We are given to understand that she has received training and advice from such illustrious personages as George, Alanna, Daine and Thayet (all characters from Pierce's previous novels about Tortall), but Aly still seems to know the answer to everything.

The book is filled with warm and interesting characters. Pierce is able to give us people and animals that we can take easily to our hearts. By the page-turning climax of the book, we care deeply for the people who have crowded the novel with their lively characters, realistic dialogue and genuine motivations.

Enjoyably, Pierce also writes strongly about divisions between the people of a land because of the colour of skin. She explains sensibly (in the words of Aly) that no one should be prejudiced against because they are the wrong colour. It is excellent that such a widely-regarded author is using her work to encourage racial equality and acceptance of the healthy differences between different people. The raka (black) and luarin (white) have both been responsible for atrocities in the past, and now must learn to live together and become simply the people of the Copper Isles.

I very much enjoyed the little details that Pierce embued this novel with to show a different culture to that of Tortall (which is very much based on feudal Europe). The Copper Isles are shown to be rich with exotic wildlife and landscapes, and the fiery food is very different from that Aly is accustomed to eating.

Happily, it is not essential to have read Pierce's other Tortall novels in order to enjoy this one, so new readers to the world can dive right in - however, it is extremely likely that, after enjoying this book, they will rush out and buy the rest. Readers accustomed to Tortall will both enjoy hearing about characters from previous books and be pleased to see this new plucky heroine take her place amongst them. (less)

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Apr 25, 2010 Shellby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, romance, young-adult, time-period-style, highly-favored

Excuse me as I jump very late on the Tamora Pierce bandwagon. I purchased and read this book back in 2005, it was my first Tamora Pierce and I have loved her ever since.

The story revolves around Aly, the headstrong, independent, teenage daughter of Alanna the Lioness. She already knows what she wants to do, she doesn't want to follow in her mothers footsteps, but in her dads as a Spymaster. Unfortunately for her; her famous parents do not think this is a good idea, and refuses to let Aly go into...more

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Feb 05, 2010 Brooklyn Teen-central rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adventure, delil1, family, fantasy, heroines, magic, science-fiction, series, drama

Reviewed by delil1 (TCRC)

Alianne (Aly) Cooper is the daughter of the legendary Alanna (Lioness) Cooper, King’s Champion and his spy master George Cooper. The King and Queen are her god-parents and her uncle is the most powerful mage the world has ever seen, so it’s not a stretch to say she comes from the countries most powerful family. All she wants in life is to follow in her fathers footsteps and become a spy, but per parents won’t let her. When she sneaks away from her powerful (and overprote...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-fairytale

The things that I did like about this book: The adventurous, fiery fifteen teen year old who played the main character of Aly, her boy-toy who’s a crow, their relationship in general (some very cute moments), the fun fight scenes, and the adventure. What I didn’t like: The fact that I couldn’t pronounce any of the names to save my life!

This was a decent book, hard to get into, but worth reading one you started it. The main character is truly fabulous, though. She’s trained to be a spy by her fat...more

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Jun 04, 2009 Steph Su rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

16-year-old Aly, daughter of the professional spy George Cooper and the legendary woman warrior Alanna, is brilliant, flirtatious, and fun-loving. She desperately wants to conduct field work as a spy, which her father does not approve of, thinking it is too dangerous for his only daughter.

However, circumstances arise where it is necessary for Aly to use her spy skills. She is kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in the Copper Isles, a collection of islands off the mainland Tortall, her hom...more

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Feb 13, 2013 CH13_Rachel Arens rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

When I was younger, I was a huge fan of Tamora Pierce's novels--particularly the Immortal's Quartet and the Song of the Lioness Series. I enjoyed them so much that I continued to read and reread them throughout high school. However, this was the first more recent novel of hers that I've read, and I was excited to find some of my favorite character referenced throughout the book.

In Trickster's Choice, Alanna the Lioness' daughter Aly is the heroine, although she takes after her spy father more t...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Andrea Learning rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am always happy to return to Tortall to see old friends and make new ones. I really enjoyed this book, and its harder for me to write good things than bad, so this will be short.
George was my favourite character in "The Song of the Lioness" so I thoroughly enjoyed returning to his world through his daughter. Aly is as cunning and charming as her dad and makes for an engaging and dynamic character. She chooses a line of work that is not always honourable but as a character she strives to do th...more

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May 06, 2013 Bridget Mckinney rated it 4 of 5 stars

There's so much to like about this book, but there's a couple of glaring problems with it that I have to cover first.

1. This is the first time Tamora Pierce has given us a series that takes place almost exclusively outside of Tortall, but it still has a white protagonist. Don't get me wrong, I like Aly. I also understand that the Tortall books are essentially a sort of family drama. However, introducing a white protagonist whose goal is the liberation of a nation of people of color who have bee...more There's so much to like about this book, but there's a couple of glaring problems with it that I have to cover first.

1. This is the first time Tamora Pierce has given us a series that takes place almost exclusively outside of Tortall, but it still has a white protagonist. Don't get me wrong, I like Aly. I also understand that the Tortall books are essentially a sort of family drama. However, introducing a white protagonist whose goal is the liberation of a nation of people of color who have been conquered and oppressed by white people plays into some unpleasant colonialist narratives. I mentioned in a previous post that one possible way to accommodate both the "family drama" style of the overall series and the Copper Isles setting would have been to have the main protagonist be a Copper Isles native with Aly as a secondary character.
2. Aly is continually critical of the planned revolution and asks several PoC characters about the possible loss of life to the mostly white ruling class of the Isles. I understand that revolutions can be a bloody business and that Aly is living with a mixed family in the book, which is a reminder to her that the white ruling class is not some nameless faceless evil. This does complicate things. However, on at least one occasion, it's suggested that the current white rulers of the country have only "inherited" their situation, as if that diminishes their responsibility for the ongoing oppression and enslavement of the indigenous people. This is, frankly, bullshit. No one gets to choose their parents, but people do get to choose whether or not to participate in the perpetuation of evil. Honestly, I just think that Aly has too much sympathy for and spends to much time worrying about what might happen to the oppressing class when shit hits the fan.

These are some pretty major flaws, in my opinion, but I really liked the book in spite of these problems. Trickster's Choice is not as quick a read as most of Tamora Pierce's other books and it's far less action driven, dealing largely with political intrigue, but it's got a lot going for it.

- A large and diverse cast of female characters. This is a hallmark of Tamora Pierce's work, but it's something that I never fail to appreciate because it's so rare. Each girl or woman in the book is well-characterized and unique, and they are constantly talking to each other and forming meaningful relationships.
- I especially love how different Aly is from the protagonists of Pierce's other series. I like that I never feel like I'm reading the same story over and over with Tamora Pierce, and Aly is vastly different from Alanna, Daine, and Kel.
- I loved getting to read about the Copper Isles and their people. It's really common for fantasy worlds to have places that are populated by people of color, but it's relatively rare for these settings to be explored in a way that shows those people as multidimensional people with complex societies, cultures, goals, and histories of their own. I like that, while Aly is from Tortall, the story of what is going on in the Copper Isles so far has nothing to do with how it is going to affect Tortall. I think the book is, for the most part, properly focused on the people of the Copper Isles and what they want for themselves.
- While I already said that it bothers me that this story is being told from the point of view of a white outsider protagonist, I do like that, again for the most part, Aly is working with the people of the Copper Isles as a helper more than as a leader. She's an important helper, and she has a leadership position, but she's not the leader of the revolution she's helping to foment and it's pretty clear that this revolution would happen with or without Aly. This doesn't negate the problem that I have with it, but it does prevent it from being a Dances With Wolves/Last Samurai situation.
- Nawat Crow is an interesting character. He's definitely the weirdest possible love interest for a protagonist that I've seen for a while, and I'm curious to see how that plays out.
- I love Sarai and Dove. And Winnamine.(less)

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Nov 28, 2012 Chrystal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction, fantasy, strong-female-protagonists

I've missed Tamora Pierce novels in my life. I do have to say this, though - if you are not willing to dedicate your time delving into an entirely new and vivid world with some vague similarities but no real resemblance to our own, you are not going to like this. However, the story is INTERESTING. The protagonist and her band of merry men are people that are not so nice and good that they are boring but are also good enough that you do want them to succeed. And Alianne!! What a spitfire. I liked...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Gretchen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: high-and-urban-fantasy-challenge

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce is about Aly, a 16 year-old girl who lives in Tortall with her spy father and her famous warrior mother. Aly is kidnapped and sold as a slave to a noble family who hold a vital role in the future of the kingdom. Aly makes a deal with the trickster god to keep the family's children alive until the summer ends, in which case she can go home to her family and maybe finally get to be a spy like she wants to. Also, the crows are helping, and one crow in particular...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Anne Toronto1 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

**** "Trickster's Choice" (Trickster 1) is 16 year old Aly, taught espionage from babyhood by mother Alanna (Lioness 1) King's Champion Knight, father and grandfather realm spymasters, and godsmother the Queen. She is impatient to prove her competence, and seems way precocious to me. Slavers catch her and take her to the Copper Isles, where dark-skin natives (duh) chafe against white conquerors(reverse political correctness?). There, a banished lesser god "Trickster" will free her come fall, if...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Eevee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, strong-female-characters, coming-of-age

I've been a huge fan of Tamora Pierce's work ever since I found her books at the library in middle school. Tortall and Emelan were my introductions to fantasy and magic and adventure, and I've liked most of her other heroes and heroines.

I'm sorry to say that while the quality of writing has only gotten better with time, I didn't enjoy Trickster's Choice as much as I thought I would. Considering that this book had all the elements I enjoy in my reading (political intrigue, history, a capable and...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Marina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-star, reviewed, ya-fantasy-altworld, own-future

Every time I finish a Tamora Pierce book, before I even close the cover, I either reach for the next one or I think "Is it too early to start re-reading?" While Pierce's characters can be a little too perfect, they're not so just because. Pierce often points out all the hard work that goes into their skills. Actually Trickster's Choice is the first ever book that I've read by Pierce, which is problematic because I've skipped twelve books before this one. But Pierce's writing is clear, the rules...more

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About Tamora Pierce

Hey, folks! I just discovered that apparently I have given some very popular books single-star ratings--except I haven't. How do I know I haven't? Because I haven't read those books at all. So before you go getting all hacked off at me for trashing your favorites, know that I've written GoodReads to find out what's going on.

I return to my regularly scheduled profile:
Though I would love to join gro...more Hey, folks! I just discovered that apparently I have given some very popular books single-star ratings--except I haven't. How do I know I haven't? Because I haven't read those books at all. So before you go getting all hacked off at me for trashing your favorites, know that I've written GoodReads to find out what's going on.

I return to my regularly scheduled profile:
Though I would love to join groups, I'm going to turn them all down. I just don't have the time to take part, so please don't be offended if I don't join your group or accept an invitation. I'm not snooty--I'm just up to my eyeballs in work and appearances!

Also, don't be alarmed by the number of books I've read. When I get bored, I go through the different lists and rediscover books I've read in the past. It's a very evil way to use up time when I should be doing other things. Obviously, I've read a lot of books in 54 years!

I was born in South Connellsville, PA. My mother wanted to name me "Tamara" but the nurse who filled out my birth certificate misspelled it as "Tamora". When I was 8 my family moved to California, where we lived for 6 years on both sides of the San Francisco peninsula.

I started writing stories in 6th grade. My interest in fantasy and science fiction began when I was introduced to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien and so I started to write the kind of books that I was reading. After my parents divorced, my mother took my sisters and me back to Pennsylvania in 1969. There I went to Albert Gallatin Senior High for 2 years and Uniontown Area Senior High School for my senior year.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I wrote the book that became The Song of the Lioness fantasy quartet. I sold some articles and 2 short stories and wrote reviews for a martial arts movie magazine. At last the first book of the quartet, Alanna: The First Adventure was published by Atheneum Books in 1983.

Tim Liebe, who became my Spouse-Creature, and I lived in New York City with assorted cats and two parakeets from 1982 - 2006. In 2006 we moved to Syracuse, New York, where we live now with assorted cats, a number of squirrels, birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and woodchucks visiting our very small yard. As of 2011, I have 27 novels in print, one short story collection, one comic book arc ("White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion") co-written with Tim, and a short story anthology co-editing credit. There's more to come, including a companion book to the Tortall `verse. So stay tuned!(less)

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Books by Tamora Pierce

Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1)

In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness, #2)

Lioness Rampant (Song of the Lioness, #4)

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Song of the Lioness, #3)

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Trivia About Trickster's Choice

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Quotes from Trickster's Choice

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Fesgao remarked, his dark eyes unreadable.
Aly rolled her eyes. Why did everyone say that to her? “People always forget the rest of the saying,” she complained. “‘And satisfaction brought it back.” — 590 people liked it

“If you've a story, make sure it's a whole one, with details close to hand. It's the difference between a good lie and getting caught.” — 330 people liked it

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Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness #1)

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