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Jan 03, 2009

Kim rated it:

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 More...

11 comments like (7 people liked it)

Aug 11, 2011

Meg rated it:

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).

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2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 15, 2009

Arya rated it:

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 beg More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Oct 17, 2008

Clair rated it:

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 du More...

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 25, 2008

Heather rated it:

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 wan More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 27, 2008

Emily Millay rated it:

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 w More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 20, 2008

Alicia rated it:

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Feb 13, 2012

Barb rated it:

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 indepen More...

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Aug 24, 2011

JoLee rated it:

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:

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 04, 2010

Kerstin rated it:

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 rated it:

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:

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...

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Apr 25, 2010

Shellby rated it:

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 More...

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Feb 05, 2010

Brooklyn rated it:

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 (a More...

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Aug 18, 2009

Sarah rated it:

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 sp More...

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Jun 04, 2009

Steph Su rated it:

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 Tortal More...

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Jun 04, 2011

AnEyeSpy rated it:

**** "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 fre More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Marina rated it:

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, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 22, 2010

Mark rated it:

This wasn't really my kind of book, but for some reason I listened to it anyway. I liked the main character, however, and could more easily appreciate her than her mother (Alanna). I liked most of the other characters quite a bit, too, and elements of the world of the story, although a few of them, such as Dove, didn't seem as fleshed out as I would have liked (but I know some other readers loved Dove).

I wasn't big on all the politics, intrigue, royal stuff, racial issues, etc. It's More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Erin rated it:

Occasionally I see people complaining about the intense second waveyness of Tamora Pierce's books - the lady warrior, the Strong Woman characters always being coded in terms of masculine strength, physical strength, battle prowess - i.e., you are strong because you are succeeding in a traditional male role, usually at the expense of "weak" or "soft" femininity. But, I mean. Okay, yes, I cannot deny that all of TP's female characters who are worth a damn are decent in a fight More...

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Jun 13, 2010

Heather rated it:

Once upon a time, Tamora Pierce was my favorite author. I learned about fantasy books from her, and her heroines inspired and amazed me. Then I grew up. By the time her third Tortall series was published, I was fifteen, and I read them, but the magic was gone, and I gave up on them.

Well, I've reached a point where I think I'm old enough to read YA fiction for what it is, and so I thought it would be fun to go back and read the things I've missed. And it was, mostly. This is a good b More...

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Mar 22, 2009

Kelly rated it:

I have loved every book of Tamora Pierce's that I have read up until this point. Which is why my dislike of this story is so disappointing. The tale is very slow moving and mostly about political intrigue, which I can't imagine holding the interest of adolescent girls when it didn't even hold mine. The protagonist is a teenage girl who runs away from home to prove herself. When her parents find out they don't even mind until they find out she isn't where she said she was.

Where is sh More...

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Jan 29, 2009

Teea rated it:

An adventure with a swift plot loaded with excitement and intrigue. The world does have a foreign setting with different rules and mythical creatures. However, Tamora does not bog you down in the begining with all the details. She delicately introduces them in a logical manner and only when necessary to get a better view of characters and the choices that they make. I get frustrated reading about heroes or heroines that have contrary natures. Especially when those characters make mistakes not be More...

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Nov 28, 2008

Elizabeth rated it:

Alianne Cooper is at the age where she needs to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She has been trained in the ways of a spy for her whole life, from her father, George Cooper, Co-Spymaster of Tortall, the other spymaster being her grandfather. Her mother, Alanna, is the Lioness, legendary warrior and King's Champion. One of her brothers is training to become a mage.

She feels that what she wants is to become a spy, like her father, but her parents feel that is too danger More...

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Dec 20, 2010

Gigi rated it:

By the end this book was moving up to 5 stars and I hope the sequel will reach that status.

A continuation of Pierce's Tortall Universe. This series comes after the Lioness series but before the Beka Cooper series. Alana's daughter is kidnapped and it becomes a time for her to prove herself. She is taken to an island where the people have been enslaved for centuries and must figure out how to help the future Raka queens gain their thrown without her true identity being discovered. She More...

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Sep 26, 2011

Melinda rated it:

I'm finding myself frustrated with this series. While its my style of writing because its clean, there's no swearing or inappropriate behavior and its good fantasy, I'm tired of the same story being recycled every time. Oh, its a young girl, who can do everything better than boys, who has everything land in her lap perfectly if she just works hard enough?! I also really didn't like how Aly's parent's don't want her to be a spy AT ALL, and yet give her a freaking HANDBOOK on how to be a spy. Ridi More...

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Sep 27, 2010

Heidi rated it:

This is straight-up old-school fantasy (the kind with magic and swords and prophecies and warring kingdoms and mystical creatures and a complicated map at the front of the book), but it veers a bit off the beaten path with its kickass 16-year-old heroine, Aly. That's the author's specialty (she also wrote the Song of the Lioness quartet about Aly's mother, Alanna, who disguises herself as a boy in order to become a knight).

Aly knows everything there is to know about being a spy, but More...

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Aug 18, 2010

Margaret rated it:

The Trickster books are about Alanna's daughter Alianne (Aly for short). I began by finding Aly offputtingly cocksure and annoying, and Pierce throws her into the plot before even letting the reader get to know her much. After a little bit of interplay between Aly and her parents, she sets sail in her boat; two paragraphs later, she's been captured by pirates and taken to be sold as a slave in the Copper Isles.

Fortunately, it does get better from there, as Aly joins the household of More...

4 comments like

May 12, 2011

Ori rated it:

Having been a fan of Tamora Pierce's work for pretty much a third of my life, I am amazed it took me until now to get around to reading Trickster's Choice. Because once I started, and despite a few hitches (Aly seems a little too competent and levelheaded for your typical sixteen-year old girl -- her unusual upbringing accounts for much of it yes, but I should think she should have panicked a little more at the idea of being sold into slavery, like anyone would), I pretty much powered through it More...

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