[Review] Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Series: The Numair Chronicles #1

Rating: 4 stars

Published: February 6th 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:

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. 

I'm reading Tamora Pierce's books in some weird kind of order. It certainly isn't in publication order, nor is it chronological. I remember reading The Realms of the Gods first, and I haven't picked up the rest of The Immortals yet (though I really should). So while I know of Numair, I don't really know him the way all other Tamora Pierce fans do.

However, this prequel series makes him certainly very likable. Tempests and Slaughter is the first in the series, starting off with Numair (or as he's called in this book, Arram Draper) and his early years at the mage university of Carthak. He's an exceptionally gifted mage, and progresses quickly through the university, getting private lessons from masters. He also befriends Varice Kingsford and Prince Ozorne, and the trio get into all sorts of adventures.


Tamora Pierce knows how to craft a compelling read, because while this book had a ton of time skips, I was still reading all the way through. As with all her books, they deal foremost with the aspects of growing up, and we had many of those scenarios with Arram - his first wet dream, getting bullied by his peers, his crush on Varice Kingsford, etc. We saw Arram progress both magically and maturely.

Tempests and Slaughter is different from the YA fantasy I've been reading recently because it is essentially the setup of what is to come for Arram. There is no big villain (as of yet) that Arram has to defeat - he does, still, encounter many obstacles over the course of the story. I was thinking of Keladry and how she had to best all the boys when she was studying to be a knight, which gives readers a chance to root for Kel as she trains to be the best. The boys who bully her are the main conflict. So while there was no main conflict that comes into play in Tempests and Slaughter, resulting in no dramatic buildup (which is my critique for today!), the story was incredibly consistent throughout. The supporting cast of characters - the masters, Ozorne and Varice, Enzi, Preet - they were all entertaining and enjoyable, and did not exist in liminal roles.

Tamora Pierce's books are all very lovely, and they mesh real-world issues of growing up (as well as war and slavery, which is heavily mentioned in here as Arram copes with trying to understand the gladiators as slaves) with fantasy. I can't wait for its sequel, though in the meantime I will pick up The Immortals series.