Beka Cooper has never been on a Hunt quite like this one. Still trying to deal with the death of her fiancé, Beka is summoned to the Summer Palace because the prince has been kidnapped. Tunstall and Beka, along with Pounce and Achoo, are the prince’s best hope at survival. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been, and Beka knows that their enemies are among the nobility. Only they could afford mages powerful enough to literally melt those who would protect the prince. So, armed with a strange mage of their own, Corus’s best Hunt team sets out to save the realm.
I try really hard not to go “crazy fan-girl” in my reviews, but sometimes I just can’t help it. Tamora Pierce is AMAZING. Mastiff is a perfect conclusion to the Beka cooper trilogy, and the way it all ties in to the bigger Tortall picture is GENIUS! Okay, I’m done now, on the review. Mastiff picks up several years after we last saw Beka, and she’s at her fiancé’s funeral. My first thought was, “Beka was engaged? Since when?”
I did feel a little disoriented in the first chapter, but all of Beka’s friends from the first few books make an appearance, and since I never actually met her betrothed, I didn’t mourn him. The plot was fast-paced and flawless. I could barely put the book down. And when the traitor to the crown was revealed I was blown away! I totally did not see that coming.
Apparently, Beka and I have different ideas in the love department, but that’s okay. I was always partial to Rosto, while she has different ideas. And even though I’ve never fallen in love with her man, it works for her. The way the book ended was perfect and sad and made me want to re-read the Song of the Lioness quartet. That’s all I can say without giving it away.
But I highly recommend this book to all readers, new to Tortall, or long-time residents.
- Author website: www.tamora-pierce.com
- This reviewer also blogs at www.1bookaddict.blogspot.com
- Publisher: Random House
- Date of Publication: October 25, 2011
