Cold Fire (Circle Opens Series #3)

by Tamora Pierce

Overview

The third book in an extraordinary fantasy quartet by acclaimed fantasy author Tamora Pierce.Daja and Frostpine expect to spend some peaceful weeks with old friends in Namorn. But things begin to go awry as soon as they arrive. First Daja discovers that their hosts' twin daughters are mages. Then mysterious fires begin to blaze across the frigid city. Daja works with Bennat Ladradun, to locate what seems to be a serial arsonist. Daja's magic saves the city from going up in flames, but nothing and nobody can save her the disappointment of learning that the arsonist is someone close to her own heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545405867
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Series:	Circle Opens Series , #3
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	130,032
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Tamora Pierce is the critically acclaimed author of more than twenty novels, including the Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens quartets, The Will of the Empress, Melting Stones, and, most recently, the New York Times bestselling Beka Cooper trilogy. She lives in New York State with her husband, Tim, and her seven cats and two birds. Visit her online at www.tamorapierce.com.

Editorial Reviews

Fabulous fantasy author Tamora Pierce wows audiences with the third Circle Opens installment. When Daja captures an arsonist, she discovers that the culprit is someone she least expects. A Circle Opens read that fans won't want to miss.

Pierce turns somber in her saga of young mages-in-training (Street Magic, 2000, etc.), as the smith-mage Daja encounters a more sinister side to fire-and humanity. Daja accompanies her mentor Frostpine to the snowbound port of Kujisko to learn new skills, but herself becomes the teacher when she discovers the incipient magical talents of her hosts' twin daughters. She also finds a hero in Bennat Ladradun, who transformed his personal tragedy into a firefighting crusade. Daja lends her magic to his mission, rescuing victims from blazing holocausts, and crafting a pair of fireproof gloves. But when investigators suggest arson, she must confront the smoldering motivations that ignite to murder. Daja may have the least distinctive voice among Pierce's adolescent mages, but she more than compensates with the searing drama of her tale. While her efforts to train the mischievous twins offers some light relief, the overall tone is as dark as the northern setting. The devastation caused by the fires is described with graphic (though not gratuitous) intensity. When Pierce reveals that the obsessed Bennat is the arsonist, Daja's betrayal and disillusionment will be shared by readers, who have been accustomed of late to seeing firefighters in a heroic light. Yet Pierce also celebrates the virtues of control and craftsmanship, from the simple joy Daja finds in learning to skate to the blossoming of her pupils under hard work and discipline. An absolute must for fans of the series, the minimal backstory also makes this an exciting and thoughtful stand-alone fantasy. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews