Mastiff

This book was a whirlwind, and so good. I love how Pierce developed Beka over the trilogy and years, adding new characters and plots without it feeling stale. And the twist in this book... what a gut punch. So glad I finally got around to reading the Beka Cooper books!

A very fitting ending! I shall miss Beka but I was a very satisfied with her last adventure. Excellent job, Tamora!

A very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, although if there was a fourth book I'd absolutely read it. I had forgotten how engrossing Ms. Pierce's tales are.

Frist off, I should say that I have been reading Tamora Pierce's works since the age of eleven. Without a doubt the target audience of her books are pre-teen and teenage girls (perhaps a bit more toward the teen depending upon maturity levels), but I decided long ago that as long as she keeps writing ‘em, I am going to keep reading ‘em. She was one of the first authors I really loved to read, and so I suppose I shall always have a soft spot for her books. In any case, even as I age, I still appreciate her stories and characters and continue to enjoy her books.

Tamora Pierce has created two main worlds in which her characters and magic systems exist. One is the home of the Circle of Magic books, and the other is Tortall, which has been home to a wonderful assortment of knights, mages, scoundrels, and nobility. While the setting remains the same, the characters and their stories have been excitingly different. It has been interesting to see how the beliefs and customs in this world have changed over time, while other things have remained very much consistent throughout the timeframe covered by her works.

Typically, in her Tortallian stories, Pierce creates a female character and follows their path to greatness through two, three, or four books. Mastiff is the third and final book in the Beka Cooper series, which details the progress of Beka Cooper as she gains position in Tortall's police force. Unlike Tamora Pierce's other books, the Cooper stories are written journal style in first person. Since Beka Cooper is one of Tamora Pierce's few shyer, quieter characters, this is an excellent way to understand and connect with the character, although she may not speak as much as many of the other characters in the story. The Beka Cooper stories date back the furthest in the Tortall collections thus far; so it is interesting to see how things have changed between her time on Tortall's police force and later in the timeline when Alanna must struggle to gain acceptance as a lady knight.

Beka's earlier stories detail her learning and growing into her position as a law keeper of the realm, but Mastiff highlights how skilled and mature she has become. This is without a doubt the most exciting of the three novels, as the stakes have never been higher and it pushes Beka and all of her companions to the limit. I won't deny that there may have been more than once during the reading of this book that caused me to get a little teary-eyed, a few moments that had me bouncing in glee, and more than a few moments that left me screaming at the book and wanting to throw it against the wall. And, despite seeing a few things coming a mile off, that still didn't affect my reaction once they actually turned up in the plot. Which speaks volumes about how easy it is to get wrapped up in the story and empathize with Pierce's characters. I suppose it isn't a surprise then, that this books kept me up well past bed-time three nights running. And I have to say - totally worth it.

While Beka Cooper isn't my favorite of the Tortallian legends (my favorite stories are in The Immortals Quartet), I still thoroughly enjoyed reading her story and watching her journey. I love how her tale, despite being a century removed from most of the other events in the Tortallian legends, is still connected and important to those future events. As always, I greatly enjoyed the cast of characters, the exciting events, and the constant snark that is so prevalent in Tamora Pierce's work. All in all this book was quite satisfying, and I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

It's like “Law and Order” Tortall style.

Although Kel is my favorite of Tamora Pierce's heroines, Beka Cooper is fast in second place. I love the author's strong,female heroine and the strong, supportive men that surround them as they fight injustice. The Provost Hound series is much more mystery-like than many of Pierce's previous books which really focus on building the legends of the world. I'd give it to any of the self-rescuing princesses in my life.

I (finally) finished Mastiff by Tamora Pierce last night. I say finally because I feel like I have been reading this book for a really long time, but that is mostly due to these last weeks being the start of school. It really only took me about 3 weeks to read this almost-600-page book.

Before I can really get into this review, I have to admit something. I love Tamora Pierce. I have since I discovered her Lioness Quartet in 6th grade. To this day, one of the highlights of my life was interviewing her after the first Beka Cooper book came out. So, I knew I was going to love this book before my Nook automatically downloaded it in late October (did I mention my first purchase on my Nook was the aforementioned Lioness Quartet and the preorder of this book?).

That said, this books did not earn my love by simply existing. It took a bit to warm up to again, possibly because it had been a while since reading a Beka Cooper book, so to suddenly jump in with the third book was a bit of a shock. Especially because the book starts with Beka burying her fiancé. I reeled because I didn't remember Beka even having a fiancé, let alone that he died. For the first ten pages or so, I was freaking out, thinking I really needed to reread the previous books, which is quite a daunting feat a week before classes start.

Thankfully, the previous two books, Terrier and Bloodhound are also on my Nook, so a quick glance of the ending of Bloodhound let me know that I had not missed anything, that almost 2 years separates the two stories, and the Holburn was no where in the previous book. Which fits, because he is not technically in the third book, either.

Without giving too much away, Mastiff follows Beka, Tunstall, Lady Sabine, Achoo, Pounce and Farmer, a mage from the Blue Harbor Kennel as they search for the kidnapped prince of Tortall. This Prince Gareth is the ancestor of Prince-cum-King Jonathan from the earlier (later?) Tortall series, as Beka is George Cooper's ancestor. The exact number of generations between the characters in these books and the characters from the other Tortallan books is unknown, which is something else that confused me.

This confusion is totally my fault. Somewhere I got the idea the Beka was George's grandmother, which made some of the names in this book, specifically that of the Prince, confusing. I reread Alanna over the summer, so I was more familiar with those books, including the character of Duke Gareth of Naxen, one of the knights that taught Alanna to fight when she was Alan, and then fought by her side when Duke Roger decided to go apeshit. So, for a good part of the beginning of the book, I thought that the prince in question would grow up to become the duke in question, who is also Jonathan's uncle. So, yeah, I was a little off.

My confusion on these two parts is probably what made the book seem a bit slow to start.

After getting over the headache, I was able to start fully investing myself into the reading. Which was just as good as I have come to expect from Pierce. Full of action, feature strong characters and good motives. I was a little dismayed over the lack of Rosto in the book, because I was convinced that he and Beka would get together, thus forming the bond between law and rogue that shines in George. That didn't happen, but don't worry, there is still that touch of romance that leaves the 13-year-old in me smiling from ear to ear.

The central focus of Mastiff is the slave trade in Tortall, but really the story could have happened anywhere. It is a terrible glimpse into what the world of slavery is. How people are bought, sold, killed and disposed of like they are play things. How people can treat others that are deemed below them. It is a disgusting world full of untrustworthy and genuinely ugly people. Pierce showcases this world as the seedy, yet perfectly legal underbelly of Tortall. Parents selling their children for extra cash, children kidnapped by slavers when the season is right, and the rich getting richer on the backs of those with nothing but their names and the rags covering their bodies.

All of this is set in a conspiracy plot that involves some of the highest nobles in the land.

The book begins with a show of death at the hands of the conspirators. Guards, slaves, workers, friends are all dead when Beka is summoned to the Summer Palace to begin her Hunt. I'm going to stop telling the story now, except to say that Mastiff ends similarly, with the attack of the kidnappers. Only at the end, the attacks are for the King and not against him, and they are done in the open, with mercy and warning.

Overall, I am very satisfied with this book. It has kept me up the last two nights, unable to put it down. When I did finally convince myself to turn off the light, I was still awake thinking about it. It completely captured me, as I knew it would. When I finished it last night, I immediately began wondering when Pierce is going to release another series. Since this is the last of the Beka Cooper stories, I cannot wait to see which character in her wonderful kingdom will be next.

So, yeah, I'm a fangirl. But, seriously, go read this book, and all of Pierce's other books while your at it. It's totally worth it, and there are almost 30 of them, so it's something that will keep you happy and reading for a while.