Monday, January 04, 2010

Terrier by Tamora Pierce


The first book in the Beka Cooper series brings fans of Tamora Pierce back to the world of Tortall. This book is set prior to Pierce's other Tortall series. It is written in a journal format from the eyes of Rebekah (Beka) Cooper as she goes through training to be a police officer, or “Dog,” for the Lower City district of Corus. Beka has interesting talents as being able to talk to ghosts and dust devils. She uses these informants and others to discover who is responsible for the murder of her friend's child.


The journal format put me off at first since I was so used to Pierce's prose, but it faded into the background as I got further into the story. I enjoyed seeing how Beka grows out of some of her isolation and shyness. Watching her making friends and challenging her fears of speaking in public was a delight.  Beka is a notable addition to Pierce's many strong female characters. 

Overall I liked the book, but not as much as I enjoyed others by Pierce. If I was to recommend a Pierce book to someone who had not read one of hers before, it would be Trickters's Choice, and not Terrier.

P.S. This is my first book review!  Please leave me comments below!


2 comments:

Amanda said...

I've never heard of these books. The cover looks interesting. Are they young adult?

Ann said...

Yeah. According to Pierce's website, the publisher's recommended reading age is 12 and up: http://www.tamora-pierce.com/books.html.