Wild Magic
1992
- the immortals
- tortal
- daine
- paranormal fiction
- juvenile fiction
- human-animal communication
- alanna (fictitious character : pierce)
- children's fiction
- magic, fiction
- numair
The story
Young Daine's knack with horses gets her a job helping the royal horsemistress drive a herd of ponies to Tortall. Soon it becomes clear that Daine's talent, as much as she struggles to hide it, is downright magical. Horses and other animals not only obey, but listen to her words. Daine, though, will have to learn to trust humans before she can come to terms with her powers, her past, and herself.
What it’s like
Plainspoken, brisk prose with a country-girl's eye for weather, animals and dirt roads, the kind of voice that makes a long wagon journey feel like company rather than travel. Early chapters move through open grassland, dusty trails, herds of ponies shouldering through rain and sun, and cramped inns with woodsmoke and stew, while later scenes shift to stone courts and tense, candlelit rooms where the mood tightens. Pacing is steady and episodic, with plenty of quiet time spent around animals and small domestic routines, so it suits a rainy afternoon, a comfort reread, or a long train ride when you want something absorbing without much strain. The emotional register is warm and hopeful with a current of loneliness: a lonely, guarded girl slowly learning that people can be trusted and that her strangeness can be a gift. Intensity is moderate: there are battles and some wounds, a few frightening encounters and bursts of peril, but violence is not lingering or graphic, and there is no sexual content. Its readers are young-adult and middle-grade fans who want animal companionship, gentle magic and a steadily rewarding coming-of-age arc, and adult readers who enjoy that same unfussy warmth.
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