Tempests and Slaughter follows Arram Draper during his years in mage school as he learns to control his "Gift." While at school he becomes friends with Ozorne Tasikhe and Varice Kingsford. Those familiar with Pierce's Immortals series and its offshoots know Arram better as Numair Salmalin and know the fates of those characters but the first book of this prequel series focuses on Numair's formative years. Since this takes place many years before the Immortals series, familiarity with the earlier series is not required and the story stands on its own, which is especially important since a portion of this book's target audience was not even born when it was originally published. Readers get a nice introduction to a world where powerful mages interact with gods and goddesses, and magic has its own quirks and costs. It is very easy to get immersed in the world Pierce created. Although Arram and his friends are powerful beyond their years we are still reminded that they are very young despite their advanced magical studies. Throughout the book Arram ages from 10 to 14 and over the course the novel he has to deal with bullying, friendship, disillusionment, tricky gods, pets, and or course puberty. At its core this is a book about his friendship with Ozorne who is in line for emperor. While Ozorne shares Arram's love for learning and magic, his station in life gives him other concerns and there are several areas where the two friends disagree. It will be interesting to see how this relationship develops. Arram grows both physically and emotionally throughout the book. While he gets a stronger sense of what he wants to do with his life and is less naive by the time the novel ends, at his core he is the same person he was when the novel started. And while he learned a lot he still have a lot more to learn as book one ends.

Reading this was like coming home. I have missed Tamora Pierce’s writing and am now fighting the urge to go and re-read all her other books because I have (too) many books I must read first.
Arram Draper, whom readers of Pierce’s series Immortals know as Numair, is attending a university for mages. There he, and we as well, meet the people that will shape him into the man that will travel alongside Daine in the future. It is a delight to see the world expanded on more. The book moves rather slowly compared to what I remember of her others, the action doesn’t really pick up until very near the end. I found it fascinating and had a hard time putting it down though. I can’t wait for what will happen next.

All the feels. Going back to the Tortall universe and reading a character backstory was awesome. Knowing what happens to those characters was #allthefeels though.
We get to see Ozorne as a (mostly) innocent kid, and start to see how he is corrupted into the power hungry Emperor we knew from the Wild Magic books. It's so difficult seeing both Arram/Numair, Varice, and Ozorne face hardships, but amazing to see how their youth is shaping them as adults. Arram (he hasn't chosen his 'mage name' yet) is extremely young and VERY gifted, so ostrocized in the Carthaki University. After a spell goes awry Arram is pulled out of his age group and given placed with older students in a more independent, and therefore more to his skill level and interest, program. There he meets Ozorne and Varice and quickly bonds with the two other gifted students.

Arram may only be 10 years old, yet he is training at the Imperial University of Carthak and may eventually become a very powerful mage. As he moves up in his classes he forges deep friendships with two other young students that show great promise. It doesn’t matter that one of them is the “leftover prince,” these three continue to perform beyond everyone’s expectations. As Ozorne slowly becomes less of a leftover and Arram starts feeling those feelings about girls, Arram begins to learn that loyalties can be stretched in different directions.

Tempests and Slaughter is the first book in The Numair Chronicles. Readers will find themselves easily relating to these young mages and hoping for success in their endeavors. Pierce has crafted a story with a lot of depth and backstory, yet the reader will not feel as if pages and pages were dedicated to world building. I was sad to have the story end and I will definitely be looking for the next book in the series.

I was very excited for Pierce's newest entry to the Tortall Cannon and she didn't disappoint!

You can meet Arram Draper, a young magician, in the first novel of a new series. This is before his appearance in the Wild Magic series where you may know him as Numair. The book explains how Arram started as a young prodigy in magic, while showing how his relationship with Ozorne and Varice began. It's a great look into how Arram becomes Numair, although at times it feels like the writing is moving faster than the story. There is so much stuff packed into this, which could be because it is the start of the book, but hopefully the sequels will flesh out the rest of the characters.

Tamora Pierce has a writing style that features strongly in all of her work. The environment is richly described and the character building makes it so that decisions are based on the character and not just to keep the story moving. There is a repetitive nature in her storytelling but the building of the plot invites a reader to experience things along with the characters.

I loved getting to know Numair from childhood and watch as he is shaped into the man I loved so much in later Tortall books. Can't wait to see what he'll do next.

I just finished Tamora Pierce's "Tempests and Slaughter" Book 1. It was delightful. The author creates a world with such detail regarding the education of a particularly adept student named Arram Draper. Arram is a young boy of 11 with an innate talent for magic. He has been brought to the best of the magic universities by his family to further his gift. Arram's curiosity gets him into trouble many times. His curiosity is also what leads to a deeper understanding of his gift and broadens his education. He has a deep affection for animals and the value of human freedom in a land where slavery is everywhere. Arram's gift draws the attention of the university which recognizes his potential and the danger he could pose if his gift was left unsupervised. He and his fellow classmates, Ozorne and Varice, two other promising older students, are given a program of individual and closely supervised courses. Arram blossoms in this environment and his talent grows. He is a gifted healer and is sought after by Master Ramatsu, the university healer. There is intrigue as well in our story. Ozorne is fourth in line for the throne of the empire. As the story progresses, Ozorne's value to the future of the empire increases. The other heirs seem to be meeting unexpected early deaths. The reader is brought along Arram's adventures outside of school as well. We watch him grow from a small timid child to a tall gangly teenager. The story is very descriptive in its narrative and the author brings the lush landscape to life. I look forward to reading the further adventures of Arram, Varice and Ozorne as they continue on their journey towards adulthood and the future that the gods have in store for them.

I have been waiting for this book since I was 15. I’m not exaggerating.

In Tempests and Slaughter we begin our journey with Arram Draper before he became Numair Salmalin. When he was still a student studying at the University of Carthak and was best friends with the future Emperor Ozorne and Varice Kingsford. This is the beginning of everything for Arram/Numair.

Ok. First, let me preface this and say I will read and love anything Tamora Pierce writes. Her books first got me into Fantasy and they’ve just shaped me so much as a human being so I might be a bit biased, but as always, I will try and be as objective in my review as possible. That being said, I really enjoyed this first foray into the world of young Arram Draper. I had one or two issues with the story overall, but on the whole, I think it did everything it was supposed to do for a first installment.

I loved seeing Arram as a young boy, growing into a young man. It was amusing to see since we see him watch Daine grow throughout the Immortals Quartet; it was a wonderful mirror to look into this time around. I’m not sure about Varice Kingsford. Firstly, I never really liked her in Emperor’s Mage cause REASONS, but she still seems to be the insipid person she was back then even with the intelligence we see in this installment.

The young Ozorne we see now is definitely a complex character. We see glimpses of who he will become and some of the reasons why, but we also see the friend that Arram treasured and Numair mourned which was sad.

I think my main issue I had with this book was plot was, not much happened.

We mostly see them taking different classes at the University and that’s mainly it. There are a few mysterious things that happen which lean toward the conspiracy side of things, but they mainly act as a tool to set up plot points that will probably have more of an impact in later installments. I think that was really my main issue with the story overall. I would have preferred a little more action plot-wise.

Honestly, if you’re a Tamora Pierce fan, this book is already sold to you. If you haven’t read any of her books yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! She is the QUEEN of YA Fantasy and she blazed a trail for so many of our favorite writers today. This newest installment to her Tortall universe only cements why.

The long awaited story of Numair nee Arram Draper and his days as a student in Carthak and his friendship with Prince Ozorne.

I have been waiting for this book to come out since it was first announced, and suffered through each and every. single. delay. in it's publication. To say that this was my most anticipated read of 2018 is not an understatement. So, with expectations stoked this high for so damn long, I can't be blamed that they weren't exactly met.

It was enjoyable and a welcome view to the mysterious empire of Carthak that we only glimpsed briefly in Emperor Mage, yet it seemed to be missing something. Instead of the tightly packed plot lines of Pierce's other Tortall series (minus book 3 of the Beka Cooper trilogy), this seemed to be a lot of skimmed over and then, and then, and then and then, with no real climax or theme beyond Arram's growing magical Gift and his realization of the many things wrong with the Carthaki Empire—particularly slavery, the gladiator arena, bigotry, racism and politics.

While I was frustrated by the meandering plot, I did like how Arram's naivety and scholarly interests were depicted, even if I would have liked to have more of a description of them than the brief bursts we got. I also wanted more depictions of his friendship with Ozorne and Varice and the others, instead of the snippets—but again this is understandable since Arram is so focused on his studies and is such an awkward turtle in his Carthaki years. So much is covered in this book, and yet nothing is deeply explored except perhaps the gladiators and the wealth of misery, pain and wrongness of treating people like something less than animals.

Despite my frustrations, I am really looking forward to book two, and I sincerely hope I don't have to wait another five years for it!

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

So, so happy to read this. Really classic Pierce from a different perspective (that of a young boy instead of a girl). Those who have read the Wild Magic series will know where this story goes, but it’s not required reading. Mild spoilers: those characters we meet in the future, specifically the drastically changed Ozorne, is never treated any differently than the other characters, with him and Arram both given Good and bad moments. It’s very subtle, nothing that screams “this guy will be evil.” This book is also filled to the brim with interesting Pierce characters. I kind of wish this book series was split into three books even, to spend more time with developing these characters. Sometimes this book felt toooo full, and the big finale didn’t feel truly impactful in the same way of other Pierce series. Still, awesome book, so happy to see Pierce writing these kind of books!! More please!!!

I first discovered the Tortall world in middle school. They're books that I can read over and over again without tiring. I've been waiting for the Numair Chronicles several years now and was stoked to receive this for review. So much that I made it my first read of the new year! I've been curious about Numair's origin story since Emperor Mage gave us a sneak peak into his backstory.

WHAT I LIKED

A Fellow Reader and Dreamer
Readers, dreamers, and seekers (aka. forever curious people) will relate to Arram. I have loved Tamora Pierce's strong heroines, who we also know to be real people with real struggles, but it is wonderful to have a protagonist who may also be found buried in books, is an idealist, and is constantly coming up with new ideas and wanting to know things (and getting told to stop asking questions). That was a really long sentence. I'll stop now, or I'll keep rambling about my delight with young Arram Draper.

(But one more thought: I did enjoy comparing young Arram with the older Numair in The Immortals series. It is such fun to make connections! Like his feelings about riding horses.)

Characters We Know and Love
What really made this book for me is the familiar world and characters. I remember the main protagonists as well as some other characters from Tamora Pierce's Immortal series, and I enjoyed the references to characters from other Tortall books. (There are even a couple references to characters, or related characters, from the Beka Cooper series!)

Complex Characters
What was especially interesting is the portrayal of Ozorne's character. I knew that he and Numair were friends during their university days, but given his role in the Immortals series, I was not expecting to like him so much. It's interesting to see how his character develops over the course of his time at the university in Tempests and Slaughter. I'm interested in seeing where and how his break with Numair occurs in the next installment of the Numair Chronicles.

Creative World Building
As always, the world of the Tortall books is fascinating. I enjoyed learning more about the world south of Tortall.

WHAT I DISLIKED

Feels More Like a Summary Than a Story
The story covers Arram's early years from his entrance into the university's Lower Academy at age 10 (when most enter a year later) to the first year of independent studies at age 14. Because it covers such a broad span of time—and because so much happens during this time—much gets summarized. If I was not already familiar with the Tortall world and invested in Arram's story, I doubt I would have enjoyed this novel as much as I did.

Furthermore, this is not even a complete summary. Different key plot elements get introduced at various times across the novel without a clear resolution.

The story ends In Media Res
My only clue that the story was coming to an end was the "percentage status" in the bottom right corner of my Kindle. The plot brewing had thickened, and hints had been dropped that all was not well despite thoughts to the contrary. Then we're left hanging in the middle of a scene that seems out of place given everything that has happened and that we know will happen. I was left with a feeling of incompleteness.

It seems that this novel is not meant to be the first installment in a series so much as the first half of a story that will be resolved in the second half, which is to be released (hopefully) next year.

What's with the Title?
The title sounds cool, but I'm still not sure how it relates to the story. (Or to which specific plot points they refer.) The problem may be that the story doesn't have a coherent plotline but seems more like a record of Arram / Numair's early years. (Which is how the series advertises itself but which causes it to fall flat as a standalone novel.)

If you figure out the meaning behind the title, I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

The Cover Art
I'm not a fan of the new artwork that they've given the series. I loved the original ones where they featured the character on the cover with illustrations. Even if they stopped featuring the characters on the covers, I would have preferred they keep the original artwork styles instead of using the new dark, intense covers that look heavily photoshopped (or whatever it is they use on computers nowadays).

A Few Other Miscellaneous Details
Some details don't make sense. For example, a character may have taken an action in between a couple paragraphs, but the action is not mentioned. While it doesn't heavily impact the overall flow of the story, it makes for a small glitch or bump in the road as I'm reading.

I also get the feeling that some things don't quite align with the Immortals series. It may be because this prequel series was written afterwards, or it may be because it's been some time since I last reread the Immortals. I do get the feeling that some details should be changed in the Immortals because of new revelations here. (In particular dealing with crocodile gods and sunbirds. But who knows. Maybe things happened outside of Daine's knowledge.) But perhaps the course of events in The Exile's Gift will change my mind.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I loved reading about Numair's early life and his misadventures. I wish I had book two in my hands now. However, while this series is called the Numair Chronicles, I didn't enjoy so much how the book essentially summarizes his early years at the university. The story lacks a coherent plot that allows it to stand alone but rather spends it entirety introducing the various plotlines that I expect will converge in The Exile's Gift (book two).

What made this story for me are the familiar characters and the opportunity to explore more of the world that Tamora Pierce has developed over the years. I would recommend reading at least the Immortals series first (because it's she first introduces the primary cast), but if you can read the other Tortall books as well, it will make this read even more priceless.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been reading Tamora Pierce since I was ten, and starting a new book of hers always feels deeply comforting, in a way few authors I've found since adulthood make me feel. This, happily was no exception.

Arram Draper will come to be known as Numair from the Wild Magic books, but in Tempests and Slaughter, we see his youth and development as a mage. The "gifted young person at school" trope is one that can be beaten into the ground, but Pierce writes it with skill and kept me entertained. He has a small social group that eases his way through being That Kid, and his Magical Animal Sidekick is adorable without being saccharine.

This would be a solid five stars, but it feels like there was no true climax in the book, so I'm knocking one off for that. I'm still going to tell everyone to read this and booktalk it like mad, though

I was so excited to read this backstory for Numair, as well as a bit apprehensive as I haven't read Pierce in many years. I had nothing to worry about. I was sucked in to Arram's life from page one, and had an impossible time putting the book down to read later. The story is fast paced, it is full of subtle nuances and bits of clues that if you have read the earlier Tortall stories, you will recognize. This story can most definitely stand on its own, with the rick worlds that Tamora Pierce created, it is no wonder she is still the master. I was inspired on finishing this book to go back and re-read the other Tortall stories.

I have been reading Tamora Pierce's books since I was in middle school in the 90's. I grew up with Alanna, Daine, Kel, Aly & Beka and these books have definitely had an impact on my life and who I am today. I was over the moon when I learned their would be a new book series in the world of Tortall and couldn't wait to read more of Numair's life as young boy and young man. When I received an ARC from Netgalley, I couldn't wait to dive in!

Overall, Tempests and Slaughter took my a long time to get into. It almost seemed like a completely different writing style than I was used too in regards to Pierce's books (I did a reread of The Immortals series directly before reading this). It may be because this was my first time reading a Pierce book with a male narrator so it was harder to connect with young Arram. There were also some parts where the wording or phrasing didn't make sense but perhaps these will be cleared up in the final copy. I loved being back in the world and getting glimpses of characters that I know from the different series and learning even more about the magic system from Arram's point of view. The book picked up for me in the final quarter and I especially enjoyed the section from the gladiator camp. I realize this is sort of wizarding-school book, but I wish there had been a bit more action and more meaningful interactions between Arram, Ozorne & Varice to really connect me to their friendship.

I will definitely be picking up the next one in the series, and not only for nostalgia's sake but to learn more of Arram's backstory and see how he grew to be the mage we know and love from The Immortals. However, I will definitely continue to recommend my students and friends start with Alanna and work their way through Daine, Kel, Aly & Beka.

3.5 out of 5 stars. I received this ebook as an ARC from Netgalley.

For fans of Tamora Pierce's other Tortall books, this is one is a no-brainer, but it's also a good entry point for fantasy fans who have never picked up a Tamora Pierce before. Knowledge of the other Tortall series is not necessary to enjoy this book, although it does add another layer to the reading experience. I enjoy how, even though this is clearly a fantasy novel, Pierce makes her characters real by giving them relatable experiences, such as Arram dealing with the body changes that come along with puberty. I can't wait for the next book!

I am a long-time Tamora Pierce fan and have used her books in therapeutic groups before--I love how her novels feature the empowerment of women as well as some very relatable social struggles. I think this book will be particularly enjoyable for fans who are familiar with Numair, as it provides a significant level of detail about his time as a young boy transitioning to a teenager and his schooling. I think the friendships and relationships are important to talk about for anyone looking to use this book therapeutically or with a class, especially given what we know from the context of other books. Other important issues covered were familial relationships, appropriate ways to treat mental illness, and how to socially problem-solve when someone is treating you in a way you can't understand or that upsets you. I also think it is wonderful for young readers to see a character they know as mighty, confident, and respected at a time when he was none of those things. Such a validating perspective for young adults.

Numair will be one of the greatest mages of the age, but for now, he is just a boy named Arram Draper, a student at the Imperial Mage Academy in Carthak. His curiousity tends to get him in trouble, as does his occasional difficulty in controlling his talent.

Despite the title, this is a fairly low-key book, with the great events mostly happening offstage. It is primarily a school story, as Arram learns magic and spends time with his good friends, including the last imperial heir, Ozorne.

Very enjoyable, and a good entry point to Pierce's major world.

Tamora Pierce does not disappoint in her next expedition into the Tortall Universe. Engaging characters and wonderful plot make this a book you don't want to put down. The only down side is having to wait for the next book to come out!

Tempests and Slaughter did not fail my (high) expectations. I have been a Tamora Pierce fan for almost twenty years and, at any age, her stories have never disappointed me so I am glad to add this book to the list. What I really love about Tamora Pierce books is how she tackles issues without it seeming like she’s taking a stand. In Tempests and Slaughter she addresses issues of growing up, like navigating friendships and relationships, puberty (reading a boy’s perspective was certainly a huge change!), bullying, social issues and the importance of education without making it seem like she’s tackling them. I don’t think the editor’s letter will be in the final copy but I really appreciated reading it and seeing this as a book for those kids who are considered “gifted”. I know there are a lot of books out there where the main character is labeled as “smart” but rarely are they learning at levels way above their age. I’ve read all of the other Tortall books so I know where Arram ends up and a simple explanation of why, but I am really looking forward to finding out the in-depth story of how it all happened in the next book(s). If you’ve read the other Tortall books, you see how his ideals as a youngster are carried through to his adulthood and if you haven’t, you see how the events around him as a youngster will shape him into adulthood. I did feel the pacing was a little slower than her other books.
To potential readers: you can definitely read this book without reading any other Tortall book. The same world-building that is given to the other books is given to this one.
To fans of Tamora Pierce: you will be very happy to see some old faces and learn more about them!