In the fifth chapter of Wild Magic, Daine begins the process of understanding the power she possesses. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Wild Magic.
Chapter Five: Wild Magic
FOR REAL, Y’ALL, THIS BOOK IS GREAT.
- HELL YES, I WAS RIGHT. IT’S JONATHAN. I was so terrified that I’d embarrassed myself with the review for chapter four. It wasn’t that hard to figure out who that was, given that he was the only character who did magic who hadn’t been seen in the narrative.
- I don’t really develop crushes when I read books or anything? IDEK, it just doesn’t happy. But I kind of realized that older Jonathan sounds like he looks like a goddamn dreamboat. Come on: “His close-cropped hair and beard were blue black, his eyes sapphire blue, his teeth white against the blackness of his beard. Daine gulped.” Sweet jesus, I need fanart of him right now.
- But beyond this, I’m enjoying the fact that Daine came from such a patriarchal and traditional society, and Pierce is having her experience a new way of living through the story. That’s awesome.
- Ah, the Gift. Jonathan brings this up quickly, and I’m not surprised. He’s very forthright as a ruler, but I was impressed that he was able to recognize that this line of questioning made Daine very uncomfortable.
- WINGED HORSES WHAT.
- So that is why Carthak matters! They are D E S P E R A T E.
- Gosh, Daine has been raised to believe that she should be ashamed of her mother for having a one-night stand, and it’s so difficult for her to talk about it. That makes me sad.
- Bless Jonathan for finding a way to make Daine feel like she belongs. Ultimately, that’s what I adore about this chapter. He goes to such great lengths to make Daine feel wanted, and that means the world to me.
- So, Daine can see colors associated with animals, and that helps her to both communicate with them and find them.
- Holy shit, Numair is an expert on wild magic, not just the Gift. AND HE CAN TEACH HER TO HEAL ANIMALS. Oh god, that is why all those animals got better when Daine passed out after the Stormwings attack. This book just gets more and more exciting with each chapter.
- HAHAHA, DAINE IS SMITTEN WITH JONATHAN. I can’t blame her. Ugh, he is a total dreamboat, I don’t care. I can’t wait until George comes into the story, either. He’ll have to, since Daine is going to Pirate’s Swoop eventually!
- “I have a feeling you’ll be most welcome in this real, Veralidaine Sarrasri.” No, stop it, my heart can’t handle all this cute friendship.
- Cloud is so sassy, I swear. I love Cloud’s bossy relationship with Numair.
- Through Onua and Daine, Pierce examines the inherent absurdity of royal politics. It’s beautiful. All these rules, social contracts, expectations… it’s all so strange once you stop and think about it.
- No, what the fuck, she gets to cuddle with cats when she sleeps???
- “It would have been nice, talking with Miri after lights-out, but this was better. Miri didn’t know how to purr.” AMEN FOREVER, DAINE. CATS > FRIENDS. Okay, I’m being ridiculous, but when one of my cats decides to cuddle and purr me, it relaxes me so quickly. I deeply understand the desire to cuddle with cats over human interaction.
- Daine is kind of a natural teacher, no? She has to learn new things, like taking charge and being loud, but she fits the role well.
- Cloud refers to Numair as “stork-man” at one point. Bless that goddamn horse.
- THAYET ONCE LEFT A ROYAL FUNCTION TO SAVE A GROUP OF RIDERS AND DID IT ALL IN A PINK TISSUE DRESS. She is the best ever, I swear.
- Daine’s range with Cloud is nearly a mile and a half. Holy shit.
- How incredible is the sequence where Numair essentially opens up Daine’s magic? He introduces her to an entire world she never knew existed, and this helps her communicate with the animal world.
- Also, sassy owl.
- THERE ARE WATER SPRITES IN THIS UNIVERSE. Oh my god, what other creatures and beings am I going to meet now that Daine can see them?
- TREE SPRITES. OH MY GOD.
- WHAT THE HELL, ONUA HAS WILD MAGIC, TOO. Well, it’s not as strong as Daine’s, but it totally makes sense that people so close with horses would develop a magical connection to them. Oh shit, Stefan has it as well!
- It’s interesting that I pointed out that Daine wasn’t going through the same training as all the potential Riders, and I stick by that thought. It didn’t make sense for her to go through with something that wasn’t her ultimate goal in life. While working for Onua is training in a sense, I knew that Daine didn’t want to be a member of the Queen’s Riders. Now, she’s going through training of her own with Numair, and it’s helping her to accept herself. Part of that also means she’s got to learn how to control her mind as well, and I can tell that’s going to be difficult for her. I know that from experience! Like Daine, I grew up extremely self-conscious (and I still am, to an extent), and that means my anxiety keeps my braining going 24/7. Perhaps I should learn to meditate, too.
- Oh god, Daine feels like she doesn’t deserve nice things. Help me, MY HEART.
- I have literally never heard the phrase “Odd’s bobs!” in my entire life, and I plan on integrating it into my vernacular just to confuse other people.
- This chapter also features the first time that time passes rapidly in the narrative. I hadn’t even thought about that until the part where Pierce describes how Daine’s life revolves around her new schedule. This definitely feels like its own novel, and I imagine that Pierce didn’t have the restraints of splitting up a larger novel into four smaller ones for a younger audience. I’m actually excited to see how Tamora Pierce’s writing changes over time.
- “She grasped the badger’s claw. ‘I wish you’d come and tell me,’ she whispered, earning a curious look from the pine marten who had arranged herself and her kits on the girl’s blanket-covered legs.”
- 1000000% PERCENT DONE WITH THIS SERIES. Did you know the pine marten is my absolute favorite animal ever? They are my patronus/daemon, and this is the most egregious oppressive teasing in The Immortals and I am just done with this great injustice.
DONE, I TELL YOU. DONE.
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