Book Title: The Ambassador's Mission
Author: Trudi Canavan
Series: The Traitor Spy Trilogy #1
Series: The Traitor Spy Trilogy #1
Date Started: June 14th 2013
Date Completed: June 19th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Romance, Mystery, Adventure
Rating: Five stars
Review:
I remember when I finished Canavan's Black Magician Trilogy that I wanted more. Even though the story draws nicely to a close in this book's prequel trilogy, I really wanted to read more about Sonea and Rothen and Dannyl and Cery etc etc. Which is why when I found out there was actually more of their story to be told, I fangirled a little bit. And then I actually got to reading it and it was just perfect.
The Ambassador's Mission takes place twenty years after the Black Magician Trilogy. Sonea is now Black Magician for the Guild and her son, Lorkin, has grown up into a popular alchemist that takes a lot of the girl's fancies. But the Thieves in the slums are being murdered, and Sonea's old street urchin friend fears for his own life when his family's is taken. He sets out on a mission to bring the Thief Hunter to justice and to avenge his lost sons. Meanwhile, when Dannyl, another old friend of Sonea's, applies for the Ambassador position in the distant - and previously enemy territory - Sachaka, Lorkin allows his curiosity to get the better of him and decides to go with his mother's friend - much to Sonea's dismay. But when her protests of danger for her son are overruled, Lorkin is thrown into a dangerous country where his safety may not be as secure as he once thought it to be.
Trudi Canavan's writing is amazing. I've always loved the clear sophisticated style and techniques that still seem to flow smoothly, despite the challenging structure. The world comes to life off the page and the characters develop and change and act irresponsibly and wonderfully. She definitely knows what she's doing to the point where she hasn't written a book; she's written an entire world in the pages of a novel. For a Young Adult series, she's really very clever in attracting and entertaining her target audience, but not boring them at the same time.
The story was amazing as ever. I seem to be reading more and more books that incorporate several subplots to make one big story. Although, out of all the books I've read that do that, I definitely think Canavan is the best at carrying it out. I don't feel like any one of the plots is supposed to be more important than the other, so you really get the feeling that everything draws into one and another, and each need the other to completely make sense and continue to flow.
I think I enjoyed Sonea's story the most, but I've always loved her character, so I may be biased. But I loved all of them; I wasn't skimming through certain chapters to get to a person that I liked reading. Dannyl's story is definitely the political one, yet I was still quite interested in what happened.
Lorkin's was the most adventurous, as you'd expect; and Cery's was like a murder mystery. (I love the way each story almost has it's own genre and they still all worked together despite the clashing themes.) The links between the stories are masterfully written, especially Sonea's involvement in her son's plot, and then Cery's inclusion in hers.
Sonea is a wonderful protagonist. I loved her as the main character in the Black Magician Trilogy, and I love her now, even though she has less of a main role. She makes mistakes, and she's reckless - but she has reasons for both (e.g. she isn't the typical character that takes risks for the hell of it just to impress the readers - she actually has valid reasons for acting the way she does.) You can really see how she's grown from the first trilogy into the woman she is now, yet you can still notice those little flares of her youth in her stubbornness. I do wish there had been more involvement in her reaction to what happened to her after .......'s (can't write it because spoilers) death - I think she'd probably worry or think about it more, but it wasn't that necessary to the plot, so I can see why it was left out.
I really like Lorkin; I was a little worried at first, because I didn't know how you could create a character that was different from Sonea, yet still have the features so you could relate the two together, but actually Canavan did just that. You can definitely see aspects of Sonea's personality in her son's, but he's still a new character with his own way of thinking and keeping the audience interested.
I was glad to see Dannyl again, since he has always been a favourite of mine, but I think my heart was cut out of my chest fairly near the beginning of the book when he decided to leave someone (sorry, spoilers) behind. I didn't see it coming and it hurt.
Cery was also one of my favourites, and he's just as good when he's twenty years older. I always found it hard to imagine the troublesome street urchin older with a wife and children of his own, but it actually suits him quite well - until Canavan decided to cut my heart out there too. But his inclusion was brilliant.
And Rothen! Oh my god I've missed Rothen so much. I wish he was in it more, I really do. Rothen is just perfect and wonderful and asdfghjkl;.
I like the change in Regin took - I definitely prefer him to the novice version.
I miss ....... (sorry), just saying.And what the hell happened to Dorrien? The epilogue in the High Lord says he didn't leave Sonea's side after the battle - so where is he twenty years later? (There isn't even any explanation or anything. Sorry, but he was in my top three characters from the books, I miss him.)
The pace of the book was pretty consistent throughout the whole novel; of course there were times when there wasn't action or magic or whatever, but I never got bored, as such.
There may not have been strictly exciting, but there was always something going on to aid the story. That's another thing I really liked: every chapter was there for a reason and had a purpose - they weren't there just to fill time or catch up with a character. Each one was specifically needed for something in the plot.
I didn't expect such involvement from the old characters of the prequel trilogy to appear in this book, so as each one emerged in their chapters I did freak out a little - I missed them, okay.
Imardin has changed quite a bit since the Black Magician Trilogy. Although the general foundations and such are the same, I would have found it practically impossible to imagine the city without the Thieves' Road when I was reading the first books - yet now it's all gone. The slums and Guild seem to be quite different too. The integration of slum magicians into the Guild was presented very well, I think, since it clearly wasn't simple, yet no unnecessary dramas took place to draw attention away from the vital plot.
Canavan's portrayal of magic is very original, yet still draws inspiration from the typical folklore we all know. Her characters are new and different and real and interesting and vibrant. Her world presents all the thrilling and dangerous places you would expect from a content ruled by sorcerers. I'm also very impressed by Canavan's dedication to creating a full and flawless history for her countries - you can tell she's spent a long time working out how everything played out and has taken her time to make sure she's written it just right for the audience.
I loved it.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It has so many different genres woven into the plots that you can read what you love, and also try something a little different at the same time. Cery's plot is definitely a mystery; Lorkin's is adventurous and has a little bit of romance poured in; Dannyl's is political and Sonea's is everything in between. There's action and magic and new lands to explore and learn about. I would recommend reading the Black Magician Trilogy first, just so you know a little bit about the characters, but it isn't vital if you want to go straight onto the Traitor Spy Trilogy (although if you want to fangirl as each of your favourite characters from the original books appear in this novel, definitely start with the Magician's Guild and work your way up.)
Image Source: http://ellegadodelmagonegro.com/wp-content/
uploads/2012/02/the_ambassadors_mission.jpg
I remember when I finished Canavan's Black Magician Trilogy that I wanted more. Even though the story draws nicely to a close in this book's prequel trilogy, I really wanted to read more about Sonea and Rothen and Dannyl and Cery etc etc. Which is why when I found out there was actually more of their story to be told, I fangirled a little bit. And then I actually got to reading it and it was just perfect.
The Ambassador's Mission takes place twenty years after the Black Magician Trilogy. Sonea is now Black Magician for the Guild and her son, Lorkin, has grown up into a popular alchemist that takes a lot of the girl's fancies. But the Thieves in the slums are being murdered, and Sonea's old street urchin friend fears for his own life when his family's is taken. He sets out on a mission to bring the Thief Hunter to justice and to avenge his lost sons. Meanwhile, when Dannyl, another old friend of Sonea's, applies for the Ambassador position in the distant - and previously enemy territory - Sachaka, Lorkin allows his curiosity to get the better of him and decides to go with his mother's friend - much to Sonea's dismay. But when her protests of danger for her son are overruled, Lorkin is thrown into a dangerous country where his safety may not be as secure as he once thought it to be.
Trudi Canavan's writing is amazing. I've always loved the clear sophisticated style and techniques that still seem to flow smoothly, despite the challenging structure. The world comes to life off the page and the characters develop and change and act irresponsibly and wonderfully. She definitely knows what she's doing to the point where she hasn't written a book; she's written an entire world in the pages of a novel. For a Young Adult series, she's really very clever in attracting and entertaining her target audience, but not boring them at the same time.
The story was amazing as ever. I seem to be reading more and more books that incorporate several subplots to make one big story. Although, out of all the books I've read that do that, I definitely think Canavan is the best at carrying it out. I don't feel like any one of the plots is supposed to be more important than the other, so you really get the feeling that everything draws into one and another, and each need the other to completely make sense and continue to flow.
I think I enjoyed Sonea's story the most, but I've always loved her character, so I may be biased. But I loved all of them; I wasn't skimming through certain chapters to get to a person that I liked reading. Dannyl's story is definitely the political one, yet I was still quite interested in what happened.
Lorkin's was the most adventurous, as you'd expect; and Cery's was like a murder mystery. (I love the way each story almost has it's own genre and they still all worked together despite the clashing themes.) The links between the stories are masterfully written, especially Sonea's involvement in her son's plot, and then Cery's inclusion in hers.
Sonea is a wonderful protagonist. I loved her as the main character in the Black Magician Trilogy, and I love her now, even though she has less of a main role. She makes mistakes, and she's reckless - but she has reasons for both (e.g. she isn't the typical character that takes risks for the hell of it just to impress the readers - she actually has valid reasons for acting the way she does.) You can really see how she's grown from the first trilogy into the woman she is now, yet you can still notice those little flares of her youth in her stubbornness. I do wish there had been more involvement in her reaction to what happened to her after .......'s (can't write it because spoilers) death - I think she'd probably worry or think about it more, but it wasn't that necessary to the plot, so I can see why it was left out.
I really like Lorkin; I was a little worried at first, because I didn't know how you could create a character that was different from Sonea, yet still have the features so you could relate the two together, but actually Canavan did just that. You can definitely see aspects of Sonea's personality in her son's, but he's still a new character with his own way of thinking and keeping the audience interested.
I was glad to see Dannyl again, since he has always been a favourite of mine, but I think my heart was cut out of my chest fairly near the beginning of the book when he decided to leave someone (sorry, spoilers) behind. I didn't see it coming and it hurt.
Cery was also one of my favourites, and he's just as good when he's twenty years older. I always found it hard to imagine the troublesome street urchin older with a wife and children of his own, but it actually suits him quite well - until Canavan decided to cut my heart out there too. But his inclusion was brilliant.
And Rothen! Oh my god I've missed Rothen so much. I wish he was in it more, I really do. Rothen is just perfect and wonderful and asdfghjkl;.
I like the change in Regin took - I definitely prefer him to the novice version.
I miss ....... (sorry), just saying.And what the hell happened to Dorrien? The epilogue in the High Lord says he didn't leave Sonea's side after the battle - so where is he twenty years later? (There isn't even any explanation or anything. Sorry, but he was in my top three characters from the books, I miss him.)
The pace of the book was pretty consistent throughout the whole novel; of course there were times when there wasn't action or magic or whatever, but I never got bored, as such.
There may not have been strictly exciting, but there was always something going on to aid the story. That's another thing I really liked: every chapter was there for a reason and had a purpose - they weren't there just to fill time or catch up with a character. Each one was specifically needed for something in the plot.
I didn't expect such involvement from the old characters of the prequel trilogy to appear in this book, so as each one emerged in their chapters I did freak out a little - I missed them, okay.
Imardin has changed quite a bit since the Black Magician Trilogy. Although the general foundations and such are the same, I would have found it practically impossible to imagine the city without the Thieves' Road when I was reading the first books - yet now it's all gone. The slums and Guild seem to be quite different too. The integration of slum magicians into the Guild was presented very well, I think, since it clearly wasn't simple, yet no unnecessary dramas took place to draw attention away from the vital plot.
Canavan's portrayal of magic is very original, yet still draws inspiration from the typical folklore we all know. Her characters are new and different and real and interesting and vibrant. Her world presents all the thrilling and dangerous places you would expect from a content ruled by sorcerers. I'm also very impressed by Canavan's dedication to creating a full and flawless history for her countries - you can tell she's spent a long time working out how everything played out and has taken her time to make sure she's written it just right for the audience.
I loved it.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It has so many different genres woven into the plots that you can read what you love, and also try something a little different at the same time. Cery's plot is definitely a mystery; Lorkin's is adventurous and has a little bit of romance poured in; Dannyl's is political and Sonea's is everything in between. There's action and magic and new lands to explore and learn about. I would recommend reading the Black Magician Trilogy first, just so you know a little bit about the characters, but it isn't vital if you want to go straight onto the Traitor Spy Trilogy (although if you want to fangirl as each of your favourite characters from the original books appear in this novel, definitely start with the Magician's Guild and work your way up.)
Image Source: http://ellegadodelmagonegro.com/wp-content/
uploads/2012/02/the_ambassadors_mission.jpg
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