The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce

Magic entwines the destinies of four children, bringing them together in these four books.





Sandry's Book: Sandry, a daughter of a noble family, is brought to Winding Circle after the death of her parents. Tris, daughter of merchants, an outcast by from her own family, is sent to Winding Circle as a last hope for a place to belong. Daja, daughter of a Trader family, is now a Trangshi after her family's ship wrecked and she was the lone survivor. Briar, a street rat who serves the Thief Lord, is now brought to Winding Circle instead of being sent to the docks. All four of these children come to Winding Circle and Discipline Cottage by means of Niko, who discovers the magic hidden so deeply inside each child. When the four first meet each other, they are sworn enemies for the ties between eaches family. But when disaster strikes and the four are left alone in a drastic situation, they all have to learn to act together as one and be able to produce some of their magic to keep the others safe.





Tris's Book: After surviving the earthquake the previous year, the four children have become as close as siblings, all accustomed to their new home at Discipline Cottage. Sandry, a thread mage, now learns how to control her magic with her serene teacher Lark. A green mage, Briar trains with his teacher Rosethorn. Daja studies with Frostpine as a smith mage and Tris, a weather mage, practices her magic with her teacher Niko. After the previous encounter with death, when pirates arrive to invade Winding Circle, the students are ready to face it head on. But problems arise as they find that the pirates have quite a few mages at their service and some new weapons. While learning to control their powers more and having unusual way that bind their magic to each other, the four learn to battle together yet again against an unknown adversary.


Daja's Book: After the pirate attack, Duke Vedris IV, Sandry's uncle, leads Briar, Sandry, Daja, Tris, and their teachers away towards cities in the north who need help. When they arrive to the Gold Mountains, they realize there is more to be helped here than they expected. Fires erupt everywhere, causing their local mage to put them all out. While there, Daja encounters her trader life again, but this time as an outcast. When she meets a fellow trader, she has to make negotiations and for a time is enjoying being a trader again. But when a massive fire buries itself unseen in the undergrowth of the forest and spreads to be to big for the local mage, the four and their teachers now have to fight it off. As Daja goes with the caravan, she recieves word of the fire from her friends and goes to stop it. As she helps to save the caravan and succeeds, she now has to choose whether she wants her old life back, or whether she wants to stay with her new family which means so much to her? But will it be enough to overcome her need to be a trader again?


Briar's Book: In this book, Briar and Rosethorn have to battle a new disease called Blue Pox which first arrives in one of Briar's friends, Flick. When Rosethorn's medicines can't cure Flick, Rosethorn and Briar go back home to help find a cure. After trying for about a week, Rosethorn unlocks the first key out of thirty-six. But then, the unthinkable happens. Rosethorn becomes ill with the sickness and it spreads quickly through her strong body. When she enters the world of Death, Briar will do anything to get her back, even if it is, by law of magic, deemed impossible. He and his foster siblings will learn the true extent of their friendship. Will they be willing to die for each other?

I loved this series and could not put the books down. I reccommend these books to anyone who likes fantasy.