Veralidaine
Basic Appearance: curly brown hair, blue-grey eyes
Magic: Wild Magic (Daine has the ability to speak with and heal animals, and this power
only grows.)
Personality: somewhat quiet, reserved and stubborn
Story:
Daine’s mother and grandfather are killed by raiders, and she’s never known who
her father was. She joins Onua in bringing a group of ponies to Tortal. On her way she
meets Alanna and Numair. Numair teachers her about her Wild Magic and how to control
it so that she will not accidently harm or kill herself.
Daine’s story is about
self-discovery and learning how to trust humans again. She becomes important in helping
Tortall defend itself against attackers, and only she can communicate with the Immortal
creatures that have been set loose into a realm they don’t belong.
The Immortals
Wild Magic
Review: In this book Daine, a girl with nowhere to go and looking for work to support herself, meets Onua, a Tortallan horsetrader looking for an assistant. Not wanting something bad to happen to the girl, Onua decides to take her on.
Soon enough, it's discovered that Daine's knack with animals is actually a form of Wild Magic. Numair, a man who can shape-shift into a hawk, teaches Daine how to control her power as Tortall prepares for enemy attack.
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to communicate with animals, this is a good book to read. Daine makes all sorts of friends in the animal world and can also use her gift to heal them. Wonderful story. And a gift I'm sure we all wish we had.
Wolf-Speaker
Review: In this book Daine and Numair travel to Dunlath where various problems are occuring. The wolf pack that took Daine in when her home was first lost has summoned her because their home is now being destroyed. When they reach Dunlath, they find even more troubles.
The story introduces readers to many more animal characters and a growth in Daine's abilities. Here is also where readers first meet Tkaa (a basilisk - approximately human-sized lizard who walks on hind legs and kills enemies by turning them into stone).
An excellent follow-up to Wild Magic.
Emperor Mage
Review: An awkward story, but very good nonetheless. While Tortallan officials work on a peace treaty with Carthak, Daine's job is to heal the Emperor Ozorne's birds who've gotten sick. So, it seems like everything should be going along just fine, right? But the gods are angry at Carthak. There, people have been living ways they're not supposed to for far too long. Respect that should be given to the gods, instead has been focused on the Emperor.
To make things more complicated, the Graveyard Hag temporarily gives Daine the ability to bring back dead animals, adding a large party of dinosaur skeletons to the final battle.
Though this may sound a bit extreme, the author has a way of making it all believable. Her attention to not only what happens but why it's possible makes it easy for readers to picture the events of the time and feel involved with the story. I'm not sure to how many readers of fantasy this is important, but in my opinion believability is one of the most important factors of what makes a good book.
The Realms Of The Gods
Review: A great conclusion to The Immortals series, sure to make readers beg for more (hence Protector Of The Small).
Daine and Numair are about to be killed by skinners when suddenly they are lifted by Daine's parents into the realms of the gods. Daine doesn't get to spend much time with her family however, because Chaos is threatens to take over both the home of the gods and the mortal realms. Daine and Numair realize that they need to get back to Tortall to help as their home prepares for war, and the only way to get back in time is to travel to the land of the dragons. The journey through the realm is a dangerous one that leads Daine and Numair into learning how much they really need eachother.
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