The Circle of Magic Quartet

Okay. These are really cool books. You get into them, the characters are believable, etc. - but they can't compare to Song of the Lioness or The Immortals. I don't really know why this is...*shrugs*

But, for you "just too weird" crowd, there are no Immortals in the new world that Tamora Pierce has created. Though the kids' magic is weird enough by itself to make up for that...