If Tamora Pierce had been around when I was a kid, I would have been the happiest girl in the world. Considering my early propensity for wandering through supermarkets neighing like a horse, on the other hand, it was probably good that I wasn't introduced to the idea of actually falling in love with a shape-shifting animal until adulthood. Anyhow, I've been secretly reading Pierce's series for about a year, but I finally got my hands on the Trickster series, and it blew me away.

I finished Trickster's Choice on Wednesday, then dragged myself, despite stomach flu, to the library Friday to pick up Trickster's Queen.

Pierce simply can't be beat for tight plotlines, strong heroines and engrossing entertainment. Most of her work is for a younger audience -- think 12 - 14 -- but the Trickster series is about a 16-year-old, and it's complex and mature enough to really capture my 32-year-old imagination.