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seulgireads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
fuchsiarascal's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Oh, Alanna, my 12 year old crush. I still love these books, but I’ll also readily admit that an almost-5 star rating is partly nostalgia (I gave it 5 on goodreads but since we can do quarters and halves here, figured I'd knock it down a bit to better reflect a non-nostalgic view too). I think the series and world Tamora Pierce built is great, but as far as the writing itself goes… well, it’s a product of its time (80s). Tammy herself has spoken on this, that she had to significantly pare down her early books because before Harry Potter, young adult novels just simply weren’t accepted if the manuscripts were over ~200 pages. As a result, this book goes from one event to the next with pretty much no filler. As I re-read it now for the hundredth time (…quite possibly literally), but also for the first time since 2012, I yearn for more filler, and also appreciate that Tammy’s later books (starting with the Protector of the Small quartet) were allowed to be longer and have room to breathe.
All that said, I still think Alanna’s books are SUPER important. Alanna’s journey is wonderful and resonates strongly with many who have ever been at odds with their assigned gender, for whatever reason. I simply didn’t want to do the “girly” things, but transgender and nonbinary people will find a lot of similarities, especially as she enters puberty. (And this evolves further as she grows up in later books.) As a 12 year old, reading a book in which the main character deals with her first period was unheard of! That definitely stuck with me. (It’s also one of the many reasons that I think everyone, regardless of gender, should read these books. Imagine normalizing menstruation!)
And, of course, there’s all the stuff of Alanna training to be a knight, facing struggles (both inward and outward), finding lifelong friends, and overcoming everything. This is just the first book in her accepting who she is, and she’s got a lot still to come, but seeing her build her confidence and hint at the bigger issues in later books is a great ride.
All that said, I still think Alanna’s books are SUPER important. Alanna’s journey is wonderful and resonates strongly with many who have ever been at odds with their assigned gender, for whatever reason. I simply didn’t want to do the “girly” things, but transgender and nonbinary people will find a lot of similarities, especially as she enters puberty. (And this evolves further as she grows up in later books.) As a 12 year old, reading a book in which the main character deals with her first period was unheard of! That definitely stuck with me. (It’s also one of the many reasons that I think everyone, regardless of gender, should read these books. Imagine normalizing menstruation!)
And, of course, there’s all the stuff of Alanna training to be a knight, facing struggles (both inward and outward), finding lifelong friends, and overcoming everything. This is just the first book in her accepting who she is, and she’s got a lot still to come, but seeing her build her confidence and hint at the bigger issues in later books is a great ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
art_books_chemistry's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Bullying
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcoholism, Death, Infertility, and Death of parent
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This is a good introduction to Alanna and Tortall, setting up things that will play out fully in later books. The setting is a swords and sorcery fantasy (occasionally both in the same fight) in a vaguely medieval kingdom which various neighbors and internal factions. It also establishes the Bazhir and their complicated relationship with Tortall (partially absorbed through treaties and alliances with individual tribes, but not conquered), with the book's finale set in the desert.
Given that the Bazhir are loosely based on real desert-dwelling peoples (something which becomes abundantly clear in later books), it seems like a not-great thing for their prophecy to involve being saved by two people who come in from outside and fight a great evil which they either couldn't defeat or never tried to stop. Alanna (and probably Jon as well) is learning about the Bazhir for the very first time on the same trip where she and Jon combat this evil. It plays into a long history of white-savior stories in an uncomfortable way.
I first read this when I was Alanna’s age, and I’ve read it dozens of times since then. Alanna trades places with her twin brother, Thom, so that he can study magic and she can become a knight. In order to pull off the switch, Alanna disguises herself as a boy, and finds herself bonding with a slightly older group of boys who become squires while she’s still a page. She also faces a bully who torments her in her first year, having to figure out the difference between being good at combat and being a bully.
One thing I appreciate about this book is its chapter containing something which was sorely needed in the late 1980’s when this came out and which is still useful today: a brief and useful description of what a menstrual cycle is and how to care for one’s body when it happens. Because Alanna becomes a page at age 10, and only her manservant knows she’s a girl and not the boy she’s pretending to be, when she gets her period she doesn’t know why it’s happening and has to secretly get help to find out what’s going on. It’s handled quickly and with enough detail that someone who needs this information would at least have a starting point. I don’t like how Alanna’s protests about disliking her body’s trajectory are waived away as being what the Gods ordained, but it fits this story in which the Gods are very real, and one Goddess in particular seems to be taking an interest in Alanna.
This is a great start to the series while being a complete story in its own right, covering Alanna's first year of her life as Alan the page.
Given that the Bazhir are loosely based on real desert-dwelling peoples (something which becomes abundantly clear in later books), it seems like a not-great thing for their prophecy to involve being saved by two people who come in from outside and fight a great evil which they either couldn't defeat or never tried to stop. Alanna (and probably Jon as well) is learning about the Bazhir for the very first time on the same trip where she and Jon combat this evil. It plays into a long history of white-savior stories in an uncomfortable way.
I first read this when I was Alanna’s age, and I’ve read it dozens of times since then. Alanna trades places with her twin brother, Thom, so that he can study magic and she can become a knight. In order to pull off the switch, Alanna disguises herself as a boy, and finds herself bonding with a slightly older group of boys who become squires while she’s still a page. She also faces a bully who torments her in her first year, having to figure out the difference between being good at combat and being a bully.
One thing I appreciate about this book is its chapter containing something which was sorely needed in the late 1980’s when this came out and which is still useful today: a brief and useful description of what a menstrual cycle is and how to care for one’s body when it happens. Because Alanna becomes a page at age 10, and only her manservant knows she’s a girl and not the boy she’s pretending to be, when she gets her period she doesn’t know why it’s happening and has to secretly get help to find out what’s going on. It’s handled quickly and with enough detail that someone who needs this information would at least have a starting point. I don’t like how Alanna’s protests about disliking her body’s trajectory are waived away as being what the Gods ordained, but it fits this story in which the Gods are very real, and one Goddess in particular seems to be taking an interest in Alanna.
This is a great start to the series while being a complete story in its own right, covering Alanna's first year of her life as Alan the page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Child death, Sexism, Death, Grief, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Classism, Mental illness, Alcohol, Infertility, Vomit, Ableism, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
enya_ce's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A woman wrote this, and it shows.
I think the book does show some of the deeply ingrained self-doubt that Alanna has, in a way that most women can identify with.
Not only did she feel like she had to perform better than everyone else, and felt like it was her responsibility to prove women can do just as good as men, but there were also moments when she doubted her own skill, despite having proved herself several times, simply because she's been told repeatedly that a woman wouldn't be as good at it as a man.
Now, this does lead to some moments which really frustrated me, especially all of the times she, whether because of her dislike/fear of magic, or her own feelings of worthlessness, refused to listen to Destiny and the calling of the gods.
It kind of felt like a stubborn child covering their ears and eyes every time there's a sign, but maybe that was the point. She is still a child, after all. Maybe she simply feared destiny.
Despite that, it was a light and enjoyable book, and I'll keep searching for copies of the rest of the saga.
I think the book does show some of the deeply ingrained self-doubt that Alanna has, in a way that most women can identify with.
Not only did she feel like she had to perform better than everyone else, and felt like it was her responsibility to prove women can do just as good as men, but there were also moments when she doubted her own skill, despite having proved herself several times, simply because she's been told repeatedly that a woman wouldn't be as good at it as a man.
Now, this does lead to some moments which really frustrated me, especially
It kind of felt like a stubborn child covering their ears and eyes every time there's a sign, but maybe that was the point. She is still a child, after all. Maybe she simply feared destiny.
Despite that, it was a light and enjoyable book, and I'll keep searching for copies of the rest of the saga.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Violence and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
manarnia's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this book so much!!! I love my girl Alanna, and she is spectacular from the start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Death of parent
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