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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
This book adds to slightly more than the sum of its parts.
Alanna is a decent heroine, but the author gave her so many special gifts that I never felt like she had any stakes. Whatever obstacle she faced, I knew from the start that she'd beat it with some magic or other. This made it hard for me to connect with her.
Some of the supporting characters are memorable, but most of Alanna's friends and classmates are bland enough that I only remember two of their names after just finishing the book. The characters fit too easily into black-and-white morality for my taste.
My enjoyment was also degraded by occasional, jarring perspective switches. The book is mostly from Alanna's POV, but it will switch to other characters for a paragraph or two without notice.
And the novel lacks an overarching plot. No major plot points got resolved by the end. At least Alanna gained some confidence, but since her lack of it seemed contrived anyway, that didn't give me much sense of closure.
And yet, despite it all, I find myself interested to know what happens next, so it deserves at least 3 stars I suppose. I might not ever pick up book 2, but at least I'm mildly curious about it.
Alanna is a decent heroine, but the author gave her so many special gifts that I never felt like she had any stakes. Whatever obstacle she faced, I knew from the start that she'd beat it with some magic or other. This made it hard for me to connect with her.
Some of the supporting characters are memorable, but most of Alanna's friends and classmates are bland enough that I only remember two of their names after just finishing the book. The characters fit too easily into black-and-white morality for my taste.
My enjoyment was also degraded by occasional, jarring perspective switches. The book is mostly from Alanna's POV, but it will switch to other characters for a paragraph or two without notice.
And the novel lacks an overarching plot. No major plot points got resolved by the end. At least Alanna gained some confidence, but since her lack of it seemed contrived anyway, that didn't give me much sense of closure.
And yet, despite it all, I find myself interested to know what happens next, so it deserves at least 3 stars I suppose. I might not ever pick up book 2, but at least I'm mildly curious about it.
I never read this series when I was younger. I wanted to give it a go since Tamora Pierce is touted as a great author.
For the targeted age group (YA) this is a great story. Strong main female character, good premise where she wants to step out of a traditional female role. She wants to become a knight.
As an adult it's a very easy read and predictable, very straightforward. A good quick read.
For the targeted age group (YA) this is a great story. Strong main female character, good premise where she wants to step out of a traditional female role. She wants to become a knight.
As an adult it's a very easy read and predictable, very straightforward. A good quick read.
This was a reread for me. I used to read her books obsessively in middle school, but my memories of the books were positive but all the details have waned over the years. I listened on audiobook. The narrator was fantastic. I would give this a 4.5 stars, but good reads doesn't allow for that.
this is definitely one of those books where i am very aware i am not the target audience anymore but definitely wish i had picked up as a kid
adventurous
medium-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
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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:
Complicated
I hate giving this book a two-star review. I feel bad about it. It's like kicking an adorable, defenseless kitten. A red-haired kitten. With purple eyes. And surprising aptitude for pretty much everything. And with lots of courage and just oozing adorable precocious pluck. But absolutely no sense of humor.
People seem to love this book, and I think I know why. Had I read this as a young girl, I would have loved it. It's a coming of age story about a girl who feels different from everyone else. One who is (of course) gorgeous and possessed of amazing skills, has her own horse, and is flawless in every way. She's not so much a character as she is a cipher for young girls' imagination. Which is fine, and I would probably recommend this book for kids ages eight through, I don't know, 14. But that doesn't mean I enjoy reading it.
I tried to pinpoint what, exactly, bothered me about Alanna, and I decided it was her cipher-ness. But it's also that Pierce did a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. We're told she's funny, but we never see any real examples of it (except when she says something that's not funny and all her friends laugh so we're lead to believe she's funny. The laugh-track effect). She's incredibly lucky, and she seems to be blessed the ability to miraculously discover or develop a skill when it's called for.
But I think, in the end, it's that both she (and the storyline) are cliched and predictable. As soon as you find out she's a twin, you know how this is all going to go. As soon as you meet the (good, kind, noble) prince, you know they'll be friends and she'll eventually save his life. There's even a king of thieves with a heart of gold and a dastardly uncle. Neither the characters nor the story was believable. If I'm to accept that Alanna pulled off the deception she did, I'd need to know a lot more about how. It was just all too cliched (I'm not sure you actually can get away with a red-haired purple-eyed protagonist, no matter how good you are). Too much went on behind the scenes, and I was expected to suspend my disbelief too much. My eyes got tired of rolling
It's not a bad book. Like I said, I'd recommend it for younger readers, but I didn't enjoy it myself. As bad as I feel about that.
People seem to love this book, and I think I know why. Had I read this as a young girl, I would have loved it. It's a coming of age story about a girl who feels different from everyone else. One who is (of course) gorgeous and possessed of amazing skills, has her own horse, and is flawless in every way. She's not so much a character as she is a cipher for young girls' imagination. Which is fine, and I would probably recommend this book for kids ages eight through, I don't know, 14. But that doesn't mean I enjoy reading it.
I tried to pinpoint what, exactly, bothered me about Alanna, and I decided it was her cipher-ness. But it's also that Pierce did a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. We're told she's funny, but we never see any real examples of it (except when she says something that's not funny and all her friends laugh so we're lead to believe she's funny. The laugh-track effect). She's incredibly lucky, and she seems to be blessed the ability to miraculously discover or develop a skill when it's called for.
But I think, in the end, it's that both she (and the storyline) are cliched and predictable. As soon as you find out she's a twin, you know how this is all going to go. As soon as you meet the (good, kind, noble) prince, you know they'll be friends and she'll eventually save his life. There's even a king of thieves with a heart of gold and a dastardly uncle. Neither the characters nor the story was believable. If I'm to accept that Alanna pulled off the deception she did, I'd need to know a lot more about how. It was just all too cliched (I'm not sure you actually can get away with a red-haired purple-eyed protagonist, no matter how good you are). Too much went on behind the scenes, and I was expected to suspend my disbelief too much. My eyes got tired of rolling
It's not a bad book. Like I said, I'd recommend it for younger readers, but I didn't enjoy it myself. As bad as I feel about that.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes