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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was fine as a story. There were a few aspects that I didn't enjoy/appreciate though...
This is the story of Alanna who doesn't want the noble-lady life that’s expected of her. Instead, she swaps places with her brother and takes his place learning to become a knight. The story follows Alanna (or Alan) has she starts her journey to become a knight, while hiding her true identity from those around her.
I enjoyed the care taken into Alanna and her motivations - this idea of showing young girls they can do anything they set their minds to is good and I am always happy to see that in books. The story itself was interesting and took a few turns - I felt that Alanna (especially considering she is a child) is a bit OP at times and it feels like she can do things that adults can't and that did take me out of it. But seeing her work hard to improve in what she was bad at was a good touch.
There were a few things I didn't enjoy though:
This is the story of Alanna who doesn't want the noble-lady life that’s expected of her. Instead, she swaps places with her brother and takes his place learning to become a knight. The story follows Alanna (or Alan) has she starts her journey to become a knight, while hiding her true identity from those around her.
I enjoyed the care taken into Alanna and her motivations - this idea of showing young girls they can do anything they set their minds to is good and I am always happy to see that in books. The story itself was interesting and took a few turns - I felt that Alanna (especially considering she is a child) is a bit OP at times and it feels like she can do things that adults can't and that did take me out of it. But seeing her work hard to improve in what she was bad at was a good touch.
There were a few things I didn't enjoy though:
- The worldbuilding - I think this is a really interesting world, but i found it quite difficult at times to understand what was going on. I found the magic system quite confusing tbh.
There's talk about 'gifts' but no explanation about what they do. I understand that the gifts relate to magic but first we're told that the gods will punish those who don't use their gifts and then we hear of multiple people who don't use their gifts. We meet George and he tells us he has a gift, which is why he knew who they were, but we're also told that having a gift protects others from finding out things with their gifts. It was so confusing and I don't understand why there couldn't have been something explaining this. - The pacing - minor point, but it was confusing to see time pass in irregular ways. It was difficult to understand just how much time had passed, because it would feel like it had just been months from the text, but actually it had been years. Specific time markers ('finally winter arrived' or 'It was now Alanna's 13th birthday') were rare and spaced out.
- The Bazhir.
I don't think this was intended but I really didn't like how the Bazhir were portrayed. They're clearly Middle Eastern-coded, and the line about how they hide their women/wives. Jesus. The fact that everyone was like 'they're so weird' or 'I just don't like them' - I don't like perpetuating racist stereotypes, especially with no follow-up on that. Like fair enough if Alanna was like 'they're weird' but then learned more about their culture and said 'they're not weird now that i understand them' (obviously not exactly that but that meaning)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Racism
Minor: Death of parent
Sophomore year of high school. Strong female character.
Re-reading the tortall stories. This first instalment is much shorter than I remembered. The writing style is much more concise too. Still enjoyable, remains a 4
I first read these books when I was about 10, and I re-read them at least once a year! Alanna is one of my favorite characters in kids' books. I generally love Tamora Pierce's books because her characters are strong, intelligent girls who become the best at what they do because they work hard, not because they're pretty or perfect human beings. Tamora Pierce is also one of those rare writers who has become better over time, rather than slacking off with success--her later books are, I think, better written and more complex, without losing the solid plots and great characters of her first books.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Lovable characters and classic woman empowering plot! All around enjoyable and well written book.
Nostalgia read and a palate cleanser. Definitely not the same read as when I was a kid, but still satisfying and made me smile to read it.
I haven't read this book for some time, I may have been in elementary school or junior high when I first read it and fell quite in love. This series, and Pierce's Wild magic series thoroughly captured my imagination and stayed with me for many years. I reread both sets of books many times over-- but especially loved the Alanna series.
Another reviewer who wrote that she thought this book was good but not great, I agree. Even in my adolescence I saw this, after multiple readings I began to identify areas where the writing style was slightly lacking and where certain aspects of the story seemed unrealistic... but my love for the series, the characters and their world surpassed that. Alanna was a good, strong female role model for me and I'm very glad I had her to admire as I passed through my young adult years.
Another reviewer who wrote that she thought this book was good but not great, I agree. Even in my adolescence I saw this, after multiple readings I began to identify areas where the writing style was slightly lacking and where certain aspects of the story seemed unrealistic... but my love for the series, the characters and their world surpassed that. Alanna was a good, strong female role model for me and I'm very glad I had her to admire as I passed through my young adult years.