4.22 AVERAGE

adventurous fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I have reread Alanna: the First Adventure countless times and will continue to do so. If you’re looking for a strong female protagonist, likable side characters, and a stellar coming of age story, this is the series for you. 

As the first in the series, Alanna introduces us to the setting and characters that we will see not only in this first series set in Tortall, but all those that come after. The world of Tortall is medieval with some magic sprinkled in for good measure, and there’s just enough of it to get us interested in how it will come into play in the future. Similarly, the plot is clearly the beginning of a series; we finish the book interested to see where Alanna and her friends go next. 

For any young adults - or older! - looking to dip their toe into fantasy, I can’t recommend Tamora Pierce’s work enough, and this is where I always recommend that people start: with Alanna, following her journey through Tortall. 

First reread via audio and while the narration isn’t my favorite, I will forever love this series.

Okay. Not as good as I remember and too many awkward plot and character choices to feel like a solid girl knight book -- despite being the girl knight book.
adventurous inspiring medium-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: Yes
adventurous 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

A delightful middle grade fantasy. I think if I read it when I was the target age I would’ve been obsessed.

THIS BOOK WAS SO ADORABLE! I absolutely love Alanna -- her spunk, her wit, her tenacity -- overall, such a great character and role model for young girls! I wish I had discovered this series when I was younger... I'm sure I would have loved them. Definitely a great middle-grade read (or even one for the advanced elementary school child) -- the message Alanna conveys is on that is very positive for younger kids!
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: Yes

So nostalgic

I read this a decade ago and have such good memories of it. A friend lend it to me. I saw them and dah to get them. They are still very good and heartwarming.

I liked the premise—that Alanna would go disguise herself as a boy for 7 years to learn to be a knight or equivalent—but I did have to suspend some disbelief that she could pull off the deception for so long. Still, a reasonable attempt was made and I think it’s not unbelievable. Just unlikely.
What I really enjoyed was Alanna’s personality and attitude. I like how she makes friends and how she does not put up with bullying. I thought that the idea of doing as much as you can and not complaining is wonderful life advice.
I do wish the book hadn’t ended so abruptly. It didn’t feel like a stopping point. It felt more like a place to chop the book to produce additional volumes. I’ll be able to judge that better once I get the next book in this series.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated