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user613 's review for:
Alanna: The First Adventure
by Tamora Pierce
I'm not sure what to think of this book.
There's the magic. Completely confusing, to me. Somehow it relies on gods, the story's building block, and requires both that those gods grant these power, and that these gods allow them to call on it. And, of course, every usage risked dire consequences. Or was that only because Alanna wasn't trained enough?
The friendships. Those are sweet. Loyal. Kind. And, naturally, her friends are all extremely powerful, and handsome. And they all like her for some unexplained reason.
The adventures. The strong female character, trying to prove that she's just as good as her male counterparts. Who spends the entire book afraid of being discovered.
So, while the book had promise, it ended up just feeling clique and overdone. And, there's also the fact that, while Alanna's age might start out young, the content didn't all necessarily match that audience. This book felt like a your typical I'm-just-as-good-as-men story, while at the same time feeling like a backdrop to future romances.
Alternatives:
[b:Vespertine|56980403|Vespertine|Margaret Rogerson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1615414534l/56980403._SY75_.jpg|89131997]
[b:The Seer and the Sword|420415|The Seer and the Sword|Victoria Hanley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322080876l/420415._SY75_.jpg|1434221]
[b:The Flawed Princess|51017503|The Flawed Princess|Alice Ivinya|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565198363l/51017503._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72691999]
[b:The Princess Curse|9588207|The Princess Curse|Merrie Haskell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1299897431l/9588207._SY75_.jpg|14475179]
Content:
Religion:
The entire world is built on magic and sorcery and godesses. Magic is given by gods, they pray for this power to be granted to them, and call on the greater powers to do magic. There are temples, worshiping, rewards from the gods, and magical, mysterious protection granted by them.
Romance:
Alanna is disguised as a boy for the course of the entire novel. She mentions her chest growing, which forcers her to wear bindings, and in one scene finds herself bleeding. She panics, is taken to a woman healer, and hears how this allows her to bear children, and she will continue getting it unless she's with a man and becomes with child. She's also given a charm to stop her from having a child. No more details are given.
There are also a few scenes where Alanna is with bathing men (who are wearing nothing), and These facts are never lingered on.
Violence:
There is bullying, and fighting and violence that is to be expected from a group of boys training to be knights.
There's the magic. Completely confusing, to me. Somehow it relies on gods, the story's building block, and requires both that those gods grant these power, and that these gods allow them to call on it. And, of course, every usage risked dire consequences. Or was that only because Alanna wasn't trained enough?
The friendships. Those are sweet. Loyal. Kind. And, naturally, her friends are all extremely powerful, and handsome. And they all like her for some unexplained reason.
Spoiler
Including the thief, who she instinctively trusts more than anyone else.The adventures. The strong female character, trying to prove that she's just as good as her male counterparts. Who spends the entire book afraid of being discovered.
Spoiler
She also spends a bit too much time dealing with period-crisises, and it just so happens that she reveals her secret to her two most promising future-book love interests.So, while the book had promise, it ended up just feeling clique and overdone. And, there's also the fact that, while Alanna's age might start out young, the content didn't all necessarily match that audience. This book felt like a your typical I'm-just-as-good-as-men story, while at the same time feeling like a backdrop to future romances.
Alternatives:
[b:Vespertine|56980403|Vespertine|Margaret Rogerson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1615414534l/56980403._SY75_.jpg|89131997]
[b:The Seer and the Sword|420415|The Seer and the Sword|Victoria Hanley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322080876l/420415._SY75_.jpg|1434221]
[b:The Flawed Princess|51017503|The Flawed Princess|Alice Ivinya|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565198363l/51017503._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72691999]
[b:The Princess Curse|9588207|The Princess Curse|Merrie Haskell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1299897431l/9588207._SY75_.jpg|14475179]
Content:
Religion:
The entire world is built on magic and sorcery and godesses. Magic is given by gods, they pray for this power to be granted to them, and call on the greater powers to do magic. There are temples, worshiping, rewards from the gods, and magical, mysterious protection granted by them.
Spoiler
Alanna also meets a group of immortans, who claim they are the children of gods. But they can die if they are weakened.Romance:
Alanna is disguised as a boy for the course of the entire novel. She mentions her chest growing, which forcers her to wear bindings, and in one scene finds herself bleeding. She panics, is taken to a woman healer, and hears how this allows her to bear children, and she will continue getting it unless she's with a man and becomes with child. She's also given a charm to stop her from having a child. No more details are given.
There are also a few scenes where Alanna is with bathing men (who are wearing nothing), and
Spoiler
in one scene Alanna's clothes are magically removed to prove to her (male) companion that she's not a boy.Violence:
There is bullying, and fighting and violence that is to be expected from a group of boys training to be knights.