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A review by paperprivateer
First Test by Tamora Pierce
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
For the first time, Tortall is allowing girls to join the training to be knights. But Keladry, the first girl to volunteer, is told she had to do a year of probation to make sure she's cut out for it first. Kel has to prove to everyone around her that she's as worthy of being a page and eventually a knight as everyone else.
I'm a long-time Tamora Pierce fan, and the Protector of the Small books were my favorite when I was younger. I was very curious about how I would like a graphic novel interpretation. I'm happy to say I was pleased with it overall.
While I didn't personally love some of the artistic interpretations (for some reason, the way Alanna looked just seemed too young and inexperienced to me), some of the characters are conveyed very well through the art. Neal is appropriately dramatic and hilarious in this version. Kel's character also comes across well, demonstrating how seriously she takes looking out for the people around her. Unfortunately, other characters we don't get to know quite as well. Also, Raoul has red hair in this? Don't like that!
While the story is condensed, it works well for this book for the most part. The most important events come across well, and important character moments aren't abandoned for the sake of the shorter format. However, the graphic novel format does make it harder to convey information about the world. Magic doesn't have time to be much of an aspect, so the one scene that heavily involves magic comes more out of the blue. It also would be unclear to readers why there is already a lady knight when Kel is the first one allowed to be trained if you don't have the benefit of the book's explanations or knowledge of Alanna's story. I do wonder if readers not familiar with the series would be confused at times reading this.
This graphic novel captures the essence of the story and characters that are loved by so many. Current fans are likely to enjoy this, and I hope this format brings more readers into the world of Tortall.
I'm a long-time Tamora Pierce fan, and the Protector of the Small books were my favorite when I was younger. I was very curious about how I would like a graphic novel interpretation. I'm happy to say I was pleased with it overall.
While I didn't personally love some of the artistic interpretations (for some reason, the way Alanna looked just seemed too young and inexperienced to me), some of the characters are conveyed very well through the art. Neal is appropriately dramatic and hilarious in this version. Kel's character also comes across well, demonstrating how seriously she takes looking out for the people around her. Unfortunately, other characters we don't get to know quite as well. Also, Raoul has red hair in this? Don't like that!
While the story is condensed, it works well for this book for the most part. The most important events come across well, and important character moments aren't abandoned for the sake of the shorter format. However, the graphic novel format does make it harder to convey information about the world. Magic doesn't have time to be much of an aspect, so the one scene that heavily involves magic comes more out of the blue. It also would be unclear to readers why there is already a lady knight when Kel is the first one allowed to be trained if you don't have the benefit of the book's explanations or knowledge of Alanna's story. I do wonder if readers not familiar with the series would be confused at times reading this.
This graphic novel captures the essence of the story and characters that are loved by so many. Current fans are likely to enjoy this, and I hope this format brings more readers into the world of Tortall.