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aether_seawo1f's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Rape, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.5
SQUIRE is the third book of Kel's quartet, covering her time as a squire (as the title implies). It wraps up storylines related to Joren's bullying when Kel was a page and Lalasa's kidnapping. We also finally get an answer as to her mysterious benefactor's identity. Her practice at tilting continues with more practice and some tournaments. There is a completely new storyline related to Kel's time with the King's Own as Lord Raoul's squire, as well as her care of a griffin (which is both introduced and resolved). The end sets up some things to be addressed in the next book, including but not confined to war with Scanra.
The worldbuilding leans into a details of the tournaments and the role of the King's Own, folding in Kel's lessons on tactics and strategy from her knight-master. There are references to things learned in previous books and other series set within Tortall, which help give a feeling of depth for those who have read those earlier stories. It's a character-focused story, with references to what Kel is learning and how she's thinking about the information, punctuated by action scenes when she's in training or combat.
I like Raoul as her knight-master, their rapport feels easy and her admiration for him shines through. She sees much less of her friends as they continue their training at the Palace or have knight-masters of their own to follow around Tortall. The plot focuses on the inglorious and brutal work of defending peasants, killing bandits, and dealing with the increasing forays of Scanran raiders. Kel also starts to solidify her own ideas of justice and the ways that the current laws and customs fail those they're meant to protect. She's also figuring out what she wants from love and relationships, finding herself in a romance filled with long separations.
Kel sounds a bit older than she did in PAGE, with her narration on the page finally tracking her age better than it did in FIRST TEST. The story could make sense if someone started here without having read the first two books. There's a more robust storyline here during her time as a squire, and while the resolutions to past bullying and harassment won't be quite as satisfying without knowledge from earlier, there are sufficient and succinct explanations which let the events make sense anyway. Such a reader would miss out on the sense of how much she's grown up, but as she learns and matures even within this volume they might not miss too badly the early parts of that journey. I do still recommend reading the quartet from the beginning, since at times it feels like one single long book that just happens to be broken into parts. There's a lot of overlap of timelines, since the books are divided based on Kel's status on her journey to knighthood, and the events around her refuse to be so neatly confined.
The worldbuilding leans into a details of the tournaments and the role of the King's Own, folding in Kel's lessons on tactics and strategy from her knight-master. There are references to things learned in previous books and other series set within Tortall, which help give a feeling of depth for those who have read those earlier stories. It's a character-focused story, with references to what Kel is learning and how she's thinking about the information, punctuated by action scenes when she's in training or combat.
I like Raoul as her knight-master, their rapport feels easy and her admiration for him shines through. She sees much less of her friends as they continue their training at the Palace or have knight-masters of their own to follow around Tortall. The plot focuses on the inglorious and brutal work of defending peasants, killing bandits, and dealing with the increasing forays of Scanran raiders. Kel also starts to solidify her own ideas of justice and the ways that the current laws and customs fail those they're meant to protect. She's also figuring out what she wants from love and relationships, finding herself in a romance filled with long separations.
Kel sounds a bit older than she did in PAGE, with her narration on the page finally tracking her age better than it did in FIRST TEST. The story could make sense if someone started here without having read the first two books. There's a more robust storyline here during her time as a squire, and while the resolutions to past bullying and harassment won't be quite as satisfying without knowledge from earlier, there are sufficient and succinct explanations which let the events make sense anyway. Such a reader would miss out on the sense of how much she's grown up, but as she learns and matures even within this volume they might not miss too badly the early parts of that journey. I do still recommend reading the quartet from the beginning, since at times it feels like one single long book that just happens to be broken into parts. There's a lot of overlap of timelines, since the books are divided based on Kel's status on her journey to knighthood, and the events around her refuse to be so neatly confined.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
wondereads13's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
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
5.0
Of the four, this one is my favorite. I love Kel's training with the Own and how she fits into that dynamic. On top of that, since a major plot point is the royal procession for the marriage of Tortall's prince to a Yamani princess, we get to see a lot of Kel's involvement in Yamani culture. For context, Kel grew up in the Yamani Islands with her parents as ambassadors, and as characters from the Islands are introduced, Kel's influences and sources of skill are gradually revealed. (Also, I realized I may have subconsciously named by D&D character after one of these people.) Also, this is the first hint of the ultimate climax of the series as Scanra, a country to the north of Tortall, starts closing in. Combined with Kel's weird dynamic with the Chamber, where every squire faces an Ordeal to become a knight, the whole story starts to feel a lot bigger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
manarnia's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
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
5.0
This is such a wonderful installment in the Tortall universe. Kel is just so good, and she has some really great people around her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Vomit
meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Squire follows Kel after she successfully completes her Page training as seen in Page and First Test. Sir Raoul selects her to be his squire, and she follows the Kings Own around Tortall for her years as a squire. She sees combat in many conditions, jousts against a variety of people who don't want women to become knights, and learns more than she thought she could while following the King and Queen on a Progress around the country and fighting off raiders. And then she faces the Chamber of the Ordeal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, and Misogyny
Minor: Vomit