lookingtoheaven's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this world so much. One of the best series I've read. If the relationships had had a tiny but more depth and insight would have been five stars for me.
ginabbina's review against another edition
4.0
The book seems less epic rereading as an adult, but it was still a fun ride over all. I still hold this is up as my ideal lady knight series. It has distinct characters, and Alanna is a realistic character. It dragged in a few sections (especially the third book). Still, I'm glad I finally reread this
agriffin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
minimali's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
juliaem's review against another edition
3.0
In the ongoing nightmare of 2020-2021, I bought this YA quartet for a rush of nostalgia, recalling *loving* it in elementary school. I'm writing about it as a set because I really wouldn't read any of the novels individually now. Instead, I just polished them all off in a single weekend, and I think the best thing I can say for them is that they actually made me feel rested and restored to head to work again on Monday and take actions amidst the political chaos of the U.S. right now. Which is not an understatement in the current era!
Here's what held up: Alanna is a great protagonist. She's not perfect, but you really root for her, and her growth is believable. Pierce manages to capture the very distinctive personalities of the various supporting characters without too much explication, and the fantasy/magical elements are interwoven organically throughout the other plot elements. If you want a captivating story that doesn't punish you as a reader but still chugs along with good moments of suspense, all the elements are here.
Here's what I didn't realize as an elementary schooler: Pierce is a second-wave feminist through and through. There are great parts of that (SPOILER ALERT), like how Alanna gets to have premarital sex with three hot men with no judgment about her sexual identity being just another aspect of her lived experience (get it, girl; also, the only sexual descriptions are of kissing, but the steam is still palpable, and it makes me LOL sometimes to realize what I read when quite young as a generally unsupervised reader). But, BUT, the book is insufficiently intersectional. This shows up the most in the 3rd book, when Alanna is living among the Bazhir in the southern part of Tortall, where Pierce slips into some tropes about the sexism of "tribal" populations, and a few things that are just totally gratuitous, like Alanna's servant struggling with the pronunciation of an unfamiliar name at first (actually, now that I'm thinking about it, there's some white savior nonsense at the end of the first book, too). It's not a complete disaster - multiple characters rightly point out that sexism is rampant in the rest of Tortall, as well, and the plot makes clear that Alanna learns a great deal in a cultural exchange that is ultimately pretty balanced, which the clear result in her development is broader, more compassionate thinking. The supporting Bazhir characters are as wholly envisioned as the others, too. Still. I don't think these issues make the novels unsalvageable, but I would never give these books to a child now without some explicit conversation about what could & should have been better done with regard to ethnocentrism in addition to sexism.
Here's what held up: Alanna is a great protagonist. She's not perfect, but you really root for her, and her growth is believable. Pierce manages to capture the very distinctive personalities of the various supporting characters without too much explication, and the fantasy/magical elements are interwoven organically throughout the other plot elements. If you want a captivating story that doesn't punish you as a reader but still chugs along with good moments of suspense, all the elements are here.
Here's what I didn't realize as an elementary schooler: Pierce is a second-wave feminist through and through. There are great parts of that (SPOILER ALERT), like how Alanna gets to have premarital sex with three hot men with no judgment about her sexual identity being just another aspect of her lived experience (get it, girl; also, the only sexual descriptions are of kissing, but the steam is still palpable, and it makes me LOL sometimes to realize what I read when quite young as a generally unsupervised reader). But, BUT, the book is insufficiently intersectional. This shows up the most in the 3rd book, when Alanna is living among the Bazhir in the southern part of Tortall, where Pierce slips into some tropes about the sexism of "tribal" populations, and a few things that are just totally gratuitous, like Alanna's servant struggling with the pronunciation of an unfamiliar name at first (actually, now that I'm thinking about it, there's some white savior nonsense at the end of the first book, too). It's not a complete disaster - multiple characters rightly point out that sexism is rampant in the rest of Tortall, as well, and the plot makes clear that Alanna learns a great deal in a cultural exchange that is ultimately pretty balanced, which the clear result in her development is broader, more compassionate thinking. The supporting Bazhir characters are as wholly envisioned as the others, too. Still. I don't think these issues make the novels unsalvageable, but I would never give these books to a child now without some explicit conversation about what could & should have been better done with regard to ethnocentrism in addition to sexism.
mysterystarship's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
raven_acres's review against another edition
5.0
Adjusting my information, since I got the omnibus version in 2008. Excellent series, even on the re-read side, which I've been enjoying.
Read Jan 13, 2008
Re-Read Nov 16, 2016
Re-Read Dec 2, 2020
Read Jan 13, 2008
Re-Read Nov 16, 2016
Re-Read Dec 2, 2020
lilymagoon's review against another edition
5.0
Always loved em' always will <3 This was re-read number like 45
nuevecuervos's review against another edition
4.0
I loved these, my son loved these, can't wait for my daughter to be old enough to love them, too. I'm going to have to make some time to reread them. <3