This is the first book in The Legend of Beka Cooper series. Many, many years ago, I delved into a number of Pierce’s books. I vividly remember having an intense love for the Alanna series. However, this particular book turned out to be a bit of a letdown for me. I managed to read the first 300 pages, but then I ultimately put it down.

Beka is embarking on her career as a Provost’s Guard, tasked with policing the Lower City. Essentially, this book functions as a diary chronicling her day-to-day life as she commences her guard duties.

There are a couple of aspects that I truly struggled with in this book. The writing style appears to be overly simple and juvenile. Beka comes across as if she might be a preteen or even younger, despite the fact that she is supposed to be in her late teens. I constantly had to remind myself that Beka was considerably older than her speech and actions suggested. She was also one of those heroines who is supposed to be highly streetwise but instead comes across as peculiarly naive.

The other issue I had was with the plot. There simply wasn't a compelling plot here to capture my attention and maintain my interest. The way Beka perceives things, combined with the rather stark and childish manner in which she describes them, makes it difficult to discern what is actually happening. I frequently found myself getting bored while reading this, even nodding off at times, or seeking just about anything else to do to avoid sitting down and reading this book. The side characters seem to have the potential to be good, but Beka's lack of detailed description about them makes it challenging to engage with them as well.

The final concern is the physical construction of the book. This book utilizes very thick paper with a large font. It was cumbersome to hold up and physically read. I realize this may sound absurd, but I had to lay it on a table in front of me in order to read it due to how heavy and thick the book and its pages were.

Overall, I really desired to love this book, but unfortunately, I ended up being disappointed. It has been an extremely long time (probably 20 years or more) since I last read a book by Pierce. So, I'm unsure if her writing style has evolved or if my personal preferences have changed. Nevertheless, I did not enjoy this nearly as much as I remember enjoying the Alanna series.

This is yet another one of my all-time favorites.

This trilogy is incredibly immersive, much like all of Tamora Pierce's works. I often find myself thinking exactly as the character does and even using her slang in conversation for a period of time after reading it. Beka is such an inspiring character. She quite literally pulls herself out of the gutter and carves her own path in the world.

In this first installment, Beka endures her Puppy year in the Provost's Guard along with her training partners. She befriends members of the Rogue's Court and has to learn to walk that extremely fine line between the law and personal relationships. But what occurs when the past she left behind on Mutt Piddle Lane comes crashing into her new life?

It is so highly recommended. Just read it!! You will not be disappointed. The story is engaging, the characters are well-developed, and the world-building is outstanding. It's a must-read for any fan of fantasy or young adult literature.

I am making an attempt to read all the Tortall books in chronological order.

So this time around, I don't feel like I enjoyed this as much. I'm left wondering if it's because I listened to it in audiobook form instead of reading it? Or perhaps it was just my mood at the time. I've decided to let my original rating stand. However, I might skip the rest of the prequel trilogy and jump right to the Alanna books which I've only read once about 8 years ago.

3rd Read: 5/22/2015
2nd Read: 2/1/2012
Original Read: 2/3/2011

Previous Review:

Naughty Naughty Michelle, here I am going to update my review of a previously read book only to discover that I never actually reviewed it!

I am a huge fan of Tamora Pierce. I love that she writes about strong female characters, and I really appreciate how her stories are not centered around romance and sex. (Although they may contain them.)

I originally read this book several years ago along with its sequel, and now I'm rereading both of them as the third book in the series has been released.

From the Book description: Beka Cooper is a rookie with the law-enforcing Provost's Guard, and she's been assigned to the Lower City. It's a tough beat that's about to get even tougher, as Beka's limited ability to communicate with the dead clues her in to an underworld conspiracy. Someone close to Beka is using dark magic to profit from the Lower City's criminal enterprises - and the result is a crime wave the likes of which the Provost's Guard has never seen before.

Beka is a really fun character. Having been born poor, she's tough and ambitious, yet she's also shy and idealistic and often has doubts about herself.

If you are a fan of Fantasy and have never read any Tamora Pierce, this series is a great place to start. (I also really enjoyed Alanna: The First Adventure.)

I have an unwavering love for everything that Tamora Pierce writes. She is truly the best, the absolute best, and a favorite for me to reread. So, when faced with yet more personal difficult times - this year has been proving to be extremely awful and it's not even six months in - I naturally turned to my comfort books. This series https://www.goodreads.com/series/4453... being both the one I have reread the least and the earliest set in Tortall (in case things don't improve and I need a lot of reading!), it won out.

Even though this is written as an epistolary novel, incorporating my two least favorite styles - first-person point of view (which I'm gradually getting to grips with) and diary/journal (you can only get me to read these if you're a favored author) - it is still an action-packed, well-written, character-driven volume. If you're familiar with Ms Pierce's works, you'll know that she always creates strong, likeable female heroines, brave and smart cute animal companions, and yet doesn't shy away from the less than nice and comfortable realities of medieval city living.

The realism is an essential part of the story - life is tough, good people can have bad sides, bad people can have good qualities, poverty is a pit to struggle out of, and not even Beka's fellow guards are immune from showing the full range of human nature.

You don't necessarily need to have read any of the other Tortall https://www.goodreads.com/series/5026... books, but I definitely enjoyed catching the snippets and precursors in the story. And why would you deprive yourself of such excellent reading material? Read them all, they're wonderful!