The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

I've had this thought lurking in the back of my mind right from the start. However, it was further solidified after reading this book. Jon gives off some seriously strong Tamlin (from ACOTAR) vibes

Reading this again in 2021 was indeed an interesting experience. On one hand, I still thoroughly enjoy witnessing Alanna's journey as she determines what she desires from life, what she doesn't want, and progresses towards accepting her magic. It's a captivating story of self-discovery and growth. On the other hand, it's undeniable that this can be read as cultural imperialism. Alanna, being part of what saves the Bazhir people, attempts to impose her own pseudo-feminist ideas on them.

One aspect that I appreciate is that the edition I read includes an afterword from the author, written years later. In it, she admits that some of the ideas she held when she first wrote this at 22 are no longer ones she subscribes to. For example, Alanna tries to persuade two young women to stop wearing face veils and be more like the men. Tamora Pierce now acknowledges that she no longer believes that coverings similar to the hijab are necessarily oppressive to women. She also mentions that while the Bazhir are somewhat inspired by Middle Eastern cultures, they are intended to be pagan with their own unique religion and cultural identity, not simply stand-ins for real people groups. That being said, I do think it's understandable that this element could make some readers feel uncomfortable and sense cultural appropriation today. And these issues are most definitely worth discussing.

As a book, the pacing of this installment is much improved compared to book 2. We follow Alanna over the course of about a year as she is now a knight and faces the crucial decision of whether to settle down and get married or maintain her independence and explore the world. These are highly relevant questions that many can relate to. Although this book isn't without its flaws, I still found a great deal to love about it.

Based on what I've read on Goodreads, the general fan consensus seems to be that this book is the weakest of the quartet. However, I still enjoyed it just as much as the previous two books. I can understand why people might list it as their least favorite though.

The story takes place almost entirely in a single location. After graduating as a knight (and killing Duke Roger) at the end of Book 2, Alanna goes to live in the desert. There, she falls in with the Bazhir, a people we briefly met in Book One. Here, their culture is explored in much greater depth.

I don't object to the single setting. In fact, it was kind of nice to have the narrative slow down a bit. Instead of racing from one place to another and covering two years in two hundred pages, this book has a very different feel. The pace is practically glacial, with the timeline of the whole story covering just a few months.

The majority of the book focuses on Alanna's time with the Bazhir. She falls in with a tribe, is accepted as one of them, and eventually becomes their shaman. She spends most of her time training three Bazhir kids in magic, two of whom are girls. The tribespeople are initially skeptical, but Alanna soon proves them wrong.

However, the Bazhir storyline does have some issues. At times, it wanders into uncomfortable territory, fulfilling the Noble Savage trope and bordering on Orientalist stereotypes. The whole White Savior cliche is present, with Alanna smashing her way into a culture she has little understanding of and insisting on change.

Thankfully, there are other aspects of the book that are awesome. Jonathan shows up halfway through and proposes to Alanna, but then turns into an entitled jerk. They have a huge fight, and Alanna flounces off to have sex with George Cooper. It's glorious.

My biggest wish for the previous book was for Alanna to make a female friend, and Tamora Pierce has answered my prayers. Alanna meets a plethora of women who defy the stereotype that girls are silly and weak. In addition to the two Bazhir girls, she also meets George's cousin Rispah, a female thief who is awesome.

Overall, "The Woman Who Rides Like a Man" is another great Alanna adventure. It's not the best book in the series, but it's full of excitement, magic, swordfights, sex with cute boys, and fantastic conversations. Little girls everywhere should study and remember them.

Alanna's adventures don't end with the conclusion of the second book in the series.

There are more exciting escapades in store for her. She embarks on a new phase of her education and also experiences a new stage of her growth as a human being, a woman, and a knight.

The desert setting in the story is quite nice and adds an interesting backdrop. However, the character of Alanna-turned-teacher starts to become a bit boring after some time.

Despite this minor drawback, the series is still highly recommended for any pre-teen. They will surely be captivated by Alanna's journey and the challenges she faces.

Now, it's time to move on to the last book and see how Alanna's story concludes.

Readers can expect more action, drama, and character development as they follow Alanna on her final adventure.

Overall, the series offers a great read for young readers who are interested in stories about adventure, growth, and self-discovery.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (The Song of the Lioness series) – Tamora Pierce

Tamora Pierce is an American author renowned for her YA fantasy tales. Her books were the very first fantasy ones that I can vividly recall reading, thus igniting a lifelong passion for fantasy within me.

Now, Alanna has finally accomplished her dream of becoming a female knight and rides off in pursuit of adventure. However, she gets more than she expected. In the desert, she is captured by the Bazhir of the Bloody Hawk tribe. Alanna must once again overcome the perspectives and prejudices of others and prove that she is just as capable as any man.

She manages to gain her freedom and is accepted as a member of the Bloody Hawk tribe. After a fierce battle, she even becomes the Shaman of the tribe, once again challenging the long-held beliefs of many tribe members.

Yet, she is not the only one facing difficulties. George, the King of Thieves, is confronting a new threat to his authority. He must engage in a perilous game to uncover the mastermind behind this unrest.

“The Woman Who Rides Like a Man” is an extremely enjoyable and captivating read. I adore how well-developed the character of Alanna is and the challenges the author has presented her with in this story arc. Even though she has fought for the right to be a knight, she still faces the challenge of being able to be herself – something that I believe many of us struggle with. We all have to fight against the misconceptions and assumptions that society and others impose on us. It's a series that I truly hope my kids will read one day!

This is not my favorite book within the series. However, it does offer another remarkable adventure for Alanna.

It is filled with excitement, magic, thrilling sword fights, and other wonderful elements.

I suppose my gripe with this particular book is that it failed to truly 'wow' me when compared to the previous two installments in the series.

Moreover, one character undergoes a transformation into an irritating brat within this story.

Every single time this character made an appearance on the page, I would cringe.

Nevertheless, aside from those aspects, it was still a fun and quick read that managed to engage my attention and keep me entertained throughout.

Despite its shortcomings, it still holds its own as a part of the Alanna series and offers an enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.

Alanna, a newly graduated knight, embarks on a journey with her loyal friend Coram into the desert. There, she becomes a part of the desert people. Among them, Alanna discovers a new culture and gains the opportunity to enhance her magical skills.

The book truly has many excellent elements. Firstly, Alanna gains a new understanding of the role of women among the desert people. She respects the knowledge that women possess, such as weaving. However, she also challenges traditions by making her female apprentices into shamans, a typically male profession.

Alanna experiences love with both Crown Prince Jonathan and King Gergi. Both men in Alanna's life love her deeply. It is simply a pleasure to read a book where a female protagonist makes her choice of partner not only based on feelings but also by using well-thought-out considerations about the future.

All in all, it is a really good book.

It was almost there.

I had anticipated a Trickster-level Idiot Plot from this, yet the Bazhir of the Bloody Hawk are largely regarded as competent (unlike in Trickster, where the other raka become idiots and the entire plot hinges on Aly, a sixteen-year-old untrained white spy who is so inept at disguises that Lokeij sees through her instantly, despite the existence of qualified mages/spies in the Chain, an actual network established specifically for spying). Excluding the Burning Brightly aspect, Alanna doesn't seem as disposable here as Aly does in her series. It appears to me that most of the Bazhir are accepting of female shamans, but ibn Nazzir is specifically hindering the progress of the Bloody Hawk. This isn't ideal, but I can tolerate it.

I relished the inclusion of veils. Alanna's statement that 'K and K would be great shamans even if they did want to wear veils' is somewhat questionable, but it was the 80s and Alanna is viewing things from a Tortallan perspective.

At the start, Alanna makes a comment about 'the dance of manners that entailed conversation with a Bazhir'. In contrast to Tortallans, who share their life stories with strangers, right, Alanna? The Bazhir are also initially portrayed as naive: they debate whether Alanna is the Burning Brightly one, and it comes across as extremely white-saviour. One of the things I appreciate about Ali Mukhtab (I'm a huge fangirl of his) is that he seems to recognize the Bazhir's right to self-govern, and through him, we witness the richness of the Bazhir's culture and history. He's a very human character, not a caricature.

I'm still undecided about the Bazhir being utilized as a plot device for Alanna to learn more about herself. She, a white woman, kills ibn Nazzir and is the first to train female shamans for the Bloody Hawk. Having said that, it's evident that the Bazhir are more than capable of handling things themselves with a gentle push in the right direction. And Alanna also discovers that women can be decent individuals and that 'women's work' can be enjoyable, so there's that.

And then, of course, my major concern was Jon (a white man) becoming the Voice. I mean... I understand, but was there truly no Bazhir who could have fulfilled this role? With that being said, at least some of the Bazhir are shown to be dissatisfied with it, we see Bazhir magic in action, and the ritual is so perilous that Jon nearly loses his life. It bothers me a bit that it takes Alanna and Faithful (the Goddess's cat) to heal Mukhtab and give him a boost of magic towards the end. Again, don't the Bazhir have a healer? Is there a reason why a white woman with her white-coded Goddess is magically stronger or better trained than the entire Bloody Hawk?

I adored Kara, Kourrem, Ishak, and Halef Seif. Ibn Nazzir was like Roger on steroids, and that other sorcerer was even worse. A great deal of the anti-woman rhetoric originated from him and felt highly exaggerated.

I would have preferred to see the Bazhir be more open-minded, but hey, at least they're equated to the Tortallans.

Jon turns into a complete jerk here. Alanna/George gives me life. Faithful is spot-on throughout the entire book.