I've recently been engaged in rereading Tamora Pierce's remarkable Song of the Lioness Quartet. Just moments ago, I completed book 3, namely The Woman Who Rides Like a Man.

To be completely honest, I found myself enjoying this book to a greater extent than I had initially recalled. True, it does suffer from a lack of focus, especially when juxtaposed with the rest of the series. However, this novel accomplishes a great deal. It effectively expands our comprehension of Tortall. It elevates the love triangle involving Jonathan, Alanna, and George to the next level. Additionally, it showcases the Lioness in a novel role, that of a teacher.

The majority of the book centers around her time living with the Bahzir as a shaman. This role compels her to concentrate more on her magical abilities, which often make her feel ill at ease. The entire narrative unfolds away from the palace. As a result, we don't necessarily encounter the same familiar faces that we're accustomed to, with the exception of key players like Coram, Jonathan, and George. Fortunately, the new characters are highly memorable. I have a particular fondness for Alanna's new students. I also appreciate the fact that The Woman Who Rides Like a Man openly presents a heroine who takes on multiple sexual partners without passing unfair judgment upon her.

In conclusion, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man is an exciting third volume within The Song of the Lioness Quartet series. I am truly delighted to have had the opportunity to read it once again.

As always, I truly relished this book.

Although I had initially forgotten that this particular installment had less emphasis on action and instead focused more on advancing the story and developing Alanna as a character.

This rediscovery didn't dampen my enjoyment in the slightest. In fact, it allowed me to appreciate the subtler aspects of the narrative.

I was overjoyed to encounter more of George once again.

He has long been one of my favorite characters, and his presence added an extra layer of depth and charm to the story.

His interactions with Alanna and the other characters were engaging and often quite humorous.

Overall, despite the change in the pacing and focus, this book still managed to captivate me from start to finish.

It left me eager to see what further adventures await Alanna and her friends in the next installment.

Bumping up to four stars is a significant improvement. It shows that there has been a notable enhancement in the quality or performance of something. Maybe it's a product that has received better reviews, a service that has become more efficient, or a business that has made positive changes. This increase in stars can have a positive impact on various aspects. For example, it can attract more customers, boost the reputation, and lead to higher sales or success. However, it's important to maintain this level of quality and continue to strive for even better results. Four stars is a great achievement, but there's always room for improvement. By constantly evaluating and making necessary adjustments, one can ensure that the four-star rating is not just a temporary milestone but a consistent reflection of excellence.

“Poor woman who rides like a man. You know so much, and nothing at all.”

After coming out, Alanna of Trebond, the sole woman knight in the realm of Tortall, rides away. This is what we've been waiting for. All the arduous training and palace shenanigans were just a prelude to what I believed was a key element in Alanna's story: fulfilling her knighthood dream. I endured the previous book only because I wanted to read about her travels and adventures around the kingdom.

Here's what happens: Alanna starts her journey, but gets stuck in the first place she visits. Her adventures exacerbate my previous conclusion that from a determined and hard-working girl, she grew up to be a person who expects the whole world to bend to her way. She comes to a people of a different culture, suffers from the village-saviour syndrome, makes them adjust to her whims, and lands on the top of the societal ladder, which she promptly uses to challenge the Bazhir way of life (of course she knows better!). Any problems she encounters are easily resolved with the minimum of effort on her part. In this regard, nothing has changed from the previous book, which is ludicrous because previously she was in a somewhat favourable milieu and now she is supposed to be out there, in a dangerous world.

My vacuum cleaner is more dangerous.

Things are so terribly unpleasant for poor Alanna that when she breaks her magic toy (which was mildly exciting), instead of struggling as an ordinary human being, she gets a new toy immediately (what a letdown!). On top of this, she continues her emancipation nonsense. I'd be willing to ignore it even against the gender crusade fought by Alanna against the representatives of another culture, but the absolutely abysmal view on marriage (kind of a coffin you are locked in alive and buried promptly) coupled with her take on romance, which now, that we are firmly out of the children's quarters and into the adult playground, has turned from fresh to repulsive, means that I'd indeed rather spend time with my vacuum cleaner than her.

By the way, if you hoped that the change of scenery means the end of the love triangle, all you need to know is: the love triangle is essential in this instalment. All that Alanna is presently preoccupied with is which one of the two candidates is better. In both cases, their love and devotion is taken for granted, and when pressed with need, she swaps one stud for another just waiting for it, all hot, in the starting gate.

Even the villainy in this book is not that scintillating and needs to be rehashed. You know it's bad if the Author is forced to bring the antagonist from the dead. It means that I can basically summarise the plot line of the next book even before I have read it. This would be acceptable in a children's book, not in a novel meant for the adult audience.

Also in the series:

1. Alanna: The First Adventure ★★★☆☆
2. In the Hand of the Goddess ★☆☆☆☆
4. Lioness Rampant ★☆☆☆☆

I truly relish Alanna and the manner in which she engages with the individuals in her life.

However, for this particular installment, I found the initial half to be rather dull. This is likely due to the fact that in the first two books, she was traversing to diverse places and there was an abundance of action. In this book, she spends the majority of the narrative in a single location, resulting in it being more about the ordinary, day-to-day affairs.

Conversely, I adored the second half because of the way Tamora Pierce handles the romance. I feel that all too often, the romance in teen fantasy books has the female characters hastily entering into marriage or love, solely based on emotions. But Alanna is truly rational and carefully contemplates relationships and how they will impact her personal aspirations. I simply love Alanna!

Her character is a breath of fresh air in the realm of teen fantasy, and I can't wait to see what adventures await her in future installments.

I would give all these books four stars,

except for the fact that they are marketed as children's books and feature a heroine who has no qualms about sleeping around.

This behavior is discussed openly and freely within the pages of the book,

without any sense of moral hesitation.

Immoral and stupid "adult" concepts in a book that I'm supposed to recommend to my daughters?

No way.

I, as a rational adult, enjoy the stories myself.

However, I would never have allowed myself to read such books at a young age.

If I had come across them by chance, I probably would have been appalled.

Call it being sheltered if you like!

But I firmly believe that children should be protected from such inappropriate content until they are old enough to understand and handle it.

After all, childhood is a time for innocence and growth, and we should do our best to ensure that their reading materials are positive and educational.

3 Sterne (= positive und negative Aspekte im Gleichgewicht)

Band 3 of the Alanna Quartet is definitely not as good as Band 1 and 2. The change of location and the many new characters, which deviate from Band 1 and 2, didn't particularly appeal to me. The concise narrative style also means that it's only with difficulty that one can gain access to the characters. Additionally, Alanna deserved something more exciting for her first mission as a knight.

Nevertheless, I still have high hopes for the finale. I remember almost nothing about how it "turns out".

Besides: #teamgeorge !!!

Overall, while Band 3 has its flaws, it still holds the potential for a great conclusion. The story has taken some unexpected turns, but I'm eager to see how it all wraps up. The new characters and settings have added some新鲜感, but also made it a bit harder to connect with the story. I'm hoping that the finale will tie up all the loose ends and give Alanna the adventure she truly deserves. #teamgeorge will surely play an important role in the final outcome, and I can't wait to see what happens.

I just want to burn this book and then make myself forget about it.

This book is truly a synonym for horror. It feels as if the whole book is one big unfinished draft, desperately in need of editing. The concentration of whiny-ass characters has reached its maximum within these pages. Take Alanna, for example. She is the ultimate Drama Queen who simply can't make up her mind. Does she want to have passionate sex with George or Jon? Of course, in the end, everything turns out great for her and she becomes a freaking hero, while her brother descends into fanatic lunacy. One of the most prominent characteristics of this book is the "let's change these characters completely" or the famous "doing the 180". The plot is dreadfully dull, and the action is virtually non-existent. I found myself on the verge of shooting myself during most of this miserable reading experience.

Overall, this is yet another one of those "I want to pull a Barney Stinson" kind of books. It's a disappointment from start to finish, leaving me with a sense of frustration and a strong desire to never pick it up again.

Since I really like George and in this volume, Elina was good with George and bad with your souls, the story became even more exciting for me :)) :- The two-year-old child

But now I want to be more serious. The story is told much better in this volume, the passage of time is slower and there are more details :>

P.S: I really enjoy reading this book carelessly! You don't know how much! 8>

The story seems to have a certain charm that keeps the reader engaged. The description of the relationship between the characters, especially Elina's interactions with George and the contrast with how she treats others, adds an element of interest. The slower pacing in this volume allows for a more in-depth exploration of the story and the development of the plot. It's interesting to see how the author has crafted the narrative to build excitement and anticipation. The personal note at the end about enjoying the book carelessly also gives a sense of the reader's connection with the story. Overall, it sounds like this is a book that has the potential to draw the reader in and keep them hooked until the very end.

Blahhhhhh.

The ending was truly the only good part. It was like a shining light in the midst of a rather dull book.

The majority of the book was so incredibly boring that it almost made me want to give up.

However, I'll still read the next one.

I've heard that it gets good again, and that things start to happen.

Okay, I'm willing to give it a chance.

But here's the thing: Is Thom a bad egg?

Because I'm kind of here for it.

I was just 12 years old when I first came across the Song of the Lioness quartet, and boy, did they make a huge impact on me.

At that stage of my life, it was truly amazing to discover a series of books with such a tough and relatable heroine. Alana was everything I aspired to be: strong-willed, compassionate, highly driven, and absolutely determined to live life on her own terms.

Now, it's been a whole decade since I first delved into these books, and they still hold up rather well. Alana continues to strike me as an outstanding role model for teenage girls. She's just as endearing to my college-aged self as she was to my preteen self.

That being said, I do have one significant problem with "The Woman who Rides Like a Man". There's an uncomfortable level of cultural insensitivity in Alana's interactions with the Bashir, a desert tribe that adopts her. The tribe is almost exoticized to the point of Orientalism, and their customs seem little more than a caricature of Middle Eastern culture. Additionally, I was rather discomforted by the fact that Alana is portrayed as a white savior, sweeping in and bringing about massive "moral" changes to the Bashir's traditions. It really struck me as a blatant display of cultural imperialism.

Despite these issues, "The Woman who Rides Like a Man" can actually be the starting point for some really great discussions. Since it raises important questions about gender roles, moral relativity, and cultural issues, it could potentially be an excellent selection for a teen reading group.

It took me a little while to truly get into this particular book, but all in all, I really enjoyed Desert Alanna.

The edition I read had a very interesting afterword. In it, Tamora Pierce discussed her intention to deliberately tone down some of Alanna's "Not Like Other Girls" attitude. She wanted to show that Alanna could also appreciate female friendships and more traditionally "girly" arts such as weaving.

This added an extra layer of depth to the story for me. It made me think about how we often pigeonhole characters and how important it is to show their growth and evolution.

Overall, Desert Alanna was a great read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels with strong female characters.