I truly hate giving this book a two-star review. It makes me feel extremely bad, as if I'm kicking an adorable, defenseless kitten. A red-haired kitten, to be exact. With the most enchanting purple eyes. And it has a surprising aptitude for just about everything. It also has an abundance of courage and is simply oozing with adorable precocious pluck. However, it has absolutely no sense of humor.

People seemingly adore this book, and I believe I understand the reason. Had I read it as a young girl, I would have loved it too. It's a coming-of-age story about a girl who feels different from everyone else. One who is, of course, breathtakingly gorgeous and endowed with amazing skills. She even has her own horse and is flawless in every conceivable way. She's not so much a fully-fleshed character as she is a cipher for young girls' imagination. Which is perfectly fine, and I would probably recommend this book for kids ages eight through, well, I don't really know, maybe 14. But that doesn't mean I relish reading it.

I endeavored to pinpoint precisely what bothered me about Alanna, and I determined it was her cipher-ness. But it's also the fact that Pierce did a great deal of telling and not nearly enough showing. We're informed that she's funny, yet we never witness any genuine examples of it (except when she utters something that isn't funny and all her friends burst out laughing, so we're led to believe she's funny. It's like the laugh-track effect). She's incredibly fortunate, and she appears to be blessed with the ability to miraculously discover or develop a skill whenever it's required.

But I think, in the final analysis, it's that both she (and the storyline) are clichéd and predictable. The moment you find out she's a twin, you know precisely how this is all going to unfold. As soon as you encounter the (good, kind, noble) prince, you know they'll become friends and she'll ultimately save his life. There's even a king of thieves with a heart of gold and a dastardly uncle. Neither the characters nor the story was remotely believable. If I'm expected to accept that Alanna pulled off the deception she did, I'd need to know a whole lot more about how. It was just all far too clichéd (I'm not entirely certain you can actually get away with a red-haired, purple-eyed protagonist, no matter how talented you are). Far too much occurred behind the scenes, and I was expected to suspend my disbelief to an excessive degree. My eyes grew weary from rolling.

It's not a terrible book. As I mentioned earlier, I'd recommend it for younger readers, but I didn't enjoy it myself. As bad as I feel about that.

4/5; 4 stars; A-

I simply can't believe that this is the very first Tamora Pierce book that I've ever read. It truly was an awesome'sword and scorcery' fantasy story that is suitable for all ages. The strong female character in the story was a real delight to follow, and I also thoroughly enjoyed the characterization of the various boys. There is an abundance of room for growth in the magic system, and the different story arcs hold great potential that I can clearly envision. I am extremely looking forward to reading the rest of this series. I have a feeling that it's going to be an amazing journey filled with excitement, adventure, and perhaps even some unexpected twists and turns. I can't wait to see where the story takes me and what new characters and magical elements I'll encounter along the way.

I read this one for my Patron-exclusive readalong for the Song of a Lioness series and I was truly and pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Beforehand, I had never even heard of it. When I learned that it was from the 80s, I was extremely worried that it would be dated and not hold up in today's context. However, I am so happy to say that it's a book I would whole-heartedly recommend without any hesitation.

Alanna of Trebond has her heart firmly set on becoming a knight. Meanwhile, her brother desires to learn magic. So, they make a bold decision to switch places. This allows Alanna to go to the castle of King Roald and commence her training as a knight. But she has to hide her true identity while simultaneously proving herself. As a result, Alanna faces an abundance of challenges and obstacles along the way.

I adored a great many of the themes and messages that this book conveys. It shows that girls can do whatever boys can do if they are given the opportunity. I can envision this being an incredibly influential read for numerous young people. It's a book that I would unreservedly give to my niece to teach her that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. Witnessing Alanna's journey and struggle felt astonishingly real within a truly fantastical world. It's a coming-of-age story, as she grows up and contends with real issues as well.

I was also really fond of the'swords and sorcery' aspect of this book. Again, it was an element that I wasn't really anticipating. There are several interesting developments that occur to keep the story exciting. For instance, there is a mystical sickness and a finale that takes place in the ruins of the Black City. There are villains to deal with, and although I did find some parts of it a little rushed, I was still completely immersed in this captivating world.

I eagerly look forward to continuing this series and I'm deeply grateful to everyone who urged me to begin reading it.

January 2016 Re-read

Spoilers for all books. I always seem to forget just how significantly Thom's future is foreshadowed right in the first chapter. It's quite sad for that poor kid.

And once again, I truly appreciate that Alanna has to put in a great deal of effort to become a knight. She may have some "special" magic, but she is far from perfect. She's not some SUPER SPECIAL GIRL LIKE NO OTHER GIRL. This makes her character so much more relatable and inspiring.

Also, as much as I have a passion for romance and often complain about the lack of it in Kel's books, I'm actually glad it's not present in this one. Everyone is still just friends, and that纯真的友谊 adds a unique charm to the story. It allows the focus to remain on the characters' growth and their adventures.

Original Review

I've always struggled with how to review books that I've loved for such a long time whenever I re-read them. Anyway, I absolutely adore the introduction to this world. I like that Alanna begins at such a young age, and even just within this book, we get to witness her grow and mature. The "Womanhood" chapter is always a favorite of mine because so few books actually deal with those kinds of topics. And I truly love that Alanna has to WORK hard to become a knight. She succeeds because of her unwavering determination and the effort she puts in, not simply because of her natural abilities. For example, I love the fact that she becomes one of the best with the sword despite not being a natural at it. And all the friendships in the book feel so incredibly real. That's always a wonderful aspect of this story.

Wow.

For such a short book, an astonishing amount of events take place throughout it!

Alanna's journey is a thrilling and enjoyable adventure that makes me long once again for the opportunity to have discovered this book during my childhood.

I truly hope that today's young children will come across this book. It would be nothing short of perfect and wonderful for them.

Alanna disguises herself as her twin brother in order to train for her true aspiration of becoming a knight.

She soon realizes that it is not as effortless as she had initially imagined and must delve deep within herself to truly pursue her dreams.

Her path is complex, but that will not prevent her from attaining what she desires.

Everyone in this story is so young! They begin as mere children, but it is truly wonderful and precious.

There is a fair amount of skipping around, and this book确实 feels like the beginning of Alanna's adventures.

It effectively sets the stage for the entire series.

The ending leaves me extremely excited to continue following her adventure all over again!

The scenes featuring Alanna and Coram are truly remarkable!

Coram is a grumpy individual, yet his genuine care for Alanna shines through in every single one of their interactions.

I adore it to the fullest.

I'm sure that when this book was first released in 1983, it was revolutionary.

However, reading it now, it seems more than a little outdated.

The story follows a little girl named Alanna who desires to be a knight rather than a lady.

So, she masquerades as a boy at court.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't delve much deeper than that.

For the first 230 pages, absolutely nothing interesting occurs.

Alanna goes to court, meets people, trains, doesn't want to go swimming, finds a sword and a horse, fights the class bully, and becomes best friends with the prince.

If that isn't generic, I don't know what is.

It's not until the final chapter that anything remotely intriguing happens, and even this consists of a magical sword fight that is completely unexplained.

The characterization was also a huge letdown.

The title character is a standard tomboy with no specific qualities that make her interesting.

Three years pass by the end of the book, and she has not grown or developed at all.

Perhaps this is because, despite being small and untrained, she arrives at court already the best swordsman, magician, and rider.

How can this little girl be so good at everything when there are dozens of pages, squires, and healers with years more training but who prove to be completely useless?

Some might say this is a nice feminist novel, but Alanna pales in comparison to Arya Stark, Katniss Everdeen, or Lyra Belacqua.

Alanna also has a group of equally generic friends (Jon, George, Raoul, Alex, etc.) who are all interchangeable and seem to serve no purpose other than to remind us that there are people at the castle besides Alanna.

Overall, this story was very generic, and even the exciting moments were cliché and predictable.

I will say that it does seem a bit unfinished, and I do plan on reading the sequel; hopefully, both the story and the characters will develop at some point.

This is one of the most popular books of my adolescence. (After the second Harry Potter book, it was my favorite series.) I think I was thirteen or fourteen years old when I read it for the first time, and at that age and in that year, I read it many times. It's a complete package of everything that a fantasy-loving teenage girl wants to read in a story.

It's a combination of magic, sword fighting, charming boys, and a girl who decides to act against the norm and wear boys' clothes to achieve her goal.

I was so in love with this series that rereading it was also enjoyable for me. But if I were to read it for the first time today, I definitely wouldn't give it two more stars. Especially since the translation and editing are abysmal.

This is a lovely coming-of-age tale that is clearly written for a younger audience. However, I, being young at heart, also thoroughly enjoyed it.

The plot, characters, structure, prose, and situations are all very simple and easy to follow. There are no surprises, but that was what I expected, and this book provided me with the light entertainment I was seeking, as well as some reminiscing. I'm certain that I would have adored this story as a child, when I wouldn't have been able to notice the improbability of Alanna's luck.

The only so-so aspect was the narrative style, which is over-telling and flat, along with the prose being too plain. Granted, I remember that this is a suitable read for pre-teens and is accessible as such, but still. I can't quite describe the feeling well, but I don't think this part of the book has aged well. Kids nowadays aren't put off by a little brain exercise or by a few more hardships thrown in the way of the protagonists.

The relationships are very straightforward, with a clear line between good and evil. Many characters are overly friendly to be realistic, but who cares? It's refreshing to read about good sentiments from time to time.

After reading three paranormal/urban fantasy romances in a row, you can only imagine how happy I was to read, not only something different, but something GOOD!

Good is indeed the best description I can give of Alanna. It's not quite great, but it gets very close. Some parts did seem a bit unrealistic to me. For example, Alanna being so easily accepted by the boys. However, the story is short, fun, filled with action, magic, mystery, and high adventure.

Alanna is a wonderful character. She's stubborn, cheeky, and sometimes doubts herself. The supporting characters, from Prince Jonathan to Sir Myles and King George, are all excellent. Gary, Raoul, and Alex aren't fully developed, but that's understandable given the short length of the book.

It's a rather typical girl-in-boy's clothing story, but the writing is quite good and the sense of fun more than makes up for some of the predictability. The ending isn't the glorious blaze I'd hoped for, but it wasn't too bad either. And since there are many more books to follow, I can't wait to continue reading.

Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I'm eager to devour the sequels!

Edited to Add:

I just had to mention something that really annoyed me. There's an evil character in the book, the king's nephew. It's obvious to the reader that he's evil, but despite all the evidence, the prince refuses to believe that this person could betray him.

Seriously? This isn't the first time I've come across something like this in a book. I have to wonder if the author ever thought about what it would be like growing up in a court, a system known for its lies, betrayals, and petty power struggles.

If I were Queen of the world (just think about it - it wouldn't be such a bad idea. I'm not asking you to vote or anything, just to consider the possibility), I'd be cautious if I'd almost died twice and the only person who could have tried to kill me twice was the first in line to inherit the throne upon my death. I'd at least take a moment to think about it.

And why trust anyone implicitly? If I were Queen of the World (doesn't that title just suit me?), I'd have categories of people:

Those absolutely trusted without question.

Those I trust mostly but keep an eye on.

Those I'm friendly with but am wary of.

Those I don't trust (people in this category would either be about to die or already dead).

The titles of Those Absolutely Trusted Without Question would be awarded posthumously after they've completed an act to save my life, losing theirs in the process.

I just find this kind of trusting royal a ridiculous characterization. If you have significant ruling power, like a kingdom, then despite getting it by birthright, someone is going to try to take it from you. They may be smarter, better looking, and more capable than you, but it's still your job to make sure they never take power from your cold, dead fingers. To do that, you need to use a bit more brain power and a lot less blind loyalty!

*Takes a deep breath and sighs* And I promised myself I'd have a break from ranting! Oh well, maybe the next review will be rant-free!

The story revolves around two identical twins, Alanna and Tom. It is set in a bygone era when knights roamed the land and females faced numerous limitations and a lack of recognition. Alanna, a remarkable individual, decides to disguise herself as her brother and embark on the path of training for magic.

She proves to be a brilliant warrior, surpassing most boys in her skills. However, what truly sets her apart is not just her combat prowess but also her possession of healing magic. This unique ability allows her to heal the wounds of those close to her while simultaneously having the power to kill and defeat the enemy.

The narrative delves deep into the character development of Alanna, highlighting her journey as she strives to gain an equal footing in a highly patriarchal society. It showcases her determination, courage, and resourcefulness in the face of adversity. Overall, this story earns a rating of 4.25 stars for its engaging plot and well-developed characters.

I've heard truly amazing things about Tamora Pierce's books.

With that being said, I was a bit nervous when I started reading this one, given all the awesome things I had heard. I was like, "I'm not going to love it as much as everyone else."

Boy, was I completely wrong! I absolutely loved Alanna! It's so different from anything I've ever read before.

It's this captivating medieval fantasy story with a kick-ass main character who isn't afraid to go after what she wants. And that is to be a knight!

I really can't wait to read more about Alanna and more from Tamora Pierce!

I re-read this book from December 6th to December 9th, 2012, and then again in August 2014. Each time, it was just as enjoyable and engaging as the first.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and strong female characters.

*Hugs book.*

A "hugs book" is a wonderful and heartwarming concept. It could be a collection of stories, pictures, or messages that are designed to bring comfort, joy, and a sense of connection. Each page might hold a different kind of hug - a gentle embrace between friends, a loving hug from a parent to a child, or a warm hug shared between two people in a moment of celebration or support. The "hugs book" could be a source of inspiration and a reminder of the power of human touch and kindness. It could be given as a gift to someone in need of a pick-me-up, or simply kept on a shelf as a reminder of the importance of showing love and affection to those around us. Whether it's through words or images, the "hugs book" has the potential to spread love and warmth to all who encounter it.