Mission Re-Read The Book Shelf: Alanna

Average 4 stars.

Alright, so I finished the Alanna series…it was a breeze, and I remembered how much I used to love these books.

So, now with that fresh in my mind, I think that the reason I liked them so much was because of Alanna herself – a women who empowered herself, made life what she wanted, fought for what she wanted, and made herself conquer her fears.  I think I also liked the romance aspect of it…ah, how naive I was.

What I like now about the books were some of the same things as before. An empowered woman, who fights for what she wants but also is realistic in the fact that she has fears and faults.

The writing is also not bad, considering it’s intended audience. I found that I still enjoyed the series, even if I not thinking about it for days after, and getting excited to get to the next Tortall installment.

Tamara Pierce is a big name in the industry of fantasy fiction, especially in the YA sector. This was her first series in the Tortall installment, and that was in 1986! And she is still writing little pieces to add to the now very complex tapestry of what is Tortall.

I will give a little piece of synopsis  for each book.

Alanna: The First Adventure

In a world where noble women are expected to stay within the lines of who they are supposed to be, Alanna is a girl who has strayed far past those lines. Instead of letting herself be hauled off to the convent where she would learn womenly art, Alanna and her twin brother do the unthinkable; they switch places, with Alanna disguised as a boy to train at the palace to be a knight.

Can she keep up with the boys and learn to be the best? Or will her secret be discovered in a time of need?

Author: Tamara Pierce

Published: January 6th 2005 by Simon Pulse (first published 1983)

Page Count  274 pages

isbn: 0689878559    (isbn13: 9780689878558)

In The Hands Of The Goddess

Still in the palace pretending to be a boy in training, Alanna has done remarkable. Her swordsmanship is incredible, her hand-to-hand improving dramatically. She has been accepted by the majority of the population, along with her aversion to swimming.

After meeting the Goddess, and getting a new pet with purple eyes like hers, Alanna continues on her path to knight-hood. So far Prince Jonathan is  he is  her best friend, Knight master – and one of the few who knows the secret of her true ideidentity.

Will she be able to keep her secret safe as she has to protect the people she knows and loves? Or will she save them at the expense of her dreams?

Author: Tamara Pierce

Published: January 6th 2005 by Simon Pulse (first published 1984)

Page Count  288 pages

isbn: 0689878567    (isbn13: 9780689878565)

The Woman Who Rides Like A Man

After her identity was revealed to all at the palace, and all of Tortall, Alanna has finally achieved her goals; with one bloody stain. She has killed her enemy, the Duke Roger whose plot to kill the queen could not be hidden any longer.

Now in the Bazhir deserts, she is adopted into a tribe and eventually become Shaman there, turning the Bazhir people’s traditions and ideas on their heads when she starts training two girls and a boy.

Will Alanna finnaly find something she needs to do? Will she ever be able to go back to Courus? And will she decide between the thief or the Prince?

Author: Tamara Pierce

Published: January 6th 2005 by Simon Pulse (first published 1986)

Page Count  304 pages

isbn: 0689878567    (isbn13: 9780689878565)

Lioness Rampant

Alanna has finally found am adventure she can go on. With a goal to achieve, she travels from the sunny deserts to the coldest place in the world to get the greatest thing in the world; the  Dominion Jewel, a legendary gem that, in the right hands, has limitless power for good. But with countless issues and bumps in the road, will she be able to save Tortall, and also be who she wants to be?

Author: Tamara Pierce

Published: January 6th 2005 by Simon Pulse (first published 1988)

Page Count  384 pages

isbn: 0689878575    (isbn13: 9780689878572)

Well, that is all. That adventure is over, so it is onto the next one…

Mission Re-Read The Book Shelf: Series Reading

A few days ago, I looked at my book-shelf and decided that perhaps I could re-read some of the books sitting on the shelf. So, all this month we can depend on the fact that I will be reading anything from young-adult fiction that I last read in grade seven, or adult fiction that the last I read it was anywhere from two summers ago to a few months ago.

So I assigned myself a mission; re-read the book shelf. While this could be interesting, because I could end up reading books that I absolutely loved in elementary and jr high, I am also going to be reading books that I have no idea if I will be able to like.

First part mission on the list? Series.

We are going to start with a YA series by Tamara Pierce. What a better thing to do than start with where it all began: ‘Alanna, The First Adventure’. The last time I read this book was in grade seven, when I went through a Tamara Pierce phase. So, while I still remember the story lines, they are not fresh. So the novels I will be reading over the next week will be ‘Alanna; The First Adventure’, ‘In The Hand Of The Goddess’, ‘The Woman Who Rides Like a Man’, and ‘Lioness Rampant’.

I will admit that I am excited to finnally go through my book shelf again, and enjoy all the YA books I used to love. It has been so long since I have read half of them, that I am not even familiar with the names anymore. Good. Because that means it will be like reading it for the first time all over again.

Eventually, I will make it to the adult shelf, which will be pretty good, but, for now, whoever is reading this will have to put up with YA books for a while. Don’t fret through; I will continue to read adult books too so that my maturity level does not go through the floor and I can retain my sanity.