Because who can afford books in this economy?

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Alanna: The First Adventure and In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce


Titles: Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess
Author: Tamora Pierce
Published: 1983, 1984
Synopsis from Goodreads for Alanna: The First Adventure:
Alan of Trebond, the best warrior in the palace, is harboring a big secret: he is really a she - Alanna. But when her prince is felled by an illness, Alanna has no choice but to use her healing magic - even if it means ruining her career. 

I wasn't really sure what to expect going into these. I read Tricksters Choice and Tricksters Queen not too long ago and loved them, so I thought that I would read these, since they're essentially prequels. I wasn't disappointed.  I'm doing a joint review because the first two are basically half of one long story.

I felt that Alanna: The First Adventure was a bit hard to get into. Since it's told in third person and the jumps in time are so choppy I had a bit of trouble really getting to know Alanna. By In the Hand of the Goddess I knew Alanna very well, but time still moved strangely. One second she was 11 the next 12, one scene 16 the next 17. It was a bit hard to get used to. I did feel that the time jumps were necessary, I just wish that they could have been a bit less choppy.

Because I read the books about her daughter first, I know who she's going to end up with, but I still love reading about the love triangle. It's not very prominent at all in the first one, but in the second one it's definitely there. I really liked that, as I've said before, I'm a sucker for romance :).

I really really like Alanna. She knows what she wants, and she knows how to get it. She doesn't let being a girl stop her from being a knight, and she's very smart. She's an ideal role model for anyone, not just young girls.

In short, I really enjoy Tamora Pierces books, and I'm very happy to add this series to my list of books by her that I've read. I hope to expand that list considerably.

4 comments:

  1. Glad you liked these books! I agree, when the plot jumps from the past to the present to the future it tends to feel a bit choppy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looove seeing thoughts on older and much loved books like these! Tamora Pierce writes some of the strongest and awesome female characters ever.So you started with Aly's books? I started with the Immortals quartet but Protector of the Small is an all time favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those are some really cool covers! It gets confusing in stories when the time jumps all over the place. Sometimes it's a little hard to keep track of it all.

    Happy Friday!
    Melina

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awesome!
    Oh, and hey! You won a contest. :)
    Love, Hannah

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, keep them coming!

Related Posts with Thumbnails