Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce

This is the final book in the "Song of the Lioness" (Alanna) series. As usual, much of the storyline is predictable. The ending is very climatic, though. Thom, Alanna's brother has now become a master sorceror. Because others keep teasing him and appealing to his ego, he raises Duke Roger from the dead in order to prove that he is very powerful. Of course there are problems with this.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce

This is the third book in the Alanna series. Alanna wishes to set off on an adventure. She gets to the desert and is attacked by the hill people. Some of the desert tribes people help her and take her into their tribe, after she is tested to see if she is "worthy". Unfortunately, the shaman does not accept her and ends up attacking her. Since she defeats the shaman, she must replace him until either someone else kills her, or she has taught/found a replacement. This book is also very predictable, but still enjoyable.

In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce

The second book in the Alanna series is In the Hand of the Goddess. Alanna is now a squire for Prince Jonathan. She also meets the Great Mother Goddess, gets a "companion", "Faithful" who is more than just a plain cat. She also has purple eyes, like Alanna. Jonathan and Alanna fight the Ysandir in the Black Castle which she has dreamed about/seen visions of. In addition, she finds out more about Duke Roger, whom she must eventually face.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

This book was a quick read and is meant for young adults. The storyline is predictable. I found the first 1/2 to 3/4 of the book boring, but found the ending intriguing. Alanna is a girl who lives in a society where only males can become knights. Her twin brother wants to become a sorceror and she wants to become a knight. She then goes to the king's court (really Duke Gareth's castle) and pretends to be a boy in order to become first a page, then a squire and later a knight. In the meantime, she meets Jonathan, the Crown Prince, and George Cooper, the "King of the Rogues".

Alanna Series

A friend had recommended to me the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce for a while. I had tried to read one of the books from the Circle of Magic series which are also by Tamora Pierce, before, but I found the first book rather boring, though to be fair, I had not read very much of the novel. Since my friend really liked this series, I decided to try and read some books in the series.