George is a paragon for chivalrous thieves, and Faithful is one of the best literary cats ever written. It is rare nowadays to find a novel where I love the supporting cast as much as I love the heroine. Tamora Pierce also writes unique characters. Few YA fantasy novels possess this power. I felt like I was traveling the world with Alanna, and I could feel the distinct change in culture when Alanna brought me with her across the borders into another nation and even when a foreigner would arrive in Tortall. I love when authors take the time to draw the maps for a fantasy world and when they understand the culture and history of their fantasy worlds so well that they can really develop the world. In particular, I want to draw attention to the world building. Nevertheless, these are very solid for a debut author. Song of the Lioness is Tamora Pierce’s first series, so the writing and character / plot development isn’t as well done as her later series. Alanna cannot attain true knighthood without embracing her vulnerabilities. Rather, her vulnerabilities are always with her, and they are important to the plot. She isn’t strong one moment and then her vulnerabilities are exposed the next like many of today’s YA heroines. What makes her real is that these vulnerabilities are integral to her identity. She is also vulnerable in that she is scared of her magic, and she is scared of her womanhood. Instead, she suffers quietly while diligently training on her own so that she can prove her strength further down the road.
When she gets picked on for being small and weak, she doesn’t break down. Alanna is strong, independent, and courageous. When I think about a truly strong and independent heroine with some vulnerabilities, Alanna is the first heroine to come to mind (followed by Daine and Kel from Tamora Pierce’s The Immortals and The Protector of the Small). These heroines tend to be super strong one moment and a weeping mess another moment, leaving me confused as to who is the real them. For a while now, I’ve seen a trend in YA lit to write “kickass” heroines. Out of all of the YA authors with whom I am familiar, Tamora Pierce is the best at writing real characters. It is one of my staple comfort reads, and I re-read it at least once or twice a year. Song of the Lioness is one of my all-time favorite series.
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