Alanna
Fantasy
By Tamora Pierce
Reviewed by Rebecca E. M.
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“Ignoring all the laws of magic Alanna had been taught, the pi
cture grew and spread. It was a city made of all black, shiny stone. Alanna leaned forward, squinting to see it better. She had never seen anything like this city. The sun beat down on gleaming walls and towers. Alanna was afraid—more afraid than she had ever been….”
Thom and Alanna were identical twins. Save the difference in the length of their hair, almost nobody could tell them apart. Alanna always wanted to be a knight and Thom a great sorcerer. So when the time came for Thom to go to the castle to learn to be a knight, and Alanna to the Convent to become a lady, the twins envied each other’s destinations. The convent not only trained noble girls to be ladies but it also housed the daughters of the goddess who train students (boys and girls) in magic. Alanna had always bested her brother in the fighting arts as well. So it was only a matter of time until the twins decided to trade places. Alanna cut her hair and disguised herself as a boy and set off to the palace to begin her training as a knight under the name of Alan. And Thom set off to the convent in his sisters place to train to be a sorcerer.
Alanna set off to the castle with her manservant, the much-respected soldier, Coram. With her identity hidden Alanna finds it very difficult to hide the truth from her new friends, Gary of Naxen, Roul of Goldenlake, Alex of Tirragen, her history teacher Myles of Oulau, the king of the Rouges named George, and even the Prince Jonathan of Tortall. When the prince’s cousin comes to the castle Alanna finds herself having a strange dislike for the man. But she cannot figure out why. She begins to suspect him for all of the strange mishaps around the castle, but are her suspicions valid? Later on Prince Jonathan takes her to a city said to be cursed after his cousin hinted to him a dare to enter the city. There they find an ancient power that threatens the lives of all who dwell in its midst.
Alanna is a remarkable story about Alanna’s adventure through disguising herself as a boy and proving herself as worthy as any boy of acquiring her knights shield. Alanna is an easy to read novel but it is engaging and appealing to all ages. It holds surprises around every corner and brings you into the minds of the characters. You find yourself inside the story and cheering Alanna on yourself as she fights her way to the top. By the end of this book you will find yourself itching to read the next book in this amazing series.
