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asteroideae's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Bullying
sexytinatrainconductress's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexism and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, and Gore
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Nealan is Kel's sponsor and quickly becomes her friend. Gradually she gets more of a social circle, but it's difficult to be the only girl surrounded by boys when many of the adults in charge are also treating her gender as somewhere between an annoyance and an issue. The plot focuses on Kel's first year as a page, specifically the fact of her probation and the bullying amongst the pages. She also has a fear of heights, something which one of her instructors makes her work to mitigate.
This is technically not a sequel, but it’s set in Tortall one year after the conclusion of the Immortals Quartet. It's notable for sneaking in a bit of Daine and Numair while Daine is barely under eighteen and Numair is thirty or so. Jonathan is king and the land is filled with the immortals who remain, of which Spidrens are a constant danger for even wary travelers. Raoul leads the King's Own, and Alanna has been ordered to stay away from Kel, lest her involvement taint the public perception of Kel's success or failure.
The worldbuilding is continued from the previous quartets, rarely pausing to explain things which were given more thorough treatment earlier. This has the effect of subtly updating continuing readers on what previously-met characters are up to now, while keeping the main focus on Keladry’s current problems. The one place this was a bit jarring is there are a lot of changes from Alanna’s time as a page, and the characters often not-so-subtly comment on them. Kel obviously doesn’t have Alanna’s experiences in her head, but she knows what her brothers said of their time in the palace and (conveniently) most of the notable changes stem from sometime after their tenure.
Prior Tortall books have mentioned the Yamani Islands, but this is main introduction to any specifics about them. Kel’s parents were the Tortallan ambassadors to the Yamanis, and when FIRST TEST begins, Kel had spent more of her life there than in Tortall. Most of the details about the Islands seem meant to invoke real-world Western ideas of East Asia (specifically but not only Japan). This shows up in bowing styles, lucky/waving cats, clothing, and (most notably) outward impassiveness and control of emotions.
I've read this many times before as a teenager, but it's been a while, and I was surprised by how much of the plot is Kel dealing with bullying in various ways.
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Excrement, and War
wondereads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, and Violence
inferiorwit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death
Minor: Animal cruelty
charm0nix's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty
manarnia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Vomit
Minor: Death, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
quil's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
anotherqueerreading's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, and Sexism
meganpbennett's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is rather similar to Tamora Pierce's Alanna series, with Kel undergoing training with the rest of the Pages. The older pages haze the younger pages, and Kel decides that she doesn't like bullies, no matter who or where they are. While training at the palace, she makes friends with the sparrows that live in her courtyard, feeding them breadcrumbs. They are important to the climax of the story, so watch out for them.
Good story, engaging and interesting. I'm interested in the sequel.
Graphic: Bullying and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
FYI, the first chapter involves an immortal from the divine realms killing and eating kittens.