This book has a special place in my heart. This story was the first time I had ever encountered a female character like Alanna and the first time a protagonist had ever shared my name. Every few years, I return to the story and feel empowered and comforted- like how eating a favorite childhood food reminds you of home.

Spoiler

One of the worst book I’ve ever read. The weirdest book of the series with plot that does not make sense.

Alanna is bored, so she goes off to find this gem. Found it easily. tried to palm it off to another princess, thank god she said no so Alanna finally took it to John.

she is one thirsty lady, she hasn’t been away from Copper that long she’s already got her guys on the Dragon. And now everybody knows about the lioness and the dragon, gosh words spread fast without Instagram. She then brings him back to meet her two other lovers and they are so causal and jolly about it. Nice! John even mentioned it at some point. Anyhoo…

The worst plot line was that Tom brought the evil man Alanna killed back from the dead, and the king reinstated his title and land. What?!! He tried to kill the queen and take over the throne.

They said someone challenged Tom to do this strong magic, and Tom just did it. And now his magic is corrupt and Tom dies. What?! Why would he bring a criminal back from the dead? Can’t he try it on someone more important like the queen perhaps? That way the kingdom would still be whole.

Another weird plot twist was that the king killed himself after the queen passed since she’s left weakened by the poisoning. So why did he pardon the culprit? So now John is made king.

In the end, Alanna had to kill the douche bag again! And she was made the kings champion (coz she rejected John’s marriage proposal again, said she wasn’t queen material). She then went off to live with the desert people coz she wants more adventure. Ends up with George. Oh I forgot to mention the dragon died taking arrows for John, and John married the other princess Alanna brought home.

Another weird thing is that Miles is Alanna’s father now and he’s most likely getting together with George’s mom. So how does the family work? Is that even legal? I mean they’re not blood related but still…

This is the epic conclusion to the Song of the Lioness quartet. It was one of my favorite series when I was younger, and honestly it still is. This conclusion lives up to the rest of the series, and is a wonderful adventure for Alanna.

This book features lots of excitement. Alanna sets out to get what her King needs, even though it is the stuff of legends. The fight scenes are actually awesome in this book (I usually gloss over the details in other books, but here I could actually picture it the way the author wanted). I recommend this series to all people who enjoy a good story.

Great writing, fantastic plot, loveable characters – this book has it all in spades.
It’s an excellent ending to Alanna’s adventure; it shows the reader a truly matured female character that realizes she doesn’t have to choose between being a woman and being a knight. We get adventure, romance, intrigue, laughter, and a few tears.
Loved it. Highly recommend it.

I was really happy with how this series ended up. And that RARELY happens.
Thank you, Ms. Pierce, for reminding me that I do really like fantasy novels. And that there is a "good way" to leave things.


Also: am I alone in thinking that Liam Ironarm is obviously Sean Bean?

Alanna has finally found am adventure she can go on. With a goal to achieve, she travels from the sunny deserts to the coldest place in the world to get the greatest thing in the world; the Dominion Jewel, a legendary gem that, in the right hands, has limitless power for good. But with countless issues and bumps in the road, will she be able to save Tortall, and also be who she wants to be?

We finally see the stage set for later books in this installment. I was giddy, simply because I could see everything falling into place in the kingdom of Tortall, into the order that I knew and loved from later books. A beautiful end to the series, and an amazing starting place for a whole world of adventure to come.

Book 4, Alanna's story comes to a satisfying conclusion. Alanna meets Liam Ironarm, a Shang Dragon warrior. They journey to the roof of the world in search of the Dominion Jewel, a powerful object that will solidify any monarchs reign. Alanna returns home to give the jewel to her king, Jonathan. She becomes the King's Champion and must again defeat the evil Duke Roger.

I love a good happy ending where everything wraps up neatly. Alanna picked the right man! I'm so happy for them. There was a little bit of sadness, but it was beautiful and made this a very well balanced novel. This is such a wonderful series, and I'm really glad I found it, even if I'm an adult now. I highly recommend this series for anyone looking for an easy to read fantasy series with very a very strong female lead!