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A review by tani
Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce
4.0
This was more like 3.5 stars for me, but I rounded up because the ending made me feel a bit emotional.
After a not-so-great experience trying to read the Alanna books about ten years ago, I'm glad that I gave this series another chance. Although it is not my favorite by Tamora Pierce - that honor goes to The Protector of the Small series - it's a fun read that added some depth to my knowledge of the world of Tortall.
I think that one of my biggest issues with this series was pacing. For being short books, sometimes these felt terribly long to me. The action would pile on at other times until I was breathless. I wish there had been a little more evenness to it. The middle of this book, in particular, dragged a bit for me.
In addition, there's a lot of telegraphed moves. Events that could have been truly startling are foreshadowed far too much. I'm not much for guessing what's going to happen next, but in this case, I didn't have to. Too often, I knew exactly what was going to happen.
On the other hand, Alanna grows a lot in this one. I like her much better as an adult. Also, now that I'm cured of my childish crush on Jon, I am much more able to enjoy her romantic interludes, and to appreciate Tamora Pierce for putting them in there. I was also very happy to meet some characters who I also know from Protector of the Small, such as Thayet. Not to mention, seeing the entirety of the events around Jon's coronation was a pretty big deal.
In all, I'm glad that I gave this series a second chance. I'll be taking a bit of a break from Tamora Pierce for now, as this concludes both the books of hers that I own and the books that I had put on my to-read list at the beginning of the year, but I hope to return to the world of Tortall soon.
After a not-so-great experience trying to read the Alanna books about ten years ago, I'm glad that I gave this series another chance. Although it is not my favorite by Tamora Pierce - that honor goes to The Protector of the Small series - it's a fun read that added some depth to my knowledge of the world of Tortall.
I think that one of my biggest issues with this series was pacing. For being short books, sometimes these felt terribly long to me. The action would pile on at other times until I was breathless. I wish there had been a little more evenness to it. The middle of this book, in particular, dragged a bit for me.
In addition, there's a lot of telegraphed moves. Events that could have been truly startling are foreshadowed far too much. I'm not much for guessing what's going to happen next, but in this case, I didn't have to. Too often, I knew exactly what was going to happen.
On the other hand, Alanna grows a lot in this one. I like her much better as an adult. Also, now that I'm cured of my childish crush on Jon, I am much more able to enjoy her romantic interludes, and to appreciate Tamora Pierce for putting them in there. I was also very happy to meet some characters who I also know from Protector of the Small, such as Thayet. Not to mention, seeing the entirety of the events around Jon's coronation was a pretty big deal.
In all, I'm glad that I gave this series a second chance. I'll be taking a bit of a break from Tamora Pierce for now, as this concludes both the books of hers that I own and the books that I had put on my to-read list at the beginning of the year, but I hope to return to the world of Tortall soon.