Showing posts with label
[series] protector of the small.
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Showing posts with label
[series] protector of the small.
Show all posts
August 27, 2001
409 pages, Random House
In Book 3 of Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small sequence, 14-year-old Keladry of Mindelan is ready to begin training as a squire after undergoing four grueling years as the first girl to be officially educated as a page. Disappointed at first that Lady Alanna (whom we first met in the Song of the Lioness Quartet series) does not choose her, Kel is delighted when gruff, good-natured, down-to-earth Lord Raoul takes her on.
This post is where I prove to you that I am not being paid for my reviews and exactly how sharp my tongue/temper can be when I really get ticked off. But, should you challenge my views, please note that these are my own personal opinions/logic, and you don't have to listen to me if you don't want to. I hope that you will at least take my views in mind, but in the end, you walk away with what you want.
Alright. Here goes.
This is the final straw. The last of Tamora Pierce's books I will read. Ever. As a matter of fact, I'm going to set a precedent for myself and not bother to give points for books that really have no redeemable qualities. Let's just call it an "abridged" review.
So here goes.
Morality - or, to be honest, a complete lack of. For only being fourteen years old, Kel already has a lot of knowledge that she shouldn't, if you know what I mean - and is harboring a crush on three, nay, she culled it down to two, boys while insisting to all and sundry that though she might have relationships, she will never marry.
A "wonderful role model", according to The Horn Book. Well, I'm not finished yet.
So Kel finally decides to accept the suit - or whatever you can call it - of her friend Cleon, though she still insists that even if she might have feelings for him, marriage and children are out of the question. Enter her mother - yes, her mother - who buys her child a baby-preventing charm and tells her that now she can do whatever she wants, since she's not presented to court as a lady.
Wow. Such good parenting.
To be honest, even if Pierce had actually showed some concern for impressionable minds (for once), I probably would have dropped this series sooner or later. Too many words, too little action, redundant insults/slights/challenges to duel...if this is the future of heroine-ism, the literary world really is going downhill.
August 24, 2004
288 pages, Random House
As the only female page in history to last beyond the first year of formal training to become a knight, 11-year-old Keladry of Mindelan has an uphill battle to fight. In addition to proving herself worthy of being a page, Kel spends her time defending first-year pages from bullies, staying on top of homework, conquering her paralyzing fear of heights, and keeping up with Lord Wyldon's grueling physical training schedule. Kel's detractors do everything in their power to thwart her progress, from tormenting her friends to sabotaging the Midwinter Festivities to kidnapping her maid and dog on the day of final examinations. The tide of resistance begins to turn slightly during the summer between Kel's second and third years, when she leads a team of pages in defensive maneuvers against renegade bandits.
Kelandry of Mindelan has done it - though, of course, knowing Tamora Pierce, there is no doubt that her female characters will always (sometimes miraculously) surpass all obstacles, prejudicies and/or acts of God in order to end at the finish line.
Of course, for eleven-year-old Kel, the journey is only beginning. She has to fight to maintain the harsh regimen of a page, while dealing with the constant trials a chauvinistic world has to offer. And then, predictably, there is her growing affection for her best friend Neal, even as it seems her other friend Cleon also desires her attention.
Tamora, Tamora, Tamora. You start them off so young.
A planned sabotage and kidnapping, a maid that seems to have "Attack me! I'm sweet and helpless!" written on her forehead, and a mangy dog that doesn't take no for an answer are just some of the new difficulties Kel must battle, along with her fear of heights and a fearsome training master who doesn't seem to be able to look past her Y chromosome.
At least King Jonathan seems to be having a good year.
Warnings: Mentions of attempted assault, male-female inequality, fights over Kel's virtue and mentions of exactly how a girl changes as she grows up - completely unnecessary in my opinion.
And let's tally up the rating points!
0.5 - Relatively strong heroine
-1 - Cardboard supporting cast - there's the little nerd, the big friendly giant, the loyal best friend turned eventual love interest, the kindly king...need I say more?
- 1 - Anticlimatic "climax"
- 1 - Unnecessary "details"
1 - Appropriate detail of a knight's life, even if placed in a fantasy world
Final notes:
It was okay, I guess. A bit of a yawn in the middle, and I'm pretty sure I'm only moving on to the next book just so I can know what happens next. Otherwise, if you really want a strong girl-hero read, I'd suggest browsing elsewhere.
From the writer's point of view, I must admit that all this information about feudalism and the life of a knight is giving me a little flesh for some bare-boned ideas I've been hoarding away. At the very least, I'm keeping notes of what interests me.
