Skip to main content

First Test (Protector of the Small #1) by Tamora Pierce

By

 Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Keladry of Mindalen is the first girl to take advantage of the decree that girls can train to be Knights in the realm of Tortall. Alana the Lioness became a knight 10 years ago and Kel wants to follow in her footsteps. However, because the training master, Lord Wyldon, doesn't believe girls should be knights, Kel is put on a one year probation, something that no male has ever had imposed on them. In addition, Keladry must deal with the usual hazing and grueling schedule of training for knighthood.    

Category: Juv/YA fic

Why I chose this book: Enjoyed other books by the same author 

My personal opinion: Kel is awesome. I loved going on the journey with her through her probationary year. And I love her title, Protector of the Small. It comes into play from the very beginning of her story. 

Warnings
Movie rating equivalent: PG
Language: None. 
Violence: Kel gets into many fist fights
"Adult" situations: None
Death: None

Protagonist description:  Keladry is a fiery spirit, even at ten years old. She knows what she wants and isn't afraid of the work, the extra work, it might take to get there. She doesn't let what anyone else thinks define her feelings about herself and her reaction to what is going on around her.  

Point of view of story:  Kel's point of view

Book length: Short

Story flow: Fast moving

Grammar and spelling issues: A few weird names, but nothing that interrupts the story flow.

Character connection (no spoilers): Neal

For series:
Independent or integral: Integral as first.

Series review as a whole: I enjoyed the series. Worth the read. I will say the first and second are pretty mild, but the violence as well as adult themes get stronger in the third and fourth books as Kel gets older  

If you only have time for one, read: First Test, as first in the series. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Game by Terry Schott

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) What if this life is just a simulation? What if our bodies are in another world, plugged into a virtual reality game, and our entire life is just one play in that game? What would our real life be like, if we could experience several full simulated lifespans, in our teen years, and then enter adulthood? That is the premise of this story. Category Sci-Fi Why I chose this book It was either free or discounted on Amazon, and sounded interesting My personal opinion (the review) Too many inconsistencies. For example: The real world is able to view the players in the game in "real time", but time in the game is sped up, so that a week in real life is worth a decade in the virtual world. How do real world people have enough time to experience the virtual world, in real time, while still being accelerated? Danielle enters the game 3 days behind Trew, but she only ends up being 1 year younger. If a week is a decade in the game, then 3 days should have be...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mark of Fire by Richard Phillips

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Two main stories: Carol, the daughter of Lord Rafel, wants to be a magic wielder. As she learns magic and grows in strength, she is unaware that she is being hunted by the greatest wielder in the world. The second story is about a ward of Rafel's, named Blade, who becomes an infamous assassin and works for the king. The king sends Blade to kill Rafel and Carol, but he warns them to flee instead. Blade wanders, to escape the king's justice, but finds himself in his own adventure. Category : Fiction, fantasy, possibly YA Why I chose this book : Kindle First My personal opinion : I really enjoyed the story line, the world the author created, and the depth of the characters. It was easy to lose myself in the story. I also really appreciate that the story is "clean" - no bad language, no sexual situations, etc. I feel comfortable recommending this to my teenage children. Warnings Language: none Violence: fairly frequent fighting "Adult...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

By
This is the fifth book in the Artemis Fowl series Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Artemis continues his adventures, leaning farther and farther away from the villain role, and closer to the hero role. He's quite the teenager, with all the hormones of that age. He has discovered another group of the People (demons), and they need saving. Artemis Fowl to the rescue! Category YA Fiction Why I chose this book Next in the series My personal opinion (the review) Artemis is typically flawless. His plans execute perfectly, and when they don't, coincidence saves him. This time, he fails a bit. He loses some time, his body is a little less perfect, and not all of his plans go through perfectly. I like that- it makes him more real, as a character. Warnings : Language - none Violence - mild "Adult" situations - none Death - yes, but temporary Movie rating equivalent PG Protagonist description Artemis is a genius beyond description. He tends to be prideful a...
Post a Comment
Read more