The second book in the Song of the Lionness Quartet, it delivers just as nicely as the first book did. In this book we get to see Alanna grow a little and become a Squire. The story dwells a lot on themes of friendship, loyalty, trust, bravery and the strength to do what she knows is right even when everyone is against her. A recurring theme in these books, actually. If you liked the first one, there's no good reason not to pick this up and every good reason to start turning pages! ( )

This was an exciting followup to the first “Alanna” book by Tamora Pierce, yet it somehow lost a bit of its magic in the storyline that it followed – with all the technicalities and things of war and battle and knighthood that came. And by the end of the story, Alanna had revealed herself to be a girl, which took a lot of excitement away from the plot (okay also there is a personal bias here, haha).

However, it will be exciting to see what happens with Alanna now that she is revealed as the first female knight in Tortall in what I believe has been a couple hundred years or something? So even though there is no longer the anticipation there of seeing who will or will not know Alanna’s secret, there is still her adventures to look forward to. I will be eager to see how other people in Tortall outside of the Court react to seeing a female knight and how she continues to overcome the challenges she is faced with due to her being a chick, haha.

There are two more books that follow Alanna specifically, and then after that there is another quartet of books that deal with other people in Tortall and relate back to her story, so it will be interesting to move on to those and then to the other books that are set in this world that Pierce has written. ( )

I had a hard time finishing this book. It's the second in the Alanna series, the first quartet that Pierce finished, and has a large fan base amongst Pierce readers. I think the ideas are innovative, and I love the characters, who I've met in later novels, but for some reason I couldn't keep my attention focused on this book very well. I kept straying to other novels. I do agree with others that Pierce's writing has improved over the course of her career, and maybe that was the main problem; she creates tension and suspense better in later novels, but here the action was a bit flat for me. Despite the fact that a lot is happening. Alanna is a squire to Jonathon, enters war and is kidnapped, rescued, has multiple attempts on her life, and finally confronts the traitor who has been working behind the scenes all along, but only after facing all her fears in the Ordeal. She is still the tough and fearless female, and I love her spunk, and I love her with Jonathon. Sigh. Knowing the future of all these characters is another factor that makes it hard to sustain suspense. I know how it all will end. I'm being a bit hard - it is a good book, it does have great ideas, and I love the people. Nonetheless, the entertainment value wasn't as high for me as other Pierce offerings. I compromise with three stars. ( )

Book 2 of the Song of the Lioness. Alanna is squire to Prince Jonathan and still disguised as a boy with only a few of those at court having guessed the truth. After defeating a formidable enemy she is at last ready for the final test that will make her a knight. For me this is largely backstory as I first met Alanna in a book that took place much later in Tortall's history. My recommendation would be for people to read Pierce's books in order, especially for those who dislike spoilers.

The second in the Song of the Lioness quartet starts a few months after Alanna: The First Adventure ended. Alanna, now Prince Jonathan's squire, is traveling when a storm forces her to seek shelter. That night, she meets a new friend - a cat with eyes as violet as her own - and the Goddess herself, who gives her advice about what is to come.

I read the book in one evening. The plot seems meandering, but is really more of a journey, as Alanna prepares to become a knight. A couple of years go by very quickly, which sometimes makes events that were probably a bit slower to occur in the internal chronology happen in a short reading space. All my favorite characters - Alanna, Jonathan, George, and the rest - were back in this entertaining tale. ( )