[Book Review] Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.
But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins - one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

 5 STARS

I am so excited to finally have the motivation to read this entire quartet. In the past I've read the first two books before getting distracted. So my mission is to read all four books this Spring and I'm off to a great start because I am in love with this book, which makes me want to jump to the next book.

I love the characters in this story. Alanna is this really determined and brave young girl who is proving everyone who doubts her wrong by working hard and honing her talents. I love her friends, Jon, Gary, George, and Raoul. They all seem to really care about Alanna (or "Alan" as they know her) and I love that although they're protective of her they also understand she has to fight her own battles sometimes. They understand that she can be prideful to a fault and they know when to call her out on it. The love and overall feeling of family these characters have makes me feel similarly to when I am reading Harry Potter. I'm warm and bubbly and happy.

Although this book does sometimes feel like a first book in the series with building the world and setting up the story I didn't mind it. I felt connected enough to Alanna and loved her friends enough that I would have read almost anything if it was about them. I'm really excited to see where the story goes from here and also I'm excited to learn more about the world and the magic we are introduced to in this first story.

The writing is really well done. The book is only around 260 pages and so much happens without it feeling rushed or hastily added on. Which takes talent because I never felt like I needed more world building or character development. I would have enjoyed maybe more information about the magic system and how it works but I don't doubt we will get more of that in the next books. I read a few reviews a while back saying that they felt like it was a bit choppy, and although I see where they're coming from, I wasn't bothered by it while reading. I think because we are seeing Alanna grow three or four years in a span of a 260 page book it was bound to feel a little choppy at times. But like I said, I never noticed it until someone else brought it up. I was too caught up in Tamora Pierce's amazing storytelling.

Overall I highly recommend this book. It's a series I'd easily let middle grade students read but I think it's such a great story that older readers will enjoy it also. The fantasy elements are so much fun, the characters are well done, the plot is engaging, and overall the entire book is so charming. This book is a lot of people's childhoods, and I never even knew about them as a kid! I feel like I missed out on something big. I am excited to read the rest of the quartet and then continue with Tamora Pierce's other books.

 Thanks for reading!