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Summary: This book ROCKS!
Review: Tamora Pierce has a way of winning me over. As soon as I start a new book, I'm hooked, i can't put it down until the end... which comes way too soon for my liking. :) In this book Keledry of Midelan is a squire in Sir Raoul's service. She experiences life with the Own, and competes in mane jousting tornaments. Her friends from the Yamani islands come to Tortall occumpanying the princess who is to marry Prince Roald. This is the best one so far in this series.
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Summary: Squire (Protector of the Small, No 3)
Review: I've waited a year for this book and when I finally got it I wasn't disapointed. The book was writen so well that I couldn't put it down and my parents actually yelled at me for reading too much. In this book you see Kel mature into a young lady and you see how she has to strugle with love, hate, winning and losing. The book is absolutley fun and interesting.
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Summary: Wow.
Review: I really liked this third book in the Protector of the Small quartet. Why? Well, partly because I am a hopeless romantic and love any bits of romance in stories and partly because this book is just really good. I couldn't put it down. Literally. I was so glad for this four day weekend. So get it. It's so good!
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Summary: The Book is excellent as any of her others!
Review: I have just finished reading her book and I can say I'm just as satisfied with this one as I'am with any of her other books. I'm left hanging waiting for her next book to come out. She is my favorite author out there and she will continue to be. If you haven't read some of her other books, I would recommend reading "Alanna: The First Adventure" and you'll get hooked on her books! She is an amazing and well descriptive writer and I hope she continues with these amazing stories!
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Summary: A Worthwhile Read, Continuation of Tamora Pierce's Legacy
Review: Squire is a definite interesting read, one that I would recommend to all interested. And although it's a worthwhile book, I must say that it fails to match the caliber of her other books in the series. I will first address the shortcomings than move onto the more positive aspects. Like all anxious readers, I immediately bought the book and commenced reading it -- hoping to find the book as immersing as the others, and confident that the characters we have all grown to love or hate (Neal, Merric, Cleon, Owen, Roald, Joren) would be further developed, playing a critical role in the book. However, there was no such luxury. Yes, unfortunately, Tamora Pierce barely incorporates these characters into the book, and her sudden introduction of masses of characters overwhelms the reader. The rapid changing environments and whirlwind events also subtract from the simple honesty of the palace. There is no defined story line, no direction. Raoul is fun as a knight-master, however, he does not compensate for the weaker parts of the storyline. Sure, the Chamber of Secrets is what everything is leading up to, however, it is quite a minute conflict, and overplayed. Perhaps it is me, but is the introduction of Dom (Neal's "cousin") extremely odd, too coincidental? The characters we loved and hated, those developed intricately in the earlier books, Neal and Joren were barely incorporated into the book. Ms. Pierce falls short in this aspect -- she has undermined the constants that made this series such a staple. There is much less humor -- Kel's personality is quite different from the frank, innocent girl we enjoyed. She no longer exemplifies the traits that make her such an interesting, unique heroine -- perhaps this is natural in real life, however, the effectiveness in this book is quite disappointing. And Joren? Well, what happens to him is extremely well-written, however, I think she revealed it too soon. It sort of kills the conflict. Kel's focuses have dwindled -- uniformity lacks. Kel no longer loves Neal, thus, Neal's place is sort of lost. Which brings me to the next point -- love. Yes, Ms. Pierce does an incredible job incorporating love into her storyline, making it unpredictable and exhilarating all the same. However, I must say that Kel's new relationship with Cleon is more of a hindrance than a breath of fresh air. Cleon just isn't the same as Neal, and his interactions with Kel sort of drag the book down -- changing her character, and breaking the flow of the story. Perhaps you may dissent, and I do like Cleon to a certain extent, however, it is much less dramatic than it could be -- and Kel's moping over him is very overplayed. And also, there's too much emphasis on it, along with sex -- which truly no one wants to hear about. Simplicity is lost. It's no longer that funny, touching school story where Kel is this courageous girl, this funny and poignant character who faces these incredibly outlandish escapades. The book's tone changes -- bringing in unwelcome, contrasting events that break the voice set by the other books. However, I don't doubt that the last book will set everything correct once more -- 3rd books seem to be the weakest, the 4th a major punch. The positive aspects of this book is that there is much more action, much more Kel alone. Kel is older, perhaps wiser. The book is a good turning point, revealing how much she has changed, and perhaps the new direction for the 4th books. The book is well-written, a clear fantasy book, intricate and fun-to-read. It's engrossing, and convinced me to stay up the entire night reading it. I'd give it 4 stars out of 5. It has the substance and the potential, but it just doesn't have the gleaming qualities of the earlier books.
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Summary: some random thoughts
Review: well. mabye next time I ought not to read the reviews before I read the book. I was kind of scared I would totally hate it that I was pleasently suprised when i didn't. Yes, everything they said in the previous reviews was true, but not to such an extent that you should completely give up hope in this series. Lets take the alanna series for instance. It starts off as an "elementary school, take it and then leave it book that you never think of again," when in all actuality I read that series several years ago and now am in tenth grade and am still completely and utterly amused by it. So Squire was a very good piece of writing, but since I've spent a year coming up with my own ways in which Kel's story "will end," i'm not really that surprised that she didn't follow my story line. ("What! Kel should be doing what III want her to do! Grr...") Yes, well. so. now I've got an entire year to come up with a wonderful plot for Lady Knight, and just enough time to get incredibly excited. Actually, I wouldn't be all that suprised if Tamora Pierce finished writing the Kel series years ago and is just holding them to be difficult... Ack! Oh, yes, and I've figured out why Kel's story is sooo appealing. Well, you see, It would be very difficult to be Alanna, and almost impossible to be Daine, but any girl can be Kel any day of the week. So it is all very good and wonderful. Hmm, mabye I should stop typing and go read Squire over again...
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Summary: Squire
Review: WOW!!! Inever thought that__________ would be her knight-master. I would recomend this book to everyone in the world it was awsome i can't wait for the last that she writes. "THE KNIGHT" i thingk
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Summary: excellent, but a couple concerns
Review: My son and I have greatly enjoyed Tamora Pierce's books since the Alanna series, and eagerly looked forward to the release of this book. We loved it. However, we were disappointed by the introduction of a mechanically based enemy. The overall feel of these books is so genuinely medieval that this sort of robot creature took away from that trend of her past books; it felt too modern. As a school/community worker recommending books to children on a regular basis, I am also concerned with the robots having their origin in slaughtered young children's bodies that resemble dolls with bruised faces. The age of her readers are suggested at 9-12. This was gruesome and hints to more ahead.
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Summary: still a good bet
Review: Overall, this is a really good addition to the series. I would recommend this series to any parent looking for fantasy or any novels that feature a strong young girl that isn't about gossip, romance before its time and all those other "sweet valley high" things. The character starts in book 1 (first test) at 10 and by the end of this book is 17. This third book in the series is an improvement from the second mostly because the longer length allows for more plot development. The second book, Page, seemed very rushed to me. Now squire to Lord Raoul of the King's Own, Pierce isolates Keladry and plunges her into the duties of a squire. Kel's friends from the previous books are seen less frequently; while that comraderie was one of the most enjoyable points of books 1 & 2 it makes sense given what we've seen before. Squires go off with their lord knights & they don't see their friends as often -- we saw that with Prince Roald and Cleon in the second book. Kel's growing maturity is reflected by her increasing interest in boys. Her infatuation with Neal is rather abruptly replaced by interest in his cousin Dom (a member of the King's Own) and then with Cleon with whom she develops a kissing relationship. There is a glimmer of a conflict between Dom and Neal and her feelings for both but Pierce backs away from it to pursue this relationship between Kel and Cleon. My regret is now i have to wait another year for "Lady Knight". Meanwhile i'll be reading Tamora Pierce's "The Circle Opens" series.
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Summary: Coming of age and swordfighting: a skillful transition book
Review: Keladry Mindelan, Kel for short, is the first girl openly enrolled in the prestigious school for knights. Surviving prejudice, hard study and deadly bandits, Kel is growing up as an examplary squire. A transition book, with mild romance, conventional plot, but skillful pacing and engaging characters and world, this book will appeal to fans of earlier books, children and adults both.
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