Alanna; In the Hand of the Goddess; The Woman Who Rides Like a Man; Lioness Rampant

The first book of this series is the only one I've truly truly enjoyed ot be honest so far-the second was a bit shocking. But the third-well, lemme start at the beginning.
Alanna spends much of her times fighting a recessive string of battles-they seem to lap over one another and it gets little unending after awhile. In a shortening: It gets BORING folks. I enjoyed the Bazhir-they reminded me of India and the Middle East combined. But I did get a little tired of the continual spew of Alanna beng so worried that Koureem and Kara didn't take off thier viels-it's their culture. And Alanna has no respect for that. I found this a little rude of her.
Alanna, also changed in a totally un-likable way. So she sleeps with Jon and says she loves him but doesn't want to marry him? First of all, I DO NOT under any circumstances belive in sex before marriage. (refer to the Ten Commandments if you have a problem with what I am saying)And then she acts like a baby (I think) when she finds out that he's going with Josaine now. Of she doesn't want to marry him, why does she care?
I personally like George. He's not so scoffing and rude to Alanna- (even though she deserves it sometimes) and he loves her even though she is going with Jon for so long-but I think he deserves someone better than Alanna.
I find Alanna to be a bit immoral-she's a good fighter. She's relatively nice. She is a good teacher. She's good at magic...but she is a bit of a spoiled brat too. She's not a role model, or someone I'd look up to. I'm not really liking these books that much-I like The Immortals better.
The book was okay overall, but like all of the Pierce books I've read, they always have major flaws. If you're looking for a great book, read Pierce, but after you read the masters. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman and Brian Jacques. Then you'll see why these books aren't so great. They seem to act as a lesson more than a teacher-if you get my meaning. They just advise you on how NOT to go about telling a good story...

I've read every book that Tamora Pierce has written that's set in the world of Tortall etc. This series remains my favourite though (apart from maybe her lastest, with Alanna's daughter). I'm glad that Alanna's was the first story to be told, because she appears in the other series and i always love seeing her there.

She's such an interesting character, one of my favourites out of every book and you really feel for her.

The books are great and i love their mix of action, romance, magic and plot. The only problem is that they're short, which means there over and done with fairly quickly, but if you're like me you'll read them over and over.

I just love the characters really, Alanna and Faithful (her mystical cat), Prince Jonathen, Roald, Gary, and of course George. The only character i didn't like was Alex (but you're not really meant to i don't think).

I also find Alanna's love life great, there isn't any romance in the first book because she and the other main characters are only children, but when she becomes a teenager it gets more interesting!

So i really recommend these books, and the other series as well, because Tamora Pierce writes good stories with really loveable characters.

Okay let's be honest, this book was not as amazing as the first two. However, it plays a huge role in Alanna's life. It's her first year outside of the palace and she's in this new place and doesn't know anyone. it's much more serious than the first two because Alanna is changing. She is not the naive child she was, she has her own spirit and fire. She is desperate to repair something that was broken (those who read it know what I mean) and she changes a small village for the better by being a teacher to the young children. I agree that the book is a little boring BUT... I still feel that it had it's purpose for telling the story and I love it for that (but in all honesty when I re-read the series, which I have a ton of times, I usually skip over a lot of this book).

Tamora is still my absolute favorite fantasy author, she is tied with J.K. Rowling as my #1.

In the begining of the book Alanna is attacked by hill men who plan on killing her and Coram and stealing all of their posesions. But then the tribe The Bloody Hawk chase away the hill men but then declare Alanna is truspassing on thier property and declare Alanna must fight a duel. Alanna does win the duel and is excepted into the tribe but is then faced with more problems. The tribe's Shaman is convinced Alanna is a demon and tries to kill her in a duel but in turn Alanna kills him. Now Alanna is the new shaman and the first girl shamon and if she ever wants to leave the Bloody Hawk tribe she must trane three new shamons two of which are girls.
I realy loved the first and seccond book in the Alanna series but i very disapointed when I read this. I also found that there was a serius lack of action and a great deal of talking in this book. I also missed the characters Gary and Raul, i just thought they were so fun to read about. I realy thought Jon was the guy Alannashould marry. In the first two books he was a great companion and seemed to realy care for Alanna. But in this book he's just a jerk. He's rude, selfish, and a spoiled brat. The great thing about this series is that Alanna isn't afraid to be a tomboy and a warrior and do all the things guys can do but in this book she wants to be a type of girl that cars about how she looks and how she wears her hair every day and that realy disapointed me.
The one thing i realy like in this book however was the new landscape in which this book was placed. I thought it was realy interesting how the land scape instead of being a area with a lot of woods was a desert.

I am shocked and dismayed by some of the reviews I have seen of this series. I began these books at age 12, and have bought them again at age 22. I am appalled that some people's views of premarital sex (which, by the way, is never depicted explicitly and has never been explicit in any of Tamora Pierce's novels) would allow them to dismiss Alanna as a role model.

First of all, Tamora Pierce does not write children's books, and has in fact stated that she writes her books for teens AND adults. She writes fantasy novels, but a good bit of their appeal is that she keeps them connected to real life. I have seen some people claim that any adult themes/undertones are the result of being modeled after medieval Europe...to that I would reply that while the society is based on old Europe, the people are just people. Does Alanna have sex? Yes. Does she experience the gamut of human emotions and sometimes make bad decisions? Yes. Alanna's appeal is that she is a person--with human failings--who sets out to achieve something great through her perseverence, faith, and staunch belief in protecting those who cannot protect themselves. She grows into a woman who is nobody's fool, refuses to allow herself be put into a "woman's role", and builds the life that she wants.

This book is going to make children have sex? In our society, teens don't need books to give them the idea to have sex. Parents providing stable support and listening to their children's lives and concerns is the only way that those children will make life choices, not their reading material. If parents believe that filtering their children's books will make them "good kids", they will filter out the best literature (Shakespeare, Austen, Grimms Fairy Tales, etc.) ever written...and in the process, remove all the heroes like Alanna (with her menstration, fears about her body, occasional self-doubts) whose lives they can relate to. If I could give this series 10 stars, I would.

I adored this whole series, but I think this is THE WORST book if it. Don't get me wrong, it's still an OKAY, but Alanna changed, I say! Now she is more of an emotional female than the honorable knight we all learned to love. She faints and cries at every turn, and acts more like a foolish jilted maiden at every turn. But all and all, it's still a fair book. FAIR because it is good compared to many other books I've read, but only fair standing in the shade of the other excellent books in this series. So I shall end asking, 'Where, o where has my knight Alana gone?'

I have read a lot of reviews that say that Alanna turns into a [...] in this book.
NO WAY.
Alanna is growing up, folks. I should know. There is a time in everyone's life when they seem to become a lot more petty and selfish, but that is just to cover up the fact that they feel lost and alone.
Alanna is realizing that perhaps she and Jon aren't a match made in heaven. She sees that because she is not Jon's equal, she can't be his wife, because he needs an equal. She is confused when she learns this, and tries to find herself. She's also trying to come to terms with a part of herself that she has long denied--her magic.
I'll admit, she's selfish. Even Faithful says so. But hey--isn't everyone sometimes?
And by the way, the whole affair with George thing--it worked, in my opinion. He loves her, even when she's at her lowest. I think this could be the real reason Ms. Peirce made them have an affair. Jon turns his back on her when she's feeling terrible, but George is always there. He loves her, and treats her like an equal.
All in all, THE WOMAN WHO RIDES LIKE A MAN is a good book. Not as good as the other three, but you can't very well skip it. At least, not if you're a true Pierce fan.
One last note--George is exactly seven years older than her. Remember in the first book? He says he's seventeen, and she's ten.

These books are what got me interested in fantasy. This quartet is the story of Alanna, a headstrong, stubborn, smart, and talented girl who switches places with her brother to become a knight (the first woman to do so in Tortall in 100 years!). The first 2 books are during the eight years of her training, the second 2 after. After reading these (of course I can read them over and over) you feel like you could see these characters on the street and ask how they and their friends are doing. Just do a search on google for Tamora Pierce, you will find she has tons of fans around the world, and for good reason. These books have true exciting adventure, romance :-), magic, great characters, everything a good fantasy book should have. The books in the Song of the Lioness quartet are my favorite of all her books, and maybe overall (including HP). One person who reviewed here said Alanna was "promiscuious" and Tamora Pierce addresses that issue on her website: [...] Check it out! it has info on SOTL and all of her other books! Please read these! The more Tamora Pierce fans in the world-the better! It just makes it a happier place.

...I still read the book but I was quite dissapointed because it wasn't was mysterious.
The book takes place in a Bazir (type of native) tribe. Alanna and Coram are not aloud to leave until they can train another Shaman to take over the tribe. Alanna is being held responible for an accident the happened with their last one.
The book involves much controversy with Jonathan and George. You can really feel for Alanna and how confused she is. If you have read the other two make sure to read this one.

(...). they are some of my favorite tamora pierce books, and i have read them all, so i would know. Allana is one of the strongest charecters i have ever encountered in all my thousands of books i have read, and she had me enthralled from the first page on. Allana is a girl who also happens to want to be a night, and also happens to fall in love with the prince, and also happens to fall in love with the king of thieves, nasty little catch there eh? well, anyways, they're really good books, so read them.

3.5

it is beautifully written, and the lessons learned are important. yet, this novel is more of a prepartion book- preparing and setting things to the grand finale.

which is why, though written well, it doesn't have too much plot.

but still, highly recommended.

Tamora Pierce's writing is a gift to readers everywhere. Her books would appeal most to the female child-teen populus. This could be an age range anywhere from five years of age to twenty years of age. Though it would be enjoyable for people of all ages! The entire lioness quartet includes Pierce's talent of creating realtable characters. Her characters posses a certain quality that makes them seem as if they are alive. Alanna, the brave-hearted featured character in the quartet, has flaws that give her a life-like quality. These flaws include stubborn behavior, a hot temper, and a love for life and adventure. She's
not a picture perfect hero, but human like the rest of us. Alanna's accomplishments are inspiring and encourage the reader to fufill some of his/her own life goals. The content is easy-going giving the story a flow. It's pace is so well-crafted, that it feels as if the reader is watching a very good and very detailed movie. Upon finishing one of her books, I feel as though I'm saying goodbye to a bunch of good friends- the characters that I've gotten to know through the stroy. The reader's become Alanna and feel the emotions that she does. It even came to the point where I was predicting Alanna's behavior: "Oh she's not going to like that!" Or "Now Alanna is going to pretend that she isn't in love." This book, although simple in word content, is one of the best and most enjoyable books I have ever read.

I began reading these books when I was thirteen and finished them all within a week. Even though my reading interests have stretched and changed after seven years I still read these books once every year along with Pierce's Immortals Quartet. The characters are still just as vivid as when I first read them and the adventures just as interesting. Pierce has a simple and comfortable writing style that makes it easy for a reader to get lost in her stories. These books are great quick reads for girls in middle school. My favorite is In the Hands of the Goddess, but they are all very action packed!

Alanna of Trebond wants to be a knight, but it is against the law. her brother Thom of Trebond is to be a knight but wants to be a sorcerer. So they trade places.With a man named Coram, she rides to the palace, as Coram as a man at arms. There she troubles many things boys would not do if they were pages or squires. She fights a bully and beats him.She saves her dying friend, Prince Jonathan, from a sickness with her power of healing. She battles an evil opponent in a magical evil city. She has a duel (when she is a beginning squire) and wins. But that is only before she becomes a knight. Next, she has another duel against a powerful sorcerer when her true idenity is found out. Next she strikes out alone with her friend Coram and becomes a member of a desert tribe. She goes on the dangerous journey to the roof of the world to get the Dominion jewel, which has limited powers for sure. She meets a princess and her guardian and they come with her and coram. She meets a man named Liam Ironarn who is the shang dragon. But then, her nemesis returns from the dead and begins to wreak havoc. So she must come home to tortall with the dominion jewel and save tortall. Set in the reign og King roald and Queen Lianne, Alanna grows from a heroine into a legend. Everyone should read it!

Well, after reading the entire series over 100 times, I discovered that this book isn't the worst... it isn't the best, either! I have to say that Alanna dissapointed me. She was everything BUT a girl who would let others push her around because of who she was, in the first and second books. In the third book, all she was, was a depressed person who cried over the smallest things. I guess she was just trying to figure out where she stood, and tried to discover herself, but she could have done better, to say the least. And then there's Jon. How dissapointing the fight was! But some people, in my opinion, have it all wrong. It wasn't his fault, entirely. He loved her, but Alanna was being a bit stubborn. He didn't want to exactly FORCE her into marrying him. His bringing George into the conversation was just proving that he was jealous of him. He was what, 21 in the story? He just did something that any typical 21 year old man would have done; his status as a prince has nothing to do with it, although he is a bit spoiled. But is there a prince who isn't? I still wish he and Alanna could have gotten back together! The Bazhir were a bit boring, but I'm sure Ms. Pierce had a reason for bringing them into the story. There was really no big antagonist. There's a little Myles here, some George there, and Alanna all-around. Any story with Alanna in it is fine, but I hope that Ms. Pierce doesn't do anything like this in any of her stories!

I have been reading the Lioness Quartet since I was five years old. Atleast, that's as far back as I can remember them being a part of my life. With my nineteenth birthday swiftly approaching, that's fourteen years. Recently I realized that I am not alone in my love of this series. In fact I am in the company of countless others; even a few who have been readers as long as I have. As the years have passed my opinions of each of these books has changed. But one opinion that has remained consistent is the level at which I place this third installment of Alanna'a life--a cut above the rest.
The Woman Who Rides Like A Man outshines the rest of the Quartet as a sun does a candle. Not only is Alanna moved out into the world and facing the challenges she is to struggle against as a woman and a knight, but she grows up and grapples with decisions and indecisions that are familiar to many "new adult" must confront. She makes choices that do not leave her, or many readers, happy--her choice against marrying the prince. But, they are choices that allow her to remain true to her character. The author chose to keep Alanna real, as opposed to selling out to the desires of her readers.
In this story Alanna finally leaves the palace, as herself. She has shed the facade of Alan and dives into exploring who "Alanna" actually is. She acheives this goal, and many others, in her life amongst the Bazhir. This tribe of roving desert dwellers is yet another of the book's accomplishments. The Bazhir were intruiging when they were introduced in Alanna: the First Adventure, and they continue to amaze me. I eagerly read on about their culture, their realtions and the details of their lives. I find the defining role that the prince plays in their religion, as the Voice, to be fascinating. This is an acheivement of the imagination--to create an entirely new culture within the context of imagined country. Watching Alanna struggle in this culture, which is alien to her in many ways, is to watch her grow more and more into who she is.
Perhaps the most poignant part of The Woman Who Rides Like A Man is witnessing Alanna's realisation that being a knight, her life's dream, isn't as exiciting and fulfilling as she has thought it to be. She must come to terms with the reality that there won't be a wicked knight at every crossroads for her to fight. She must search out and find her own meaning in her life and her knighthood; it will not simply land in her lap. This is the aspect of the book that allows it to be the most real in the series.
I recommend The Woman Who Rides Like A Man above the others in the series. Although they all remain my favorite reading, this is the one I can turn to again and again, each time finding a new level in the story. Between exploring who she is as a woman and a knight, creating a place for herself outside the walls of the palace, fending off an unexpected offer of marriage, and coming to grips with the less than exciting life of a knight errant, Alanna, in The Woman Who Rides Like A Man, is at her most believable. It is here that she proves she is as capable and resourceful as she has alluded to being. And it is here that she finally grows into the "Knight" that we, her readers, have all suffered with and cheered her to become.

Alanna, newly knighted as the first woman knight has left the palace and all of her beloved friends to go on adventures. She wants to see the world and travel to places she's only seen on maps. Alanna and Coram, her loyal friend since she was born travel all the way to the desert where the people known as the Bahzir live. While Coram and Alanna are fighting off a band of hillmen the Bahzir come and take them to the tribe of the Bloody Hawk. "Let her prove herself worthy of a man." This is what she does by defeating one of the strongest men in the tribe.

Now that she is officially part of the tribe many people, most of them women look down upon her but she wishes to change that. By also defeating the shamman of the tribe (it was his fault for using magic he couldn't controle) she has no choice but to become the new shamman and train others as her apprentices. She finds three youths. She makes a new change, two of the ones she's picked are girls. This is very new but they all except her wish.

I recommend that any person who loves Tamora Pierce or even somebody that hasn't even read any of her books tries this. But you should first read: 'ALANNA:THE FIRST ADVENTURE and IN THE HAND OF THE GODDESS.

-Hannah M.

I know this book is mostly about love and all that, but it still lets you see that Alanna does actually have a heart of gold. She sees what a jerk Jon can be at times and she realizes that he isn't the one for her afterall. I am completely in love with George. He's so childish and loving that I'd probably marry him in an instant heh. This book shows Alanna as a girl and not all masculine. If you are a person who enjoys fights, and action then this book certainly isn't for you, I know I didn't like it at first but now I reread this book. I admit that I actually read this series because it was my name but after reading the first book within a day, I instantly fell in love with it.

Tamora Pierce is an excellent writer. I really like her approach to fantasy and her characters are all ways exciting, and vivid.
This is a really interesting series about a young girl who wants to be a knight.
Has a lot of good imagery and well written.
All though some of the story lines can get a bit boring. it really starts to pick up half way through the first book.
It??s a very quick read and you will not want to put it down.

Alanna and her twin brother Thom decide to change places-- Alanna going to be a knight, and Thom goes to learn to be a mage. Disguising herself as a boy, she must face the hardships of becoming a knight and growing up.

These books are the best books that I have ever read! Not to mention the only ones that I can read more than once. The pages on the series are hanging only from a thread. I make all of my friends read this series, and I have yet to come across one who has not loved and devoured them. I must admitt, after reading the Alanna series I too became obsessed.

If you have not read these books, I highly recommend them. I wouldn't quite say that they are suitable for any age because TP can get alittle graphic in some parts.

The other Totall series are great also, but personally, these would have to be my favorite.

What a FABULOUS series! Once I started the first book, I just had to keep reading! They were all as marvelous as the first! Contrary to one reviewer's reading, Alanna does not "sleep around." Please don't let that innacurate review put you off these books! My ten-year-old loved them also. She would never have read them if they had "disgusting sex stuff." One mention of it, in a later book and fairly subtle so she missed it. She and I both adore the adventure and the bravery of a girl who must unfortunately pretend to be a boy in order to do what she loves. Looking for a good read that is also the story of an amazing young woman? This is it! Just looking for a good read? This is also it!

I liked this book a lot. It's a bit different from the other books in the quartet, but that's only to be expected. I thought it was rather eerie. Or, eerier than the other three. I like Alanna of Trebond and Olau. She's the perfect heroine, and the author makes everything so real. Everthing is very well written, and the characters are great. I would recommend this book to people who like tales of fantasy, magic, and chivalry.

the only reason i'm writing this review was because i almost cried reading all the others. This is my favorite book in the entire series, and this is my favorite series, so you can understand my distress at reading that other people hated it. and, for the record, this is a fantastic book, and really, realy worth reading. it's a realy emotional book, and also involves a person getting blasted to pieces! i mean, what is there NOT to like? ok, i will admit that Allana should have married jon, but she was angry, all right?

This is a wonderfully breathtaking book about a woman named Alanna who had to pose as a man during her first years as a page and a squire. Now that she has succeeded in her dream of becoming the first woman knight in Tortallian history, she has been captured by a pack of tribesmen and has won the battle with one of the shamans(leaders)and has been named the first woman shaman. It is a wonderful book.

An excellent series that I first read when I was six years old (I was also reading Anne McCaffery's books at the time) and continue to read fourteen years later. If a child can read or listen to an adult read chapter books then these won't be too difficult but even adults can enjoy them. My family is full of bookworms and even my grandmother who is in her seventies enjoys rereading them. Don't be put off by the cover art, they are enjoyable and everytime I read them I find something knew that I didn't remember.
There are several other series written by Pierce in Alanna's world and I highly recommend them as well AFTER you have read this one. My absolute favorite is her latest, "Trickster's Choice" about Alanna's daughter. It is witty and one of the most well written books that I have come accross in any genre.

This is a very well written book, which explains in depth Alanna's first year as a knight of Tortall. It is best if read after the first two books in the quartet. In this book, you discover more of Alanna and George than you do in the first two books, where she hids her [gender] from all but a few. A good book, that you will not be able to put down and a must read for any Tamora Pierce fan.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, the 3rd book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet is a pretty good book. Alanna, the first female knight in about 100 years, goes South for the winter. She becomes the first female shaman for the Bazhir. Prince Jonathon comes to visit and to become The Voice. It seems that Alanna has met many new people in the first couple books, but now there are even more people introduced in the story. I liked everything about the book except for the ending. The book ended very abruptly and I thought there would be more. I advise you not to skip this one and go right onto Lioness Rampant(the 4th book.) If you choose not read this book you might not understand a lot of the 4th book. I hope you like this book(if you read it)just as much as I did.

I liked Book 3 in Alanna's story the best of all. I did read The Immortals first, but I still loved how Alanna and George got together. I think that the third book contains the most magic, which is so cool, and it also placed Alanna in an entirely new environment. I love the Bahzir tribes and their customs and magic. Also, in this book, Alanna really comes face-to-face with herself for the first time, and the last book in this quartet is very obscure and unexplained. I think the end of her relationship with Jon was for the best, and it shows that just because you love someone, it doesn't mean you are meant for each other. George's romance of her provides so sharp a contrast that even an inexperienced reader should be able to tell that these two belong with one another. This used to be my least favorite of Alanna's adventures, but my opinion has changed and if you didn't like it very much, I recommend you give it another read. You'll fing it grows on you.

Please don't get me wrong. I really like the story coz it's full of action and most of all, the main character, Alanna, was a heroine who could be the best fighter and also still a woman :). Well, no problem with that.
What I don't like about is the romance part. Alanna sounded like an (almost) easy woman. I almost feel petty with George, Poor guy, especially when Alanna get together with Dragon (what kind of relationship is that? Did she even consider George?). Anyway, that's my opinion. If you have no problem with that, Let yourself enjoy the series then.

Tamora Pierce's "The Woman Who Rides Like A Man" never ceased to amaze me. Though it has been some months that I read it, and although some didn't like it nearly as much as I did, I found it easy to get into, had a fast plot, and of course the reality of the characters made it (for me) one of the best books in Pierce's "Song of the Lioness" quartet.

First of all, I love this series. It captured my imagination when I was in 3rd grade or so, and I've gone through multiple copies of each book, just from reading them so much over the years. I am however, surprised that so many are commmenting on the "mature issues" in the books. I never even noticed anything that made me giggle when I originally read them, and honestly, parents, if you think your kids are that clueless at whatever age they are, then you need to wake up a little bit. Any sexual innuendo went completely over my head. The only thing I can recall that I questioned, was when I was younger, and I read about Alanna menstruating for the first time, and asking my mother about it. It opened up a WONDERFUL discussion for the two of us, and at the time, it was probably about 2 years before such events occurred for me. I guarantee your daughter will love these books, and you have nothing to fear from her reading them. Discuss the books with your child like you should, and it will enrich the both of you.

I absoulty LOVE Tamora Perice's work! I was turned onto her books a my summer camp, and I haven't been able to stop reading them since! I can't wait until Lady Knight comes out!!!!!! I have read the whole Alanna series, the whole Daine/Wild Magic series, and all of the published books in the Protector of the small series, every one of them 7-10 times each! i Love them! And i love how Mrs. Perice promotes 'girl power' it's very interesting. And i especially like how all of the Main character's find love, like Alanna & Jon, then Alanna and George, then Alanna and Liam, then Alanna and George AGAIN! lol. and then there's Daine and Numair. but i especially love how Kel, and Cleon get together. I think that all of Tamora Perice's work in absoutly amazing!
~Alee H. B.

Alanna's now a full knight! Afraid that no one will like a female knight she leaves Tortall. On her travels she becomes a member of a desert tribe, The Bloody Hawk. The tribe's sorcerer dilikes her and tries to kill Her. He ends up dead. Alanna is now the tribe's sorcerer. Jonathan Is to be come The Voice. A very high rank. The rest of the book is good!

This book is okay, but it definitely could be better. It kind of drifts from plot to plot, never really settling down to focus on a main problem. But it did start giving you a feeling of tension about the upcoming war (what with Claw and all that). Read this book, definitely, but don't be surprised if you're a little disappointed.

I LOVED the song of the lioness quartet, but this one was the most boring of all. In ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE, IN THE HAND OF THE GODDESS, and LIONESS RAMPANT, something actually happens. In this one, she's just drifting, and everything she does is small. Tamora Peirce is a great writer, and DEFINITLEY could have done better.

While Alanna is still fun to be around, this installment in the series lacked a convincing antagonist. The adventure lacked the excitement and suspense that the previous books possessed. However, the ending left me hopeful that the next book will return the series to its former glory.

These four books are amoung the best books I've ever read. I love Tamora Pierce's style, she does a nice blend of adventure, romance and drama. Very entertaining. Though I've read these books WAY too much, I've had to replace the first two books already. :P Well, one fell in paint, so that wasn't my fault, but the second one fell apart completely due to it being over-read. My personal favourite was Lioness Rampant, the fourth book in that quartet.

The thing I love, though, is this: Reading level: Ages 9-12. While it's written in a form that could be understood by a nine-year old, do we really want children to be reading some of the stuff in here? I mean, if these books were made into a movie (which they totally should, in my opinion), they'd all be restricted. Er, perhaps not the third, but most of them anyway. I know I wasn't allowed to go see restricted movies when I was nine. Anyways, great books. Enough rambling, heh.

I first read the song of the lioness books back in high school. i loved the books and how it was written you don't get books about female legands often. These books tell the story of a girl Alanna of trebond and her thrist for an adventure. And Adevture you get as you follow her Journey from a girl in to woman hood trying to become a knight and the evil people who make it hard for her to achive her dream. The books have action, romance, good verse evil and comedy i'm going to tell you that now as a 22 year old these books still make me wanna read it again and again. Alanna's adventures were fun to read and still are and i hope we can see more spin off books about tortall and it's people. I sugguest to read these books and the other Adventures as well, the immortals adventures and the Protector of the small.

I really love these books. I read them when I was 11/12 and thoroughly enjoyed re-reading them now that I'm 24 :) I bought these specifically because the book covers look the same as the ones I first read.

I thought that this book was really great. I was a little heartbroken when Alanna and Jon had a fight and broke up, but life goes on. I was glad to see that she got together with George though. This book included magic, combat, romance and lot of other wonderful things. I would definetly recommend this book!!

Alanna is adopted into the Bazhir tribe: The Bloody Hawk, and when Jon becomes the voice, she changes from the 'I can do anything' Alanna we saw in the first two books to 'I can't do this, it's all to sad'. We see her cry a lot in this book. Jon says something- she cries. If someone would have died she would cry... If you are a hopeless romantic, then this book is more for you then for a person who likes the action. This book doesn't have a main enemy, so it is somewhat split up. She battles this and that, and this... but there isn't one main object she has to overcome. This book revolves mostly around her social life, which, in some parts, isn't that interesting. Defiantly not the best book in the series, but I still recommend it.

Wow! After the first two novels, I thought I'd discovered a winner in Tamora Pierce. But I found "Woman Who Rides Like a Man" to be quite frankly, boring. Alanna's character has changed- instead of being an aspiring swordswoman she becomes a shaman and her character changed to a whiny-superior-know-at-all.

What made Alanna interesting was her desire to do unorthodox things. IE: Becoming a knight, going on adventures. Now its as though the character backsliding. I read Alanna books to learn about her adventures.. Not about her learning to weave.

I also don't particularly care for the older men Alanna keeps going out with, as an adult reader, I find it off-putting... Don't these men have women their own age? George is *way* too old for Alanna.

I was disappointed in "Woman Who Rides Like A Man" It did not hold my interest, and seemed quite forced.

ok... so Alanna ( the first book and the second are really my favorites), but seriously this is one of the best series and individually best books I have ever read. I highly reccomend it for any one especially with girls from about 8-12. But it can be enjoyed and read by anyone, I am 18 and i still love reading them (the Alanna series). They are fun to read and Alanna is an excellent role model for anyone,The Woman Who Rides Like a Man sets a differnt tone, and a new depth to Alanna as she matures, but is still very good and very strong. I reccomend reading the first two books in this series before diving into this one. But honestly This is such a good book and you must read it!

This series of books was one of the best that I have read. That being said there are a few things to consider... Firstly, this series really should be for a more mature audience...those around 12-16, for the mature content of the book dictates this. Secondly, if you are going to write a review about a book you really should stick to the book itself and the contents therein as a litereary piece and not become biased in your review because of your personal notions of morality and propriety. I am not saying that it is appropriate for those who are younger to read more mature material, or that I personally approve of premarital sex, I just feel that reviews should be more objective than putting down a wonderful piece of literature because you didn't like a miniscule part of it. That is like saying "I believe in the Savior but I'm not a Christian because I don't believe in that whole ten commandment thing." If you don't like particular scenes...DON'T READ THE BOOK. Lastly, in a FANTASY-FICTION series there are no rules about how you portray political or inter-personal structures. If you are looking for something that accuratly portrays a polytheistic or feudal society, read HISTORICAL fiction.

This book is really boring. I like every other book but not this one. I read it in 4 days pretty much to get over it and get on to lioness rampant. Alanna and Jons fight was horrible. i fell in love with her other books( i've read all the tortall books). So get through it quickly

Definitley disappointing the book has no substance and not much of a story, all in all it would've been mediocre almost to the level of good, the bazhir stuff was interesting, but the characters become whole different people and not for the better, Jon is not the guy he used to be and I used to picture him and Alanna together they had great chemistry and were also good as best friends. Alanna is a spoiled brat and she's now more of a trampy woman rather than the glorious caring herione i thought she'd turn out to be. George is 7 years her senior, ok that's not a lot but if you have read the first book I thought they had more of a friend or brother sister relationship rather than girlfriend and boyfriend, they do not have good chemistry together and the book just falls apart without a true character we can portray and cheer on for.

All in all I think the book was ok for just some regular author but if Tamora Pierce has written it, then it's just disappointing, it just doesn't match with the other books. I give my hopes that Tamora Pierce will redo this part so Jon and Alanna can be together, if not as mates than as best friends at least.

Alanna and her brother are sent away from home; Alanna to a school and her brother to become a knight. But Alanna wants to become a knight, and so her brother goes to school and Alanna goes to become a knight. Disguised as a boy, it's not easy for Alanna to live, with only two people knowing her secret. Will she get found out and ruined, or will her dream (to become a knight) come true?

I thought that The Woman Who Rides Like A Man was a great book, but not the best. It had some things that I liked alot, like the feeling that Duke Roger was there, and haunting Alana, even though he was dead. I also liked the tension at the end of the book whether Alana's brother Thom raised Roger from the dead or not. Some things that I didn't like in the book were that Prince Jonothan was a total snobby jerk and that Alana seemed to have lost her "power" and gotten weaker emotionally. Over all, I thought the book was pretty good, but it could've been better. I'm just warning other readers to look out for those parts, and hang in there, because book 3 (Lioness Rampant) Is one of the best.

I am pregnant with my first child- a baby girl- and this series is first on her shelf! I have no doubt these books inspired me a lot as a young woman... the writing is good, the story is clever, the protagonist is fantastic- just what you want your young daughter to read if you want her to grow up confident and in charge of herself. Some reviews (by parents) complain about the adult themes- in 1988 a 10 year old (me) could totally cope with them, and even liked how mature the themes were- having to choose between a rogue and a prince- brilliant!

This book was fairly good book, but there were some parts....One thing, it's a good thing Mrs.Cooper gave her that charm against pregnancy, otherwise she have a kid in this book. Like someone who wrote a review before me said 'I do not believe in sex before marriage. Not only does Ms. Pierce mention that Jon and Alanna 'Made love' but she then mentions that she and someone else do too. I would NOT suggest this book for anyone under 12. If you are under 12, then I suggest that you read the immortals series. They're more toned down. (exept maybe the 4th book, but it's not that bad.)

When my English teacher told us we had to read Alanna: the first adventure for summer vacation I thought this book was going to be awful. But when vacations started I got the book and started reading. In 2 day I had finished it. I had the whole quarted, so I started the next one and then the next one and the next book. By the end of the week I read the 4 book. I was almost all day reading and reading. They were wonderfull and now I want to read more of Tamora's books. I recomend Song of the Lioness Quarted. The stories are full of adventure, and I think the characters are wonderful. I'm glad my English teacher gave me these books to read this summer.

This is without a doubt, the best series i've ever read. It's about Alanna, a girl who wants to become a knight. Except there's one problem: If anyone finds out she's a girl she's through. During her 8-year masquerade as the boy, Alan, she uncovers adventure, sorcery, evil forces, dangerous enemies, the ordeal of knighthood, (i could go on forever) even love. and in a very wide range: from the royal prince Jonathan, to the shang dragon, liam, to the king of theives, george. Alanna is very brave and couragous and she lives her dreams in the end. i was really mad when i finished reading this series and i think there should be more books. (the second one is my favorite) Alanna is the coolest character ever and i look forward to reading more books by tamora pierce although none will be better than these.

I would like to start by getting this out of the way: yes, Alanna, the heroine of all four books, does do things that are generally accepted as morally wrong. Probably the most debatable thing she does is engage in premarital sex in the later books.

Though Alanna is a questionable role model, the books are still well written with an engaging plot and interesting characters. I would not reccomend this book for anyone if the first paragraph was the only thing I could say about the books, but it's not. The story has lots of plot outside of the "romance", if that's what it can be called. I also can assure you that I have seen some children read these and not even realize that Alanna has done anything she shouldn't have, as there is nothing explicit, just hints here and there that tend to go right over younger children's heads.

I'm just saying not to buy these books if your child is very impressionable and will think that premarital sex is OK because of these books, or is too young to understand. I personally would reccomend your child being eleven or older, but I know some children mature more quickly or more slowly.

This book made me mad! Well, I guess I'm one of those people who doesn't like change all that much. The second book left me all happy, Alanna going off, but promising to return to her Prince (ok, so I like books that end with "and they lived hapilly ever after," so what). I guess I thought George would get over Alanna, and everything would turn out the way I planned with countless adventures along the way. I always just thoght Alanna and Jon were "meant for each other," but then Johnathan had to go and get all spoiled and weird! ERRRRGG!! Well, it was an ok book, but STILL!

This book is AWESOME!!!!!! Any girl who loves adventure will love this book. I recommend that you read all of this series (Song of the Lioness 1-4 by Tamora Pierce). There are other Tortallan series after this one. They are all great!!!!

If you like magic and adventure, you'll love this book and the rest of the series. Warning!! If you read this book, you will enjoy it so much, you'll have to buy the entire series, "Alanna series, The Immortals series and Protector of the small series. Excellent author.

This book is definitly not the best in this magnificent series. It's too boring!!!! I still love the series, though. I was recommended this series by a friend, and after reading the first book, I knew I'll have to trust her judgement more!!!

If you like Alanna, you'll probably like this book. I prefer #2 in this series, but anything about Alanna's adventures will do. This is a little different from the others, (having basically nothing to do with Tortall), but I did like it.

As much as Tamora Pierce is an excellent writer, The Woman Who Rides Like A Man was just not as good as the first two. The character development was weak, Jon was annoying... Alanna was a brat... the only highlight was George being amusing and playful as always. The plot seemed to slow down to a crawl and it was a more boring read than any of the others. All in all, it wasn't horrible, per se... just a little more of a disappointmeant, coming from such a good writer as Tamora Pierce.

I just want to clear something up. In an earlier review "A." stated the order of Tamora Pierce's different series, but she left out the Protector of the small series which comes between The Immortals and Daughter of the Lioness. So the actual order is:

1. Song of the Lioness

2. The Immortals

3. Protector of the Small

4. Daughter of the Lioness

She also stated that these books would be great for teenage girls who like fantasy. I would be inclined to argue that they are great for ANYONE. Cheers.

I love the Tamora Pierce books. I think Pierce is an awesome writer but compared to some of her other stuff this book is a flop. I thought it was boring from cover to cover. She spent most of the time in the desert, thinking how to sort out her problems. It had alot of character growth and you won't understand the fourth (my favorite) withought reading it. It lacked the action and the feeling that makes you want to keep on reading that the other Alanna books had. In conclusion, still good, but way not as good as Tamora's others.

This series started out really strong, but I didn't think that there was the same kind of humour and spirit as the first two books. Alanna seemed to grow more bitter and less interesting. George and Jonathan only became stereotypes of their former characters. I loved the first two, but I would not recommend reading this. It spoils the series somewhat.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man is funny and thrilling. Its wonderful descriptions captive the reader and keeps the eyes locked onto what's going to happen next. This is a book I would definitely reccomend.

My father read these books to my sisters and me when we were very young. I've probably re-read them twenty times since then, and they never get old. These would be a truly wonderful gift for a young woman.

I liked this book and I found it well written. what I didn't like was how Alanna went from being a nice well kept girl to a trampy warrior. Before you read this I want all you guys to know that if you wanted action or good fantasy you won't get it. Basically she discovers her female self and begins "mating". Thats all good but you can discover your self and remain classy. So, dear Alanna, I am very dissappointed in you. Hopefully you'll remain your daring self, but get some more class!

Women have been portrayed as weak, conniving, and inferior. Alanna breaks all of the typical stereotypes to become the first female knight in over a century after eight years as disguising herself as a boy. Alanna is made the first female shaman of the Bloody Hawk a tribe of the Bazhir, natives of the Tortallan desert, and this book describes her journeys, her her triumphs, her losses, and even newfound love. I definetly enjoyed it, and I will read all of Ms. Pierce's books if they meet the standards Woman who Rides Like a Man has set.

if u did not read te first and second book let me bring u up to speed. alanna disguises herself as a boy to become a knight. she becomes a knight. Now on the way to visit her friend George. who is in port caynn on a vacation. who have a um bit of romance. but then Alanna goes back to the desert to spend the winter.

I adore this book just as much as I did the rest of the series, it is one that I've recommended to friends to read, and now that my friends are having children, recommending for their kids once they are old enough.

These are the all-time greatest books I have ever read. My friend told me about them, and I thank her every day. Tamora Pierce is a master story teller that will have you captivated by page 3. Her wonderful mix of adventure, magic, and romance will have you intruiged until the very end. Any sane girl has already read these books, and if you have'nt, GET ON THE BALL!!! You will not be dissapointed.

I read these books in two days, and since then have read them 4 times over. READ THEM NOW!!!

First of all, I loved 99% of this series - I was completely spellbound, and whizzed through the 837 pages in a couple of days. These books have it all! And they're virtually perfect. Apart from one tiny detail - a bad ending, namely that Alanna did not "end up" with who she should have. The way Tamora Pierce made what had to be not be was just bad storytelling.

However, apart from a disappointing ending, the book was great. For those of you who may be worried about the "sexual content", let me clear this up by saying that when I first read this (when I was much younger) all the references went straight over my head. Tamora Pierce is never "explicit" about it at all.

Fantastic books - almost perfect!

Tamora Pierce's quarter, "The Song of the Lioness" is both well thought out and well written...She creates a world of magic, intrigue and adventure that are compelling and over all quite thrilling. For all these wonderful assets I gave 4 stars, but...

These books are created for children and in them they contain explicit sex scenes, and inuendo that I know is not appreciated in children's or even young adults books.

I read these books for fun and adventure not gushy romance.

And secondly I do not believe in having sex before marriage. Alanna has three lovers, George Cooper (a thief) Jonathan (A soon to be King) Liam Ironarm (A Shang Martial Arts Warrior)

If this isn't tell us something about honour and moral guidance, what is!

I commend Pierce for her ability to create and world and tell a tale full of beauty and magic, but I am disgusted with her frequent need to import sex into the story. These books would have been perfect but for that. So if your the kind of person who couldn't care a hoot about moral values and sex issues than go ahead and read them and you will probably whole heartedly love them, but if you do value such things as honour, integrity and the lot I would strongly advise you edit parts out or not read them at all.

I HATED THIS BOOK! Sorry, I just did. What happened to the sweet, strong, lovable character from the first book? Alanna is a total ... in this book. She sleeps with way to many men. Isn't that a bit excessive? I think there is a difference between "grrowing up" and sleeping with two different guys in the same month. Give me a break. If you are a all like me AVOID THIS BOOK IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. If not, well, okay, but...

I think that this is the best series of hers yet.It outshines Immortals and Protector of the small by a landslide. It's about Alanna who goes to the castle to become a knight of the realm.She disguises herself and acts like all the others. She is faced with many challenges from the black city people to duke rodger. she also learns many new things about life, love ,and friendship. This is a superb series so read it.

These books are such a fun fantasy read, they have all the compelling components of a fun novel - a fiesty lass warrior, a tantalizing bit of romance, a trusty cat by the knight's side... and the text and storyline flow really effortlessly. Really a pleasure to read, this is the second series of Pierce's books I've read and I'm on to the third now! I would recommend this book for all ages.

Tamora Pierce did another great job on this one. It was almost impossible to put down! The plot's great, plenty of magic, a beautiful horse, and a wayward heroine, what better combination could you ask for?( the cat's great, too) The only thing that bothered me was Alanna's promiscuity, 'cause I'm an old fashioned girl (I think sex should come after marriage) but otherwise the book was fantastic! Ms. Pierce, keep up the good work

I think i've read this series at least five times. For a preocious middle schooler, these are excelent books. They're adult enough to keep you interested, but still youth enough to have a fun fantasy plotline. I highly reccomend these to fans of Anne Mccafferey, as the writing style is similar, and the humor is infectious. Read them! It's great!

I absolutly HATED this book. It was TERRIBLE. In the first two books Allana was tough and brave. In this book she turned into a pathetic wimp. All she did was cry and whine about everything! What, so now everyone knows that she's a girl? That doesn't mean she has to change at all. That is a serious sterotype (that girl's are wimpy by nature). Also, I think that the entire part about her, Jonathan and George was pretty pathetic, too. Tamora Pierce in a great author, but in this book it sounds like she didn't even try.

i LOVE this book and all of the other books i have read by tamora pierce (like the circle of magic series) i have read a ton of books and i am even runnig out of books (if thats possible :P) and when ever im bored or am in the mood 4 a REALLY good book i just pick up a Tomora Pierce book. i recomend this book to ALL readers cuz this book iz FANTASTIC!!!!!

I reed these books in middle school, again in high school, and then purchased them as an adult. I always wanted to find the stories where the girl could be the Hero. I will pass these books onto my own daughter, when she is old enough.

I love the Alanna series and this book was NO exception! some of the other reviewers say it isnt as good, but I find them all 1,000,000 star books! (I only put 5 because thats the highest it goes) Anyone who likes adventure stories and strong female charaters (I love both) should DEFFINETELY read this book and the others!

I read Tamora Pierce years ago and loved her books. I was so glad to see that she started writing again b/c all of her new books are great. However, her original Alanna series will always remain my favorite b/c the characters are so original and the story is so intriguing.

I guess that I was just too old for it(somehow I doubt that), but I found this series (and this book in particular) to be tiring. I enjoyed the first book and Alanna as a heroine (and as a role model), but as I read on, I realized her for what she was...a flat and an annoyingly perfect character who was set in an underdeveloped book.

The plot itself would have been interesting were it not so quickly gotten over with. I honestly would have been patient enough to read a much, much, longer book. The plot is weak because it is not developed enough, and the climax...often momentous battles or events...is very disappointing.

Young girls who need a feminist or a strong role model would like this series. Older girls who want a strong but flawed role model and a lot more development and quality of writing would not. For the later group, I would recommend the Trickster series (also be Tamora Pierce) which are much more palatable.

This story is a story about a woman that is inbetween 2 different men, One is a prince that she has gone rather far with and the other is a man that has been a friend and a lover to her opposed to the prince who is a lover and used to be her employer. Which one will she go with? Red to find out.

these books are so good! the only others that can even live up to them are harry potter and all of tamora pierces other books! the best part is that alanna and the things that happen to her are so real, and it has a satisfying, if not unpredictable conclusion. good for anyone thirteen or older... you will love it!

Tamora Pierce's "Song of The Lioness" quartet is a good adventure story with magic mixed in. The first book can be read by kids aged 10 and up but the other three books should not be read by the younger pre-teens due to mature content. I liked the characters, mainly Alanna and Thayet, they show girls that women are strong and can do anything they set their minds to.

These books were easy to read and had a lot of adventure. Depending on your moral values you may or may not want to read it, or have your children read it. The main character, Alanna, hides her gender to become a knight. I like this because of the many adventures Alanna has on her quest to become a knight. She also has, I think, three lovers. I do not like this. I do not believe in sex outside of marriage, and so in my mind, this is not a good book for children to read, or maybe even adults.

This book is not worth the money paid for it. It praises low standards and tells you that is all right to be a...The Bazhir are neat, but they could do with enforcing morales. Whatever happened to the girl we knew in the first book?

Well i only baught number one just to try it out and see if i liked the book. Several days later i found myself buying the rest of the set! this is an excellent book for everyone. Especially if you like the knight kinda stuff. I would highly recommend this book!!!!!

I'll preface this review by saying that my 8 year old daughter, an exceptional reader, loved this series of books . . . that's where the one star comes from.

However, as a parent, I'm quite disturbed that this series of books is marketed to young children. From the artwork, the size of the text and the synopsis on the back cover nothing suggests that there are mature themes being dealt with.

Specifically, the main character has a pregnancy charm and a prince who is basically telling her, -you know you want it- after she shoves him away when he starts undressing her.

Maybe this book would be a good conversation starter for a preteen, but not an 8 year old.

I cannot agree that these books are original, thoughtful, or (more to the point) suitable for young readers.
The premise, that a ten-year-old girl has to dress as a boy in order to train for knighthood, has a certain amount of potential. I also found that Pierce has an agreeable amount of 'grit' in her style; the heroine often gets hurt in training accidents, for instance, and she gets badly hurt the first time she tries to fight a bully. She is often frightened and must continually overcome her fear. So far, so good: our author presents a difficult job in a more realistic light than most.
By the end of the first book, she and her eventual royal boyfriend (so much for feminism) defeat ancient evil spirits through a combination of divinely-endowed magical powers and slashing blades. This sets the tone for the rest of the series, I'm afraid. Pierce dosn't write politics very well or with much understanding, so she is continually forced to resolve her plots through personal violence and the supernatural. Her sense of form is far inferior to that of Pullman or C S Lewis.
In these books, magic is a morally neutral force tapped through skill and divine endowment. Alanna's patron, the Goddess, has traits of the paleolithic goddess imagined by the now-discredited Marija Gimbutas; her temples are guarded by the stores bearing labri. On the other hand, such a goddess's fertility aspects are nowhere in evidence, and there are other gods in the country's pantheon, about whom we are told little. I disliked this as well because of the author's obvious desire to have the trappings of European feudalism without having to accept the real cultural baggage that would inevitably accompany it, such as serfdom, poverty, and the Church.

Like other parents, I add my voice that these books are inappropriate for younger readers. Alanna makes sexual choices that are difficult to explain to a pre-teen (and probably a teen if you disagree with a teenager having multiple sexual partners before marriage). The target market listed, 9-12, is right for the reading level and adventure part of the story, but the sexual elements of the books make the target market absolutely inappropriate for most kids of that age.

I don't exactly know how it has happened over the years but Tamora Pierce is the one author I loathe...with a fiery passion. I've tried reading The Song of the Lioness and Protector of the Small series. It's been years since I've read them simply because I found them to be utter junk. I loved Alanna but the series just slid downhill from there. They are completely immoral.

I suppose this would be OK except that Tamora Pierce's books are targeted to teenagers. I know lots of teens are sexually active but I don't think it's necessary to market books to them where the characters are morally depraved in that area. I really haven't found any other series in teen lit that seems, in my opinion, to condone sleeping around like the Lioness series does.

This series is utter junk.

Just thought I would throw in my two cents.

I thought about giving these books 2 stars, just to be kind, but decided otherwise once I reconsidered the series. If you want a great romance, read Jane Austen, or a fantasy romance, Robin McKinley is still number one. These novels contain such strong themes for children and if they were supposed to be for older teens, then the author should of spared her audience by writing the novels better. The only book I liked was the first one, Alanna. Again, I emphasize, children shouldn't read these novels if they aren't accustomed to mature themes. What ever happened to valuing honor and integrity?