First Test (Protector of the Small #1)
Tamora Pierce
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Pages: 272
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
In the medieval and fantastic realm of Tortall, Keladry of Mindelan is the first girl to take advantage of the decree that permits females to train for knighthood. Up against the traditional hazing of pages and a grueling schedule, Kel faces only one real roadblock: Lord Wyldon, the training master of pages and squires. He is absolutely against girls becoming knights. So while he is forced to train her, Wyldon puts her on probation for one year. It is a trial period that no male page has ever had to endure and one that separates the good natured Kel even more from her fellow trainees during the tough first year. But Kel Is not a girl to underestimate, as everyone is about to find out...
(Review Originally Written in 2012)
So
a couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege to meet Tamora Pierce at a
convention in Minnesota by the name of Convergence. Because one of my close
friends is a really big fan of hers, I knew that I would end up
going to a lot of her panels if nothing else, so I knew that I had a
responsibility to read at least one of her books, because somehow I
have gone through my life without reading one (a tragedy, I know).
The
book I decided on wasn't her first book, wasn't even the first book in the specific world I chose to enter, but as soon as I read the blurb about it, I knew that it was the one I wanted to
read, First
Test.
This is a book in her Tortall world and I was so impressed by the
characters and writing I have plans to plow through the rest of her
Tortall books before moving on to her others. (Update from 2014: I have now read every single book she's come out with.)
In
this book we have a character by the name of Kel, who is very
original for a female protagonist. She is not the fiery, beautiful
rebel, or the dark, secretive angster, she is also not the "normal"
girl. Her personality is like a stone. She grew up in a culture where
people do not share their emotions and this has transferred to the
way she carries herself. On top of this she has a determination that
everyone should strive to have.
She
is a tomboy, but she doesn't mind wearing dresses, especially when
she knows there is a point to prove with them.
As
for the culture she grew up with, it is a very obvious adaption of
Japanese culture, but what I really enjoyed is how accurate many of
the things were and which pieces Pierce focused on and which to
change were well done in my opinion.
Honestly
the only real fault of this book for me is that it is too short! Of
course I'm so used to reading the many YA books that are a million
pages long. The characters are varied and interesting, the world
intriguing and the situation very well dealt with.
I'd
recommend this book to anyone who enjoys strong female characters and
controversy involving them in their world. It also makes a really
great book to read out to a younger sibling, as in this book Kel is
quite young (though as she gets older, the experiences she has starts
to get a bit too mature for a young audience I hear).
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