Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce
Summary
Alanna wants to be a knight, but she’s a girl and girl knights only exist in history books. Through the series, we watch her fight to earn her shield, gain and keep friends, and navigate the difficulties of head, heart, and duty.
Favorite Character
George – he’s got a tender heart underneath the steely, ear-collecting exterior and I love how his friendship with Alanna progresses.
Favorite Line
Coram to Alanna: “[You will be] happy only when ye learn to live with who ye are.”
There are more poignant lines, but I think this perfectly encapsulates Alanna’s story. She is a girl that wants to be a knight, a girl that loves who she wants, a girl that wields magic and is chosen by the Goddess, and can say no to the King and change the Bazhir. But, she is really only happy with that life once she has accepted all that it means.
Is this worth a book hangover?
FOR SURE. These books hold up to re-reads and continue to teach me a thing or two about what I am doing with my life long past when I expected to have everything together.
Fun Author Fact
We pronounced the author’s name wrong several times! It should rhyme with “camera” – our mistake!
Read these next:
We have to recommend the rest of the Tortall series! Hang out with wolves in the Wild Magic series, then join Protector of the Small as she follows Alanna’s footsteps, and finish with the Trickster’s Choice duo to see into Alanna’s future.