Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1) in R-R-Rolling!

Mar 05, 2016 sucre'd fiend rated it liked it

As I read this for a book club, I thought that I could trust the judgment of the members who chose it. And while it may not have shaped out to be what I thought it would have been, it was quite a good read.

Please note that from here on, there may be spoilers

When I began to read this novel, I felt compelled to get into it. Not because I was so captured by the writing, but because I had heard some great things about it thus far. And it was a great read--but it wasn't the best. I will make note, ho As I read this for a book club, I thought that I could trust the judgment of the members who chose it. And while it may not have shaped out to be what I thought it would have been, it was quite a good read.

Please note that from here on, there may be spoilers

When I began to read this novel, I felt compelled to get into it. Not because I was so captured by the writing, but because I had heard some great things about it thus far. And it was a great read--but it wasn't the best. I will make note, however, that it was hard to put down once I got sucked into the pace of the story and the interesting characters that lay within. My favorite, and probably wildly under-appreciated, was George. Unfortunate name, marvelous character.

But herein lay my problem with this: the characterization. A lot of the character were given a specific set of personality traits as envisioned through Alanna, but they didn't reflect them in any way. One example would be Raoul. Big and shy came up in describing him, but he was often "viciously" or "coldly" doing something. So when there were trait descriptions of them in the latter half of the book, I was really confused. Nothing I had seen gave off a feeling of being "shy". Possibly a little bit of a bully, but most definitely not shy.

And then there were characters that had no chance to show much personality. Most were confined the small category of "funny" or "mean". Even the first antagonist to approach Alanna is stereotyped into the "cowardly bully" arch. And, predictably, she overcomes this bully. But what was really behind any of that?

Moving on to the writing style, I found that it was fairly juvenile. Yes, Alanna was no more than ten at the beginning of the story, but that doesn't really excuse the very basic observations within the story. It's told from numerous perspectives, though mostly through Alanna, and they all remained in the same simple mindset of a child. Well, not that a child has a simple mindset, but you get what I mean. There were times, as well, when it felt rushed. Particularly towards the end, when Alanna and Jon explore the Black City. Everything just moved too quickly for me there.

One of the redeeming qualities of this novel was the plot. Everyone loves the classic twin swap, but it's even better when the girl is switching places with the boy to become a warrior maiden. Alanna's bravery through the whole of the novel was commendable and I loved it. Alanna did have her moments of annoying the shit out of me with how she acted, but most of it was excused when I was reminded of what exactly she was going through.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book. If I just read and didn't think on the style and pacing too much, I found that I could run right through it. Which I did. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Beautiful Cheese (Celine) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: humor, childrens

I had a previous review that was a "meh" apparently teenage me was a snob. This story holds up. One of the books that I read and loved and looking back I should've discovered my bisexuality.

10/10 always recommend this series. ...more

Like · see review