Lioness Rampant [Apr 12, 2020]

[Jenna, I'd be free if not for Temper & Edgewalker]

Lioness Rampant - Tamora Pierce

April 12, 2020.

[Mayim]

let's end this

[Shaitarn]

Thank goodness this is the last one!

[Mayim]

I expect to be truly rampant

[Choko]

Haha! I can read this one today (•‿•)

[Mayim]

Yes, I decided to start earlier to give my self more time for the Wheel of Time. I also plan to be done within a day.

[Choko]

Same here. We have a new character, marshal artist (•‿•)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Shaitarn wrote: "Thank goodness this is the last one!"

I expect this to be just as "great" as the previous book/s...

[Shaitarn]

Are we all starting early then? I've just started the mega-tome Dragonfly in Amber but I can probably slot in this one in between chunks of that story.

[Choko]

I think, since most of us are about to start mega books, we are fitting this one in between...

Well, at least a lot of the open storylines are getting wrapped up. And I like the new lady traveling companions.

[Mayim]

Yes, exactly! I will be between the Wheel of Time and Janny #4 for the rest of this month.

[Beena]

Well, if you guys are all reading, I might as well get this over and done with too lol. I've just started another book too but don't want this running over into my next BR.

[Mayim]

I cannot believe that we start with a THIRD guy!

[Choko]

Yep! apparently, the two other guys were not enough (•‿•)... Our lioness is a pleyaaa!

[Mayim]

Multiple...yea

[Shaitarn]

'Hi, my name's Liam and I'll be your love interest for this novel!'

And (view spoiler)[ that sword fight - this guy's supposed to be an expert warrior, and yet a newly knighted woman of about 18-20 can beat him - seriously? The sad thing is I'm not even surprised. (hide spoiler)]

[Mayim]

This was atrocious. She truly managed to surprise me. I expected bad but this...

[Shaitarn]

Chapter 4. Alanna:(view spoiler)[ And just like that, Alanna completes her quest. Of course she does, because why have tension and difficulty when you can have effortless snowflakery? (hide spoiler)]

Thom(view spoiler)[So let me get this straight: Alanna's brother brings back Roger, a convicted traitor, and they're both allowed to swan around court scot-free with no consequences? No, you knock the traitor's head off, preferably cremate the body so he can't come back again, and punish Thom for being an idiot: either banishment or a spell in prison would be my advice. Why does no one in this kingdom have a brain?! (hide spoiler)]

[Mayim]

Yes yes yes! This idiotic setup on top of Alanna’s frolics!

[Choko]

I have to admit, it was quite underwhelming... I also expected more...

[Shaitarn]

Well, that was terrible. Perhaps the worst thing is I'm not really surprised. This whole series has been a complete let-down.

My biggest frustration was that every potentially situation was solved with minimum of drama and effort - providing Alanna was solving it, anyway; no one else in this entire world seems capable of doing anything whatsoever, unless it's something totally dumb (example: (view spoiler)[ her super magically-talented brother can raise the dead so he brings back the only villain in this series (hide spoiler)]).

Yes, I know this is a kid's book, but I would argue that Sabriel or The Amulet of Samarkand are in about the same age bracket, and I would rate/have rated both of them far more highly than this.

I may rant about this in the future; right now I'm actually too annoyed and let-down to spend time talking about it.

[Choko]

I understand the frustration... I guess I didn't expect much to begin with, so I wasn't as let down as others... Sorry you didn't enjoy it, guys! Hope next read is better◉‿◉

[Mayim]

It was so bad I needed to read it with a Monthy Python voice of narration in my head. Then it turned funny in its absurdity.

[Shaitarn]

Mayim wrote: "It was so bad I needed to read it with a Monthy Python voice of narration in my head. Then it turned funny in its absurdity."

'If only Bicycle Repair Man Alanna were here!'

[Mayim]

I have just ruined my dress. Off it goes to washing.

[Mayim]

PS (I thought I'd clarify that) no I didn't pee myself, I just sprayed coffee like a first class octopus)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

This was a shitshow... I rated it 1 star... and didn't talk about it for 2 days...

[Lundos]

I'm reading it now, and it's terrible. The first one had a bit of the 80s charm. This book simple, a mess, poorly written, poorly paced, has a Mary Sue and a lot of other badly de-developed characters, and a terrible plot.

[Beena]

I finished this last night, wanted to get it over and done with so I can move on to better things lol. I've honestly never rolled my eyes so much reading a book, but somehow felt compelled to finish it.

I cannot believe that we start with a THIRD guy!

Yep! apparently, the two other guys were not enough (•‿•)... Our lioness is a pleyaaa!

Hahaha, I know right!! And what about George?? I thought that was still ongoing! Not to mention she's apparently still supposed to be in love with Jonathon??! But she likes the look of Liam, so she'll still have a tumble with him anyway.... oh wait she still misses both George and Jonathon, time to do away with Liam!

(view spoiler)[ And apparently she's over Jonathon and decided to match make for him as well??! She returns and suddenly everything's ok and they just shove all their unresolved issues under the carpet?! Honestly, made no sense at all. And then magically ended up with George at the end, with zero effort on her part, happy days. (hide spoiler)]

[Beena]

@Shaitarn, (view spoiler)[ Yep, I thought that too! So simple getting hold of the jewel, I though this was supposed to be a quest?!

why have tension and difficulty when you can have effortless snowflakery? Indeed!

Thom[So let me get this straight: Alanna's brother brings back Roger, a convicted traitor, and they're both allowed to swan around court scot-free with no consequences? No, you knock the traitor's head off, preferably cremate the body so he can't come back again, and punish Thom for being an idiot: either banishment or a spell in prison would be my advice. Why does no one in this kingdom have a brain?!

Lmao! I thought that too!! Oh, the man who tried to kill off all the royalty is alive again but let's just give him a slap on the wrist and tell him he was a bad boy... It also annoyed me that Alanna kept questioning whether she was right to kill him, because there's such a grey area there?! (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Beena wrote: "I finished this last night, wanted to get it over and done with so I can move on to better things lol. I've honestly never rolled my eyes so much reading a book, but somehow felt compelled to finis..."

For a second I thought we were reading Anita Blake, post-Narcissus in Chains

[Shaitarn]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Beena wrote: "I finished this last night, wanted to get it over and done with so I can move on to better things lol. I've honestly never rolled my eyes so much reading a book, but somehow felt comp..."

Alanna certainly seems to be an early advocate of the reverse-harem!

[Beena]

For a second I thought we were reading Anita Blake, post-Narcissus in Chains

Lol, just checked out that blurb and I don't think you're far off!

[Shaitarn]

@ Beena (view spoiler)[Her questioning whether she should've killed Roger is stupid; it's like the author thought she should put something in to show Alanna growing as a person. She found evidence that he had been practicing sorcery in an attempt to kill the queen, and I think in this last book he actually admitted he had been planning to take the throne? There's a word for that, it's called treason; it's generally considered a serious crime. *sarcastic eye roll* (hide spoiler)]

[Beena]

Lmao!

[Mayim]

Ladies (Iain you too!), on this occasion an unrelated question: Has any of you read the Green Rider? I have started the series some time ago but I am stuck at book 2 and it seems that woithout a solid buddy read I will never finish. Green Rider is also considered a canon of YA and so I thought perhaps some of you would be interested in reading it together?

[Shaitarn]

Mayim wrote: "Ladies (Iain you too!), on this occasion an unrelated question: Has any of you read the Green Rider? I have started the series some time ago but I am stuck at book 2 and it seems that woithout a so..."

Sorry Mayim, I read the first book years ago, thought 'meh' and decided not to read any more of the series. As I recall, it wasn't a bad book as such, more a 'I have read better version of this story before' book. The cover was nice, though.

[Mayim]

Admittedly, I don't remember much: there was a wall, a girl who was a glorified postman, who liked green. And also an incoming love triangle. :D

Oh well. I'll suffer alone. :D