Alanna: The First Adventure

“Alanna The First Adventure” is a transformation story of ten year old Alanna of Trebond from a daughter of a border lord into a knight.

As the book begins, their father has made a decision to sent Alanna and her twin brother Thom away to receive education. The twins are hurt and feel like their father doesn’t want them around and doesn’t care about anything except his books and scrolls.

Traditionally, girls are sent to a convent and are taught magic and how to be a royal lady while boys are taught the skills and duties to become a knight. The night before the twins are sent away, Alanna sets a plan in motion to switch places with Thom so he can learn magic and she can become a knight.

In order for Alanna to set her plan in motion, she cuts her hair, changes her name to Alan, and changes her mannerisms to simulate her brother’s. On the way to the castle where she will receive her training, Coram, the adult sent to look after her during her training, discovers who she and attempts to return home. Alanna convinces him to keep her lie a secret.

Alanna finally arrives at the castle and promptly makes an enemy in Lord Ralon. Luckily, Alanna is save from her first fight by prince Jonathan abs his friends. As time progresses and Alanna transitions from page to squire, she manages to keep her gender a secret.

Eventually, her body betrays her and she has to see help from her city friend George. During Alanna’s time at the castle, she discovers how hard it is to become a knight and even considers quitting however she remains committed to her goal of becoming a knight and by the end of this book, she’s well on her way to becoming a legendary woman warrior.

I really enjoyed this book and like the theme of not quitting when tough situations present themselves. In addition, I liked that there is no romance in this book and that Alanna strives to be treated as an equal and refuses to be viewed as less than due to being a girl. To me, this was a very empowering novel to read.

ARC provided by Edelweiss+ in exchange for honest review.

I read the original book a few years ago and enjoyed the story very much so I was excited to see that Book 1 of Alanna was going to be made in graphic form. However, I pretty much had to give up reading the book because the graphic was not cooperating no matter what I tried to read it on. The dialogue was very hard to read and sometimes it wasn't even on the page it was supposed to be. I found it to be too distracting and decided to wait and reserve my real review on the graphic when I can physically look at it. In the meantime, I would highly recommend the original book and I really am looking forward to reading this graphic.

I wish I had written a review for this book in 2016 when I read it for the first time so I could compare my thoughts from then to now. My star rating remains, however, and as it stands, it seems like 15-year-old me and 21-year-old me agree on that much! Alanna: The First Adventure was an absolute pleasure to read, full of the compelling characters and development I'm so used to getting from Pierce's writing. It would've earned a bump up to five stars if it were a bit more engaging at the start. Even then, I waffled about increasing my rating for a while before settling on four.

Alanna has the signature spark and determination all of Pierce's heroines do, perhaps displayed more openly due to her circumstances. She has a good head on her shoulders, and while her confidence needs work (which she does, hallelujah!), she is very mature for her age, and the story is devoid of the questionable decision-making that often comes up in middle grade and YA series. I can't think of a single decision made that I wouldn't make myself, and THAT, my friends, is a rarity. That isn't to say she's without flaws! She struggles with temper, a sense of worth, and uncertainty about fitting in with her peers.

I don't remember much of how this series progresses, but I'm excited to relive the story alongside Alanna of Trebond and her friends. Her brother holds significant power over her story, so I'm curious to see how that plays out. And Roger of Conté seems to be an absolute snake, which will make for some interesting conversations (confrontations?) between Alanna and Jonathan, I'm sure. As soon as my hold at the library goes through, I'll be off on the next adventure to find out more!