Squire

Tamora Pierce

Keladry awaits a knight-master, having passed her dreaded examinations under much duress. Will she be saddled to a kindly desk knight, or to a horrific battle knight? Keladry doesn’t know what to expect – but she gets the best, well, the second best to what she is expecting.

This novel perhaps shows the least amount of development in Keladry’s character. She’s always been strong willed, and this novel just serves to reinforce that. Also her desire for perfection and her strong ideals are also supported.

I love Raoul. Just the way a Knight Commander should be! He’s so friendly, I can believe why the men follow him into mud and blood, rather than glory. He should have shacked up earlier with someone.

Speaking of which, this is the first novel in this series where Keladry really gets into a love interest. It’s kinda neat actually, since then she is also able to defend herself using Tournaments. Another novel I am reading at the moment has Tournaments in it too, but takes a different tack. I can’t decide which I like more.

Some of the other points raised in the other two novels are resolved here. We see Keladry’s maid successfully running her own shop, and some of Keladry’s enemies are cut down. Keladry is no longer frightened by heights, but she still doesn’t like them. You’d think magic would be able to fix that right?

While I’m thinking of it, I often forget that Keladry is still only 16 or so years old! They are knighted by 18, which seems so young to have so much responsibility. That being said, I guess it’s a better kind of responsibility than what we expect of teenagers these days. Driving is nothing compared to killing monsters!

This is my 3rd equal favourite novel in the quartet. I enjoy the 4th one around the same amount, and I am considering not rereading the 4th this time around. I have so many other things to read now that I have broken my reading dry spell, it seems a waste to not read the exciting books I know are out there waiting for me.

If you’re waiting on a review from me because you have sent me a copy of your novel, rest assured that I am getting to them. I am going through a dry spate of reading due to stress at work, and find old familiar fiction more comforting at that time. My apologies.