Tamora Pierce

The path to knighthood is full of surprises. . . .

Keladry of Mindelan dreams of becoming squire to the famous female knight Alanna the Lioness, but she worries that she will not be selected by her hero—perhaps not by any knight master. When Kel is picked instead by the legendary Lord Raoul, the unexpected honor shocks her enemies across the realm. Kel must quickly prove herself up to the task, mastering her fighting and leadership skills while discovering what it takes to be part of the royal guard. A new romance is blossoming as well, bringing with it the rush of first love and the unexpected challenges of balancing knight work and a relationship. All the while, Kel prepares for her biggest fear: the infamous “Ordeal,” the last challenge that stands between her and knighthood.

More timely than ever, the Protector of the Small series is Anti-Bullying 101 while also touching on issues of bravery, friendship, and dealing humanely with refugees against a backdrop of an action-packed fantasy adventure.

Protector of the Small: Book 3

Squire

Monicap

Plot: 5/5
Ah… I love this. Just as I love everything by Tamora Pierce. WE got more details in this one, which was my main complaint about the plot of Page. Kel is Raoul’s squire (Raoul!) And since he’s the commander of the Kings Own, her squiredom was (Apparently) not very conventional, but it was fun and I loved it. We also finally went on the Grand Progress, and I enjoyed that very much.

Characters: 5/5
Kel: I feel like her character keeps on improving with each book. Well… I suppose that’s the point of having a series…

The Yamanis: We finally meet some of the Yamanis! Prince Roald’s wife-to-be, Shinkokami aka Shinko and one of her ladies, Yukimi aka Yuki and Kel is friends with both of them! I really liked Yuki, but we didn’t see enough of Shinko for me to really determine if I like her character or not, but she seems pleasant.

…and my opinions on other characters haven’t really changed. I either love ’em or hate ’em still.

Romance: 5/5
Okay, so we have a REAL romance here! Cleon and Kel. I, personally, love their relationship. When talking with other people about this series, my friend said she liked Cleon UNTIL their relationship got serious and then she didn’t like him. I love him best when they get serious.

Overall Grade: 15/15

Meagan Fischer 

The author's writing seems to have improved so much in this series compared to her first series in this universe. Whereas the first series suffered greatly for lack of pacing and attention to detail in setting scenes, the pacing in this book feels natural. The protagonist actually looks around her environment and describes things, so I can picture the setting where the story takes place. She also goes more in-depth on her training. She zooms in and out, using a combination of specific detailed scenes where we get in the characters head and have blow-by-blow action described to us, and then some zooming out where time passes more quickly in summarized fashion. There seems to be a balance here that to me was completely off in the first series.

Keladry of Mindelan has completed her fours years as a page. Now, at the age of fourteen and standing five foot ten, she is a squire -- the second phase of training for knighthood in the land of Tortall. A squire serves and learns from a seasoned knight, then faces a final test. That final test is the Ordeal, which takes place in a magical room called the Chamber. There, a squire encounters the parts of him -- or herself that the Chamber deems to be the most difficult to face -- be they fears, failing, or unrepented wicked deeds. The Ordeal is an experience in which some would-be knights have lost their minds or their lives. Kel has four years full of adventure, danger, and ever love, before her Ordeal. But as the time grows closer, the Chamber is breaking more squires than it ever has before. People begin to argue about what kind of knight the realm needs, and Kel's fate may signal the fate of the Kingdom.

Connor 

I don't even know how many times I've read this book (this series?) at this point, but other than an unfortunate lack of one Nealan of Queenscove, this book is basically #flawless, so we'll just leave it at that.

(Although, can I just say: I would happily devour an entire series devoted to Buri's adventures with the Queen Riders, starting at the end of Lioness Rampant and running through the 18 or so years until Lady Knight. JUST SAYING.)

Cassidy

After becoming a squire to Lord Raoul, commander of the King's Own, Kel of Mindelan, must face a terrifying test in the Chamber of the Ordeal before she can be a knight.

After becoming a squire to Lord Raoul, Kel of Mindelan must face a terrifying test in the Chamber of the Ordeal before she can be knight.  The plot contains profanity and sexual references. Book #3

Marsh Wu

laura

Still think this is one of my favorite series she is written. I love finally seeing what happens during a knights oath and also just the fun cast of characters we met. I tend to get a tad lost in long battle sequences but a very good read.

Squire Protector of the Small: Book 3

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