First Test

First Test by Tamora Pierce

(Book #1 of the Protector of the Small series)

Rating: 🍁🍁🍁🍁

Link to Blurb

The Good Stuff:

1) I love the quiet strength and integrity exhibited by Kel in the face of some intense persecution. She has wisdom and maturity, while still being a kid (she's only 10 after all).

2) Ms. Pierce has taken on the topic of bullying in this installment of her larger Tortallian universe, and she's done it well. There is no magic bullet solution, and for quite a while the only result of Kel's interference in the bullying was that she got the crap kicked out of her. But she consistently interfered simply because it was the right thing to do, which eventually inspired others to do the same.

3) Tortall. I kinda want to live there. Except for the spidrens and stuff.

4) Ms. Pierce's portrayal of the full spectrum of attitudes faced by many women today when they work in a field traditionally considered the purview of men was spot on. Everything from full-out antagonism ("girls are second class citizens" - Joren), to qualified support ("you should be able to try, but we'll put measures in place to protect us in case you can't succeed" - the king), to full support ("you can do it if you want to" - Neal & Alanna), to what I consider the most prevalent attitude: "you can do it, but you shouldn't because once girls hit puberty they are seriously hindered by romance/motherhood/'female problems'/insert excuse here they are a liability rather than an asset" - Wyldon. I'm looking forward to how she deals with this in the rest of the series.

The Not-So-Good Stuff:

1) Kel seems just a little too good to be true. I get that she's been through a lot and is very mature for her years, but it almost seems like she's a little too mature. I wanted to see her act more like a kid a bit more often.