In the Hand of the Goddess

Rating:
Summary: Great Read and Reread and reread....
Review: I first read the Song of the Lioness quartet when I was twelve or so, and even now, almost six years later, I keep returning to the series, and, in particular, this book.

This book chronicles Alanna's squire years, from the time she's 15 to when she's 18. Tamora Pierce handles the years sensitively, just as she had with the first book, and doesn't skimp on any of the details of the mid to late teenage years. I'm sure many parents might balk at the idea of the romance (yes, and sex) that comes about, but it is all apart of being a teenager and it's handled tastefully.

The sword fighting and sorcery doesn't stop, either. Alanna has to fight for her sheild, and her kingdom; she speaks with the Goddess and gets a magical pet. She grows into all of her abilities and we get to see her use them.

Although not the greatest literary work, In the Hand of the Goddess is entertaining and fresh, and a perfect peice for the suggested age group... And those of us who enjoy revisiting those years.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed review: fun, but still RUBBISH
Review: The only thing that can explain all the five star ratings on this book are that the kids who've read it, haven't read much else. Plus, it's easy reading. Guess that's better than nothing. Now do what your teacher says and read "Les Miserables" or "A Tale of Two Cities." Heck, even "Cold Mountain", "The Hobbit", or "A Separate Peace." Yeah, it's challenging, but, it's real literature. Complete with complex plots and interesting characters. I know, school stuff always sounds so tedious, but in these books are unforgettable characters.

First, the praise: This is the best of the Tamora Pierce novels I've read so far. The plot is more interesting, and the characters are more developed, than in her other books. So bravo for that! This book was really taking the series somewhere. While the protagonist Alanna in the first book ("Alanna: the First Adventure") failed to gain more than my lukewarm sympathy, Alanna finally got it in this one. I was pretty much sold on her character, and finally began to admire her.

Now for the criticism. This book is truly a hair away from a cheap, dime-store Harlequin romance. While I find the language in the book appropriate for 12-year olds (because it's basically on that reading level), the subject matter in the book is NOT. Prince Jonathon teaches her "about love." (GAG me!) Actually, a prince having sex with his cross-dressing squire/knight, while wonderfully titillating to adult fantasy, is neither appropriate material for a 12-year old, nor is it "about love." It is irresponsble to fill 12-year old girls' heads with this kind of romantic RUBBISH! On the contrary, a 17-year old girl having sex with a 20-year old prince is really about SATISFYING HIS OWN PRIMAL URGES-- I don't care whether he's a virtuous prince or not! SHAME on the author for irresponsibly implying otherwise to scores of impressionable, eager-for-love preteen girls! ....Oh yeah, and don't worry about pregnancy, the heroine has a magic charm to ward it off! Well that's convenient, isn't it? I guess Tortall hasn't yet been afflicted with herpes, AIDS, clap, or syphilis-- or maybe the charm wards all that off, as well as all the frat boys eager to pop cherries?

What would have made this story even MORE pro-female, would have been Jonathon taking more responsibility (like a condom) to show her how much he cared for her freedom and well-being. Still, the subject matter would not have been appropriate for preteens.

To summarize:

Reading level: 10-12 year olds.

Plotline and appropriateness: 19 (past high-school age) and up.

I'm giving it 3 stars because the plot line of this one was actually interesting. For children under 17, I would give it zero stars.

Rating:
Summary: In the Hands of the Goddess
Review: Tamora Pierce is an excellent writer. She pulls in the desire of young Alanna, who wants to become the first lady knight in a century. It's easy to relate to the story to your own life. It teachs that if you want to become strong or good at something, you need to practice, practice, practice and that's what Alanna did. Alanna fight with her love of adventuring, and the love of three men, the Shang Warrior, The King, and the King of Thieves.

Rating:
Summary: Good characters, bad pacing
Review: In the second book of the Song of the Lioness series Alanna has been able to maintain her masquerade as a boy to all but a few of her friends. Alanna is also now Prince Jonathan's squire. The book starts out with Alanna having a run in with a goddess who tells her she must face her fears; fighting Duke Roger and falling in love. As if that wasn't enough to fear, during the course of the book a war breaks out and Alanna must survive that as well.

I liked this book about as much as the first one. The characters are enjoyable and the love triangle was quite enthralling as well. The plot is basically a good one but it loses a lot of it's effectiveness through the pacing. The book covers four years and every time I got comfortable with events that were occurring the book would skip ahead a year. Still, the book was an enjoyable quick read and fans of the first one will be pleased with it.

Rating:
Summary: A captivating adventure- Highly recommended!
Review: I'm not gonna be fancy, I'm just gonna say it : this is THE best book that is out there (exception Lord of the Rings) for teenage girls. That pretty much sums it up, but I think I'll go into more detail as to WHY.
Alanna is real. She's not perfect (far from it), she's not georgeous,and though she is famed for her swordsmanship, it didn't come easily for her and she had to work hard at it.I get REALLY mad when I read books that are supposed to have strong, female heroes, but the charactars are naturally good at everything, beautiful, and have guys falling all over them. Sure, Alanna's got a couple (only three), but not because they think she's hot. Besides, in the end she ends up choosing the one who ISN'T stunningly handsome and isn't royalty (does King of the Thieves count as not royalty?). Oooops, maybe I'm giving away too much.
Besides having a wonderful hero, Pierce's novel is a captivating adventure(as I said in the title), with action, a great struggle of good against evil, humor, warmth, and engaging romance. I just want to point out one thing. In the the editorial review(I think it's called) at the top of this page, and in several other places, including the back of the book, it mentions that Alanna is battling Prince Jonathan's evil uncle Duke Roger. THAT IS INCORRECT! Duke Roger is Jon's cousin. Remember that.
Also to clarify, it also says at the top of this page: Reading Level: Ages 4-8. I think that is a typo, cause no one in there right mind would let any 4-8 year old read this book. Let's just say it's rated PG-13 for violence and sexuality. Quite a bit of sexuality.I would recommend this book for kids 12 and up (even though I read it when I was 10).
I hope I haven't bored you to death, and that, if you haven't already, you go out and read In the Hand of the Goddess (just be sure to read Alanna: The First adventure first)!! :-)

Rating:
Summary: On the Whole Not That Bad
Review: By the time I was eight I read all the books in my school. By the time I was twelve I read almost all the books in the public library. I was forced like some other out there to re-read books. I have read this series many many times. I am now a teacher, and I am looking to find some of these old books to share with my students. I have not read about "Alan" in about ten or more years. But its one of those books that you can remember. Other teachers (and parents) out there, if you have an advanced students or child, and they have a passion for reading. This is one for them. I am talking about the type of child who reads Gone With The Wind in less then two days, at the age of ten. Children know more then what we give them credit for.

For those of you who are worried about mature content, I wouldn't really worry. If they watch TVs "Friends" or "Buffy", they see the same stuff.

It really is a great series, and one of the first forms of entertainment where a female is in the lead. And not a 1950's type of woman either.

On the whole, its really not that bad.

But; I do have to admit, there are better books out there. War and Peace, Utopia, Plato's Republic to name a few. And there are also worse books out there too.

Rating:
Summary: Great book , but people ruined the series by telling the END
Review: First of all i would like to say "I LOVE HOW MUCH PEOPLE RUINED THIS SERIES FOR ME".I mean seriously you don't need to tell me what happens, I can find out for myself thank you very much. If something happens in the book don't put it in your review.This automaticaly ruins it for people who want to read a story and be stunned by the ending of the series.If you are going to leave a review just summarize the book and DON'T GIVE THE ENDING AWAY.

That being said this is a very good book and it is worth your time. Personally I couldnt put this book down. I stayed up till about 4 in the morning, when I had to get up at 6. This is a very good story but don't waste your time on the last 2.

(P.S) ( It might just be that I am biased but I think that all third installments of series totally [STINK]. And thank you again for ruining it for me.)

Rating:
Summary: The Lioness's Second Adventure--Highly recommended!
Review: Although not one of Pierce's best books, In the Hand of the Goddess is certainly the most memorable of the Lioness quartet.

In this book, we see Alanna's personality grow and develop. She fights in her first battle, finds love, and acquires an unusual new pet along the way! The book comes to a climax with Alanna's thrilling battle with her archenemy, Duke Roger.

As for the premarital sex issue, I wouldn't say it's a big deal. If children don't know what sex is by the time they're eleven or older...well, frankly, in this day and age, they SHOULD. The romance scenes between Jon and Alanna are FAR from explicit, and she even uses birth control! Parents, please get over yourselves. Chances are, your children know more about the "birds and the bees" than you think they do.

Rating:
Summary: Good character, nice plot
Review: Tamora Pierce continues the Song of the Lioness series with realistic characters and a captivating plot. I first read this book when I was 10: 6 years later, it is still one of my favorite books. When I went to Pierce's book signing, the fans ranged from elementary school children to senior citizens. This reflects the versatility of the characters and themes. Alanna is a teenager dealing with issues that all girls struggle with. She has a wellrounded personality, and she develops into a wonderful heroine.
The book does have some romance. However, it is very minor, and there is not any detail. The romance helps to make Alanna real: if Pierce had ignored the topic of sex in her books, Alanna would not be so relatable to older readers. However, the tasteful manner in which the romance is portrayed is subtle enough that it is not inappropriate for younger readers.

Rating:
Summary: Claires thoughts
Review: In ths book, theres a perfect combination of adventure, courage, romance, bravery, and believing in yourself. In this book, Allana goes through the ordeal of knight hood, and begins seeing different points of view about how it is to love, and be loved. She also meddles with the much loved Duke of Conte, and cures her friend (and love) the prince of the sweating sickness, that even the best healer couldn't fix. Making this book even more unpredictable and exciting is the fact that Allanna is a chosen one, so with that I leave you to READ THIS BOOK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1