Customer Reviews
Kel's Life as a Squire 
2006-11-17
Kel is now a squire and ready to face any of the challenges that it gives her. When a strong and legendary knight takes her as his squire, she finds herself getting unconventional but useful training for the day that she will become a knight. As she helps to save villages from raiding parties and participates in jousting tournaments she finds herself facing more personal challenges. As a young woman, she finds her affections being drawn to two different men, one who she once thought was just her friend. At the end of the book, she will have to face her Ordeal, a difficult test of mental strength that will determine if she is meant to be a knight or not. After the Chamber of the Ordeal kills a squire, Kel worries that she too might be in danger. But before she gets to her Ordeal, she'll have to survive war. Scanra is on the move and Kel will have to be one of the squires to protect Tortall.
Squire seems to mark an important shift in the Tortall books, one you might not notice unless you were to look at the books sitting on your shelf. They're starting to get longer. As Kel becomes a Squire, there is a lot going on in her life. There are her adventures as a squire, the Prince's upcoming wedding, jousting tournaments, the war with Scanra, more than one sweet romance, and of course the Kel's Ordeal. Many readers of this book will be disappointed that Kel does not fall in love with her best friend Neal, but I find that plot point to be more realistic. Many people, at the age of fifteen, are not in love with the same person that they were at the age of twelve, especially when being a squire involves long periods of time apart. Granted, most people don't remain in love with the same person at fifteen for their entire life, so you can tell that the romance in this novel will probably not last for the entirety of the series. A Kel/Neal Romance would be sweet, but I'm glad that Tammy strayed to a less conventional route and towards something that you typically don't see in fantasy books.
The book, like all of the Tortall books, is fast moving and exciting. You'll find yourself cheering for Kel and her friends at every moment. A lot gets resolves in this book (Kel finds out who's responsible for the kidnapping of Lalasa and who her mysterious benefactor is, neither are real surprises) but a lot of questions get raised as well. What is going on with Scanra? As Kel moves into knighthood, Tortall moves into a bloody war. How will she deal with the new challenges faced before her? I guess you'll just have to read Lady Knight to find out.
Yeah well.... 
2005-10-02
I love this book because Kel becomes Raoul's squire. In the Alanna books, he isn't a very well developed character, and I was really happy to see him reappear, especially as Kel's knight master. I was dissapointed that Kel and Neal didn't fall in love, but that would have been too much like the Alanna books with Jon and Alanna. Besides, Neal is too cynical for Kel. She is completely a fighting knight and Neal is mostly a desk night, like myles.
Ok, ANOTHER GREAT ONE! 2005-09-06
Yes, truth to be told, I would rather it was Neal and not Cleon who she develops a romantic interest in, but that's life. It is very good though!!!
More detailed but resolutions too quick sometimes 2005-07-11
Although this book also covers several years, I found it to be a lot more detailed (for the most part) than the previous one, which is good. I was a bit disappointed at first that Kel and Neal didn't get together. Kel does end up with Cleon, which I wasn't completely crazy about - if not Neal, I'd prefer her to be with Dom. But there's one more book, so we'll see what happens. Some problems as usual - yes, Kel has a difficult time, but some difficulties seem to resolve themselves almost a little too quickly. But that didn't take away too much from my enjoyment of the book and I can't wait to read the next one.
"He Looked as Though He'd Lost All Hope of Sunrise..." 2005-07-01
Keladry of Mindelin (or "Kel" as she's better known) has finally completed her page training, passed her exams and conquered the ongoing bullying that's plagued her since she first signed up to become a Lady Knight. Now that she is a squire, she's eager to begin her duties under a knight of the realm - and is shocked and awed when Raoul of Goldenlake offers to take her on. Anyone who has read the "Song of the Lioness" quartet knows how much of a legend he is in Tortall. Soon the two are a close knit-team, as Kel accompanies him to bandit-raided villages and centaur populated lands. Soon she's learning through experience, with the grim realities of living rough and dispensing justice to criminals becoming an everyday occurrence - and there's still the same old prejudice against a female squire.
As the book progresses, Kel comes up against many varied obstacles, such as becoming a foster-mother for a baby griffin, accompanying the court on a Grand Progress through the kingdom for the benefit of Prince Roald's fiancée Shinkokami, dealing with her romantic interest in fellow-squire Cleon, and jousting with the many men that challenge her to the competitions. And for those readers that are familiar with how squires ultimately become knights, there is the Ordeal waiting for Kel at the end of the year; something that has already destroyed two young squires...
This third instalment in "Protector of the Small" is an interesting enough read, but there are some problems with the structure of the overall series. Though you could argue that Tamora Pierce is simply following a real-life scenario (and is therefore to be recommended), it feels that often certain plot threads and intrigues are forgotten, or brought to empty conclusions. For instance, one growing subplot involving Kel's crush on her best friend Neal is dropped halfway through the novel. Kel's relationships to her two main nemesis's (Wyldon and Joren of Stone Mountain) are ignored, leaving us feeling as through she's never really managed to triumph over them - and Joren in particular comes to a surprising end. A new rivalry with one of Raoul's servants Lerant begins, but again is dropped midway through the book.
As I said, these could all be taken as natural and realistic conclusions (after all, real life doesn't work out as neatly as books usually do), but there was a sense of things building up in the previous books that make it seem as if Pierce has lost direction. The lack of the good-versus-evil theme in "The Song of the Lioness" and "The Immortals" quartet is because the books are more concerned with Kel's personal growth and challenges - but because I don't like Kel half as well as I liked Alanna and Daine, I can't quite bring myself to care as much.
But on to the better things: any one knowledgeable about the community of Tortall will be pleased to know that there are plenty of appearances from older characters, especially Daine and Raoul: Raoul in particular takes centre-stage after Kel herself, and there is a surprising twist concerning him and Buri! Peachblossom, Jump, Lalasa, Neal and Kel's sparrows all return, though have considerably less to do this time around. And you finally discover the identity of Kel's anonymous benefactor is (as if it wasn't obvious from the beginning!)
"Squire" ends on a note of both hope and foreboding, with a vision granted to Kel that will undoubtedly come into play in the forth and final book "Lady Knight"...
Kel is now a squire....for Lord Raoul! 2007-04-01
Kel is now a squire and is worried that nobody will pick her because she's female. But...dispite the fact that Keladry desperatly wanted Lady Alanna to ask she is still overjoyed when Lord Raoul of Goldenlake whom can sometimes be known as the Giant Killer asks Kel. Raoul is very high ranked and one of Lady Knight Alanna's best friends so...why is he picking Kel? Because he thinks she's good.
Since Lord Raoul is the leader of the Kings Own Keladry gets to go with him all the time on missions and goes into various battles. Though she is living her dreams she is still nervous...the Chamber of the Ordeal is coming up quick and Kel still has to push aside her secret romance.
Read 'Squire'. It's a wonderful book but it would be best to read 'First Test' and 'Page' first.
amazing 2007-02-16
I love this series, the books are amazing. Read Terrier or the Lioness series by the same author if you like.
Solid, but not quite satisfying. 
2007-02-08
If you're reading these reviews, you've either read the previous two books, or are still trying to see if you should. Either way, this book is a very good read on its own, and a decent further look at our heroine Kel.
Sadly, I found it not to the standards of the first two. Firstly, the posting Kel recieves is 'tailor-made' to groom her for further adventures. Nothing as serious as the climax of Page ever happens, which makes it difficult for her character to grow in this installment. Her difficulties now are in reconciling her crushes (in regards to, I'll remind readers of how many boys you were 'in love with' at age 14 through 18, and how many of those crushes lasted past summer vacation, let alone an entire year). She also learns the quiet skill of picking her battles, and there is a sadly anti-climactic result for her long-standing enemy. Fitting, but still anti-climactic.
The world is strangely light-hearted, despite onrushing wartime, Kel is strangely capable in a world she's never directly experienced, and ALL of the men she works with accept her without reservations after only a few months of her arrival. This all contrasts with the mood that Pierce cultivated in the first two installments, and I was strangely sad to see it shattered so easily. This almost felt like an intrusion, or a "rest period" for the character.
The mood changes again towards the end, where the build-up to Lady Knight begins, re-establishing the familiar tension faced by our soon-to-be Lady Knight.
**As I have for previous books, here is my 'cautious parent' warning. This book deals frankly with crushes, and the possible results of acting on them. The character deals with it in a 'family-appropriate' way, by asking her mother, but the simple inclusion of this "big talk" and the other references to kissing and passionate emotions may upset some parents. Please Please Please, if you think this will be a concern for you, or if your child is delicate or easily frightened, please be aware that this book is directed more towards OLDER pre-teens. The character is 18 at the end of the book, and considered an adult from the age of 14 when the book begins.
Finally, the climax scene, while not as challenging for the character, deals with magic and necromancy, and this may disturb some readers (or their parents). Be warned - read it first!
This is the best of the Protector of the Small quartet so far... 2007-01-10
Several SPOILERS here:
Welcome back to the medieval and enchanted realm of Tortall. SQUIRE is the third and penultimate book in the Protector of the Small series and is the richest, most textured effort yet by Tamora Pierce in her chronicles of the feisty and determined Keladry of Mindelan, or Kel, as her friends fondly call her. A lot of the added gravitas in this book has to do with the fact that Kel is older (she's fourteen now and stands at a muscular five foot ten in height as the book begins). Thus, she finds her world opening up even wider - and her training becomes even more rigorous as it expands to include a more sweeping education as to the true definition of a knight. Too, Kel becomes more involved in the doings of the royal court, becoming responsible, in fact, for possibly effecting a positive change to a long-standing Tortallan policy. SQUIRE covers the four year span of Kel's squirehood, and her experiences here, under the capable tutelage of Sir Raoul, ably sets her up for her grim adventures in the series's finale, LADY KNIGHT.
The plot: As a squire, Kel must now enter into a four-year servitude with a seasoned knight. But the book starts with some time having passed after Kel had attained the rank of squire and with nary a knight having yet chosen her as his squire. Kel had harbored a hope that her heroine Alanna the Lioness would select her, but that ultimately became a forlorn hope. Languishing in despair while stoically striving to not show it, Kel is shocked but delighted when Sir Raoul, the unorthodox Knight Commander of the King's Own guard, asks her to be his squire.
The next four years prove to be a fruitful and educational time for Kel. Raoul turns out to be the perfect master and instructor. With him and his command, the King's Own, Kel travels the breadth of Tortall on various missions to keep the kingdom safe and sound, whether it's rescue operations, capturing bandits, succoring devastated villages, besting terrifying mechanical monsters, or fighting against the encroaching soldiers of Scanra. Her animal friends, time and again, give Raoul and company the decided edge as Kel's sparrows prove to be uncanny scouts, while her ugly dog Jump and her ill-tempered horse Peachblossom make ferocious warriors. Now, add to that menagerie a nasty baby griffin, with a liking for fingers, whom Kel rescues in a deadly battle with a renegade centaur.
On her journeys, she makes new friends (including Dom, the handsome cousin of her best friend, Neal) and impresses even more people with her dedication as she continues to perfect her warrior skills. As part of her training, she takes up jousting (or "flying lessons," as she calls it, because Raoul keeps bouncing her out of the saddle). And, as is her nature, she maintains her championship of those who are unable to protect themselves. She even goes as far as to challenge the king when she deems the penalty for a criminal too lenient. To protect a put upon standard bearer, she challenges the offender to a jousting match, never mind that the offender is a full blown knight. Continually, she puts a lie to her naysayers, most of whom consist of kingdom conservatives. Kel even finds time to indulge in an enthusiastic, if chaste, romance.
Past characters return, especially Kel's closest friends: Neal, Merric, Cleon, and Owen. Even past heroines in their own quartet series, Alanna the Lioness and Daine the Wildmage, appear, if briefly. And, with two years of Kel's squirehood dedicated to the Great Progress - a grand parade throughout Tortall, meant to show the heir's future Yamani wife to the people of the realm - Kel manages to renew acquaintances with old Yamani friends, as well as with Prince Roald, who had been in her training school. Unfortunately, she also meets up again with the bullying Squire Joren, who had been her nemesis in the prior books...
But even Squire Joren pales in comparison to Kel's final challenge. Her final test to achieve knighthood is the Ordeal, which involves a passage of time spent in the dreaded Chamber. The Chamber, which is mystically sentient, calls forth one's worst failings, weaknesses, or past misdeeds and forces one to face them. Squires before, in their time in the Chamber, had gone mad and had even died. It doesn't bode well for Kel's confidence that, even years before her alloted time in the Chamber, she'd summoned the courage on several occasions to touch the Chamber's door and each time had received disastrous images laying out a bleak future for her and her loved ones. But, with war looming in the horizon against the kingdom of Scanra and with Kel having been granted a vision of a diabolical future foe, a lady knight just might be what a beleaguered kingdom needs most...
This is the best book in this quartet so far, with FIRST TEST and PAGE already being very good reads As a bonus, we finally learn the respective identities of the villain who had hired the two scoundrels to kidnap Kel's maid, Lalasa (as chronicled in PAGE), and, on a more pleasant note, of Kel's unknown benefactor. Kel is such a strong and rootable character that the pages flew under my fingers, I really couldn't wait to find out what would happen to her. Part of what I like about Keladry is that even though she is now starting to change the men's pervasive prejudice against women becoming knights and even though she's well on her way to garnering a certain rep as Raoul's promising protege, on the inside, we still get to see Kel's fears and uncertainties. The readers are privy to Kel's vulnerabilities, which act as a humanizing counterbalance to her "perfect" qualities. Tamora Pierce's strength is in her deceptively simple narrative style, which serves to make her books accessible to anyone, young or old. SQUIRE is very highly recommended, although it's suggested that the prior two books should be read first. Hope this helped.
Best of 'Protector Of The Small'! 2006-11-25
This is absulutley the best of the 'Protector of the Small' quartet! Probably because Roaul is in this book and he is a fave character of mine.
Kelandry of Mindelin is now a squire and is very worried about who's going to pick her to be their squire. She is hoping that the legendary Lioness will pick her but it isn't working as she had hoped. Finally Sir Raoul of Goldenlake picks her and she gladly excepts. She then travels with the kings guard (for that is what Sir Raoul does).
This is a wonderful adventure full of action, romance, and is a blast to read! Tamora Pierce created a wonderful story and I hope that everyone reading this review will give it a go because I know for a fact that you'll enjoy all the hard work Pierce has put into this! Read SQUIRE!
-Hannah M.
