Daring You to Read - Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Daring You to Read is hosted every week by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

Here's how it works:

- You choose a book you’ve read, loved and would dare your readers to read!

- The book you choose must be an older release (at least 6 months ago), because let’s be honest, we’re all quite aware of the latest releases.

- Write your own blog post, using the button and linking back to Tynga’s Reviews, inviting your readers to read your chosen book.

- Come back on Tynga’s Reviews and put your link in the linking tool.

- Browse other bloggers Dare and let them know if you’ve read their featured book, or plan on reading it.

- Super easy and an awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

This week I'm daring you to read Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1) by Tamora Pierce.

"From now on I'm Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I'll be a knight."

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Disguised as a girl, Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins -- one that will leard to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

Originally, my dad purchased this book because of the name Alanna. That just so happens to be my oldest daughters name. He read the series and then gave it to me. And I have to say, it was amazing.

Alanna knows what she wants and she's not going to let a silly little thing like gender get in her way. Determined to become a knight she disguises herself as a boy and makes her way to King Roald's castle while her brother, who is completely uninterested in knighthood, disguises himself as a girl and heads off to learn magic. Things are going well at first. It seems her secret is safe. It takes her a while to get into the swing of things being a Page but she manages and is soon content in her duties. She befriends the Prince and the two grow as close as two friends can. But then there's George. The cunning thief who steals your heart in three seconds flat.

It couldn't get any better. Until... she's forced to make the decision to either keep her true identity a secret, or help one of her friends. What will she choose?

This story is the first in a series of four. I thought the entire tale of Alanna and Thom and Jonathan and George was absolutely wonderful. From beginning to end. And I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something easy to read.

So go borrow it from someone. Or check it out from your local library.

I dare you.

Daring You to Read - The Silver Sword by Angela Elwell Hunt

Daring You to Read is hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

This week I'm daring you to read The Silver Sword by Angela Elwell Hunt.

The auburned-haired O'Connor women share a bond far deeper than their striking physical appearance. These courageous, high-spirited women all push against societal limits in this exciting historical, romantic novel that spans generations and countries from 13th-century Ireland to the excitement and mystery of 15th-century Prague.

It is said that as Cahira, daughter of the great Irish king Rory O'Connor, lay dying of a wound from a Norman blade, she beseeched God that others would follow her calling. To Kathleen O'Connor, Cahira's story was nothing more than a fable--until research divulged that the tale was true. As a stunned Kathleen realizes that she herself bears the mark of Cahira, she wonders if she is destined to continue the legacy.

To uncover the answers, Kathleen delves into the past to find the truth about the Heirs of Cahira O'Connor. It is a journey that carries her across generations, from the battlefields of 13th-century Ireland to the castles of 15th-century Prague. It is a past filled with peril, courage, vengeance, love, and sacrifice beyond anything she has ever known.

This is a Christian Historical Fiction novel, and a great one to read. And in a way, it resembles the first novel in the Song of the Lioness series, Alanna. Anika's father is killed and she seeks revenge against the man who's killed him. It's a tale of vengeance, romance, surprise and encouragement.

I dare you to read it.

How to participate in DYTR

- You choose a book you’ve read, loved and would dare your readers to read!
- The book you choose must be an older release (at least 6 months ago), because let’s be honest, we’re all quite aware of the latest releases.
- Write your own blog post, using the button and linking back to Tynga’s Reviews, inviting your readers to read your chosen book.
- Come back on Tynga’s Reviews and put your link in the linking tool.
- Browse other bloggers Dare and let them know if you’ve read their featured book, or plan on reading it.
- Super easy and an awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

Covers Around the World: Alanna

Time for another Covers Around the World post! Piggybacking on my Teaser Tuesday post we're gonna look at Alanna by Tamora Pierce.

This is the original cover that I actually own.

And these next few covers don't tell me what edition they are, but I'm assuming they're still English language copies.

Ok. Here we go with the "around the world" part. :-P


German


French

Spanish


Japanese

Which one's your favorite?

Teaser Tuesday #22

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Todays teaser comes from Alanna by Tamora Pierce. Funny because I just talked about this book on Friday. A refresher, I read this book originally because Alanna is my daughter's name. :-P But I ended up loving it so much I flew through the other 3 books in the series. It was awesome.

"Alanna watched and gathered her strength. If the Dark God wanted Jonathan's life, he had better be ready to fight for it." p 120

And here is the summary from Goodreads:

Alan of Trebond, the best warrior in the palace, is harboring a big secret: he is really a she - Alanna. But when her prince is felled by an illness, Alanna has no choice but to use her healing magic - even if it means ruining her career.

Follow Friday #20

Follow Friday is hosted every week by Parajunkee over at Parajunkee's View. Check her out!

This weeks question:

Q. What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character?

A. At first, I couldn't come up with an answer. I couldn't think of a book I liked that much that wasn't already a movie. And then a few kind of punched me in the face. Haha.

The first was the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. The first being Alanna. Now, I picked that book up solely because of the fact that Alanna is my daughter's name. :-P Sue me. I ended up loving it and speeding through the rest of the series.

The second would be The Halfblood Chronicles by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton. The first in THIS series being The Elvenbane. My dad originally got me these books because I was going to be travelling to Maine for a job interview and had nothing to read on the plane. So he got them for me used on Amazon and I fell in love with them. Only to realize that book 4 may never be published due to the death of Andre Norton.

Last but not least... The Seven Kingdoms series by Kristin Cashore. Graceling is book number one and I loved it from the word go. It was the most amazing book I'd read so far. Until I read Fire. And that was even more spectacular if it's possible. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see this series (and I can't wait for Bitterblue!!!) turned in to movies!!!

How about you?