Quartet Title: Protector of the Small
Originally published: 1999-2002
Page count: 751+ total (still counting)
Dates read: 2/19/25-4/6/25
2024 book goal progress: 2, 3, 4, 5 out of 25
Read my other book reviews for my 2025 goals HERE.
Read my other Tamora Pierce book reviews HERE.
1. First Test (1999) - 228 pages
Description:
In the medieval and fantastic realm of Tortall, ten years after knighthood training was opened to both males and females, no girl has been brave enough to try. Keladry of Mindelan is the first girl to take advantage of the decree. Up against the traditional hazing of pages and a grueling schedule, Kel faces one roadblock that seems insurmountable: Lord Wyldon, the training master of pages and squires. He is absolutely against girls becoming knights. So while he is forced to train her, Wyldon puts her on probation for one year. It is a trial period that no male page has ever had to endure and one that separates the good-natured Kel even more from her fellow trainees during the tough first year. But Kel Is not a girl to underestimate, as everyone is about to find out.
First sentence:
"Alanna the Lioness, the King's Champion, could hardly contain her glee."
Favorite quote:
"Gods of fire and ice, bless my new home. Keep my will burning as hot as the heart of a volcano, and as hard and implacable as a glacier."
"Alanna the Lioness, the King's Champion, could hardly contain her glee."
Favorite quote:
"Gods of fire and ice, bless my new home. Keep my will burning as hot as the heart of a volcano, and as hard and implacable as a glacier."
" 'I got tired of thinking and worrying myself sick. I knew what had to be done, and I did it.' She signed happily. 'I love it when that happens.' "
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 6
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 6
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Mini-Review:
This was a breath of fresh air after getting through the chore of my previous book. As a children's/young adult book, the language was simple and much of the story was predictable. Right now, I appreciate those things because they help me relax. One of my biggest complaints of the previous series by Tamora Pierce, was that the student started a romantic relationship with her teacher, who was about 15 years older than her. This book called that out and a character expressly said, "He's way too old for her." Overall, I enjoyed the familiar tropes of a female becoming a knight and I look forward to the rest of this quartet.
2. Page (2000) - 243 pages
Description:
As the only female page in history to pass the first year of training to become a knight, Keladry of Mindelan is a force to be reckoned with. But even with her loyal circle of friends at her side, Kel’s battle to prove herself isn’t over yet. She is still trying to master her paralyzing fear of heights and keep up with Lord Wyldon’s grueling training schedule. When a group of pages is trapped by bandits, the boys depend on Kel to lead them to safety. The kingdom’s nobles are beginning to wonder if she can succeed far beyond what they imagined. And those who hate the idea of a female knight are getting desperate—they will do anything to thwart her progress.
First paragraph:
"Fall that year was warm. Heat lay in a blanket over the basin of the River Olorun, where the capital of Tortall covered the banks. No breath of air stirred the pennants and flags on their poles. The river itself was a band of glass, without a breeze anywhere to ruffle its shining surface. Traffic in the city moved as if the air were thick honey. No one with sense cared to rush."
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 6.6/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 5
Intrigue - 6
Logic - 5
Enjoyment - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Mini-Review:
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 5
Intrigue - 6
Logic - 5
Enjoyment - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Mini-Review:
This book spans the 3 years she has left as a page and time moves quickly. The story felt like a filler that had to be done to get to the next book. Both the previous book and this one made a big deal about the exam of the pages at the end of their fourth year, but we don't ever see her do the test - it's just glossed over. The climax at the end had potential, but the build-up wasn't done well, so overall it felt pretty anticlimactic to me. Also, it's implied that Daine and Numair are still together and will stay that way despite the age difference - it's just something that bothers me.
3. Squire (2001) - 280 pages
Description:
Keladry of Mindelan has completed her four 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 parts of him- or herself that the chamber deems to be the most difficult to face - fears, failings, or unrepented wicked deeds. The Ordeal is an experience in which some would-be knights have lost their minds or their lives.
First sentence:
"Despite the overflow of humanity present for the congress at the royal palace, the hall where Keladry of Mindelan walked was deserted."
Favorite quotes:
"Despite the overflow of humanity present for the congress at the royal palace, the hall where Keladry of Mindelan walked was deserted."
Favorite quotes:
"There was a saying: 'You need never unsay anything that you did not say in the first place.' "
"Seeing herself in the mirror, Kel thought she'd made herself into the girl she would've been had she not tried for her shield. The feeling was odd, more good than bad. Maybe I'm the same whatever I wear, she thought. It's just easier to fight in breeches."
"So long as there are nobles and commoners, the wealthy and the poor, those with power will be heard, and those without ignored. That's the world... The world is imperfect, but you do more than your share to set things right. Next time, report the wrongdoing. Even if nothing is done because the one reported is too powerful, a record will be made. When he does it again, the record will show he won't stop."
"When in doubt, Kel had been taught, shoot the wizard."
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7.1/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 5
Enjoyment - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 8
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 5
Enjoyment - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Mini-Review:
So far, this is my favorite book in the quartet! I did really like it, though there were some logical things that had me scratching my head. I love how this series is pulling in multiple characters from the previous 2 quartets set in Tortall. One thing I didn't like was that this was was a bit more graphic regarding gory fighting and had multiple swears. I much prefer the gore glossed over and creative insults rather than outright swearing - which the book has as well. It just feels more fitting for what is clearly a children's chapter book, even though she's 17 by the end of it.
4. Lady Knight (2002) - 407 pages
Description:
Kaladry of Mindelan has finally achieved her lifelong dream of being a knight. But it isn't turning out as she imagined at all. With the land of Tortall at war with the Scanrans, she has been assigned the enormous responsibility of overseeing a refugee camp. To add to the burden, Kel has had a vision in the Chamber - a vision of the man behind the horrific battle machines that her fellow knights and friends are now fighting without her. She is torn between a duty she has sworn and a quest she feels could turn the time of the war.
First sentence:
"Keladry of Mindelan lay with the comfortable black blanket of sleep wrapped around her."
"Keladry of Mindelan lay with the comfortable black blanket of sleep wrapped around her."
Favorite quotes:
"Threats are the last resort of a man with no vocabulary."
"They never say it's one thing to be given command by your superiors and another to be given it by the men under you."
" 'Mistresses, have you ever noticed that when we disagree with a male - I hesitate to say 'man' - or find ourselves in a position over males, the first comment they make is always about our reputations or our monthlies?' One of the women snorted. Others snickered. Kel looked at the man, who was momentarily speechless. 'If I disagree with you, should I place blame on the misworkings of your manhood?' "
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 8.1/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters - 9
Atmosphere - 9
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 9
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 8
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Mini-Review:
I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, the refugee camp, and the battle machines. I wish we had seen more of the machines and that there had been more of a battle with the mage in the end. The ending was built up so much that I guess it couldn't help but be anticlimactic. I still liked this story overall, though.
Overall Review:
Overall, I really enjoyed this series. Two things bothered me, though.
The first is that Tamora Pierce had the opportunity to end the horrible relationship that started in the last book (The Realm of the Gods) in the last quartet (Immortals), but didn't. Here's the link to that series, and a quote from the review of that book:
"The BIG problem is a 16-year-old having relations with her teacher who's about 15 years older than her. I understand this age gap in relationships was common historically - but the target audience is today's middle schoolers. Will they be aware of this knowledge? Even high schoolers could start thinking, 'Maybe a relationship with one of their teachers isn't too bad.' This book has the potential to groom teens (females in particular) into thinking that having relationships with someone significantly older than you and/or someone in an authority position, like a teacher, is acceptable - and it absolutely is not. There was 0 romance in the other 3 books and then this disgusting relationship was crammed down your throat - and much of it felt very forced and out of left field. The romance should have been with another minor or just left as it was - with no romance at all."
My second issue is the inconsistency of the passage of time in the books. It bothered my OCD that the first book spanned 1 year, the second book 3 years, the third 4 years, and the fourth book 3 months (with an epilogue 3 months after that). In the third book, a little more than half of it is her first year as a squire (10/20), the second year is a little under a third (6/20), the third year is 1/20, and the last year, which isn't even a full year, is about a fifth of the book (4/20). It irks me that some years are given so much more attention than others. I'd much prefer if each year was a single book, or each book was 2 years - but it stayed consistent for the entire series (there would be 4 or 8 books). Then when she became a knight, it could've been its own separate series. I wanted more details - it feels like so much is skipped over in the 'shorter' years.
Embroidery update:
Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Tamora Pierce have the last words:
This is between Kel and her mother, Ilane, having a 'birds and the bees' talk:
" 'Noble families are so determined to keep their bloodlines pure that they insist their daughters remain virgins before marriage, poor things. You don't see that nonsense in the middle and lower classes. They know a woman's body belongs to herself and the Goddess, and that's the end of it.'
Kel was trying to remember if she'd ever heard the matter put in quite this fashion. She hadn't.
Ilane continued, 'I've often thought the nobility's handling of sex and marriage in their girls is the same as that of horse breeders who try to keep their mares from being mounted by the wrong stallions... You can't say this to noblemen, of course. The good ones are too romantic to like it, and the bad ones don't care.' "
-Squire
