"It's harder to heal than it is to kill."
I picked this book up because I felt nostalgic and have planned to (re)read the Song of the Lioness Quartett for ages as I never managed to finish the series as a kid. I fondly remember the thrill of having a strong female main character in a fantasy book, the twists that had me stay up late at night and Prince Jonathan who might have been my first book crush ever. While I am not the target audience anymore, I can still see why this book meant so much to me when I was younger and I love how imperfect, pert and brave Alanna is as a main character. She's a joy to follow. Now that I am older I do think that the age gap between both Alanna and George and Alanna and Johnathan are very problematic, especially because I think I know that both will be love interest going forward? I also do find the portrayal of the Bhazir to feel quite off if we talk about appropriating cultures to paint the 'strange, intriguing and very possibly evil' people within the story. On the other hand I see parallels to very real trans* stories within Alanna's that make me wish for a story about a trans* knight earning their title.
