Tempests and Slaughter

The first book in Pierce’s The Song of The Lioness quartet introduces Alanna, a young noble-born girl who dreams of becoming a knight of Tortall instead of a lady. Her twin brother Thom, who would rather become a wizard than a knight, goes to the convent in her place to study magic and Alanna, calling herself Alan, begins her adventure, facing many challenges and trials in her journey to become a warrior and a woman.

Times have changed in the Kingdom of Tortall. Keladry of Mindelan, who dreams of a knight’s shield of her own, is the first girl without a disguise to train for knighthood. Without disguise does not mean without difficulty however and the series follows Kel as she’s tested by bullies, skeptics, and her own fears.

In Tortall, two centuries before the Lioness rides, 16-year-old Rebakah (Beka) Cooper begins her work for the Provost’s Guard. She’s long dreamed of this position with the police, and she tells her story through the journal she keeps beginning on with her first day as a trainee or “Puppy.” She, her fellow “Dogs,” and the purple-eyed cat Pounce, work hard to make the city safer, especially the crime-ridden slums where Beka grew up.