lxz’s Reviews > Alanna: The First Adventure > Status Update

exact same issues as atrix wolfe where instead of doing things for reasons they feel compelled in ways they cant understand. WHY have her intuit all those things about jonathan and the city and roger's seeming scheme just to have her dismiss it and happen to wake up for a reason she cant understand bc fate or whatever. GIVE YOUR CHARACTERS AGENCY! LET THEM ACT!

her about to best geoffrey is very like. this would be more satisfying if he had been more than a few scattered refs on the page. perhaps if he had been a goon of ralon's or something. but instead its just some guy shes never had a bad word about and who is literally only better than her in size and sword. bc Dont Worry they made sure to list every single other thing shes super duper best at.

"The truth was, she didn’t feel worthy of being someone’s squire. She was a girl, and she was a liar. And at any moment, the truth could surface. In the meantime, the fact that she could always be beaten at wrestling and that she was only an average swordsman would do."

sorry this type of continual attitude especially is like. i get it for the end of the first book. but not when that end is again 3+ years of time.

of course, gary's classic sharp tongue. that we have definitely all seen in this book. and not his wide good humor and welcoming attitude when we saw him most *checks note* on alannas literal first day almost or perhaps now over three years ago

wow a whole second mention of her working w corams sword in secret. offscreen but still, at least it just isnt dropped out there when she inevitably wows the swords teacher

thom being the one to warn her about duke roger makes him resurrecting and being murdered by roger even stupider fyi. dont care how the series gets him there. also like. show the handful of notes they have to exchange before clear passage thru george lmao makes this more impactful instead of going 'yeah yeah so george is helping w this thing'

sorry i did check the wiki bc i was like,,,,is myles gonna make her his heir? and i saw that he fucking full on adopts her like. this makes it even More baffling that it was always 'her friend' like. if its going to be a paternal relationship write it that way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sorry shes turning 13 now. the book moves so fucking stupid it does Not feel like over two years has gone by

sorry george not taking her concerns about what her friends would do if they discovered she was lying to them and was a girl is so bullshit but also like. yeah alanna they have literally been ride or die for you since day one you are being overly paranoid.

"Duke Gareth always made her nervous." LITERALLLY. SHOW DONT TELL. WE HAVE NOT SEEN THIS ONCE IN THEIR INTERACTIONS SO SAYING THIS IS MEANINGLESS. its like theres no connection between the scenes its infuriating to feel punished for just. remembering the bare minimum facts of the story.