Okay wow was this good! I especially loved the art style - it's simplistic and dark and just suits this story so well.

Also, this story took a turn I wasn't expecting! Like I thought everything would be great, but nope, it took this super creepy, scary turn and I was sort of terrified (I scare easily) but like I couldn't put the book down.

Also, this book deals with so many important issues: identity, culture, bullying, friendship, etc. I really related to the main character. And the ending was just perfect!

I don't even think I have words to describe how I am feeling right now. Kel was always my favourite, having been the first set of books I read by Tamora Pierce, but rereading this series for the 3rd time (I think?), I'm just in love with everything!

The characters, the writing, the plot...the funny banter between the pages and the squires. But most of all, Keladry. She's so strong, and resolute, intelligent and calm, and she has the makings of an incredible leader! I just want to read Lady Knight now cause I'm so excited for her leadership skills to fully show.

Neal kills me as always with his flowery long speeches about love. He's such a romantic and I love that about him cause it's totally the opposite of who Kel is (and who I am). Cleon definitely grew on me in this book and I absolutely love his terms of endearment hahaha

I spent so much of this book just laughing constantly, mostly because Tamora Pierce is amazing at adding lightness to a somewhat darker story. Owen is adorable! He's so cute and chubby and I just want to squeeze his cheeks and give him a hug!

The ending was something I had been waiting for since my reread of First Test and I wasn't disappointed. It was horrifying and maddening – I seriously want to kill someone but I won't name him because of spoilers!

Also, Raoul made an appearance and so did Jon and I died a little inside seeing Jon being so caring and fatherly.

Lalasa's character arc was amazing! Her backstory is just so sad, but I'm so glad she's found a friend in Kel!

I think that's all I'm going to say cause I don't want to spoil anything!

This isn't a review. This is mostly just me gushing my feelings over EVERYTHING!!!

This has to be my favourite book in this series so far! It's not too grim and dark, it's funny, it's cute, I FEEL LIKE IM DYING EVERY SECOND...I shouldn't say it isn't "grim and dark", since stuff happens and people die and there's little skirmishes here and there, and oh, there is the problem with the Scanrans. But overall, this book made me want to weep and never stop - mostly because I've never felt so happy and proud and just plain emotional in my entire life! I feel like I'm Kel's mother at the end, openly crying in front of everyone. SO. MANY. DAMN. FEELS.

Let's talk about Cleon for a sec. I wasn't really on board this ship this time around. I remember really liking him and Kel together before, but this time I was kind of meh. I like Cleon, don't get me wrong. He's a great guy, and he's brave and funny and adorably squishy, but the romance felt weird. Like Kel had absolutely no feelings for him, but then Cleon kisses her and she's all like, "well, I did kind of like that". And then they grow to like each other...I felt like this romance was more one sided. Cleon's feelings towards Kel were more genuine than Kel's feelings towards Cleon. Also Kel wasn't all that serious about this relationship like Cleon was. I mean, she wants to focus on getting her shield and being a full-time knight; she doesn't want to get married and have kids and take care of a fief. At least, not yet. They're still kind of cute together though, and I love how everyone knows they're involved - that scene when Neal, Merric and Owen make up excuses had me dying with laughter.

Speaking of Neal...SOMEONE HOLD ME CAUSE I LITERALLY CANT HANDLE THE FEELS *cries for all eternity* He wears her shukusen as he's knighted. HE WEARS HER SHUKUSEN AHHHH

Since I've mentioned Neal, let's talk about Dom. Dom is cute. Dom is funny. Dom is kind. Dom is just EVERYTHING. I love his character so much and I can't wait to see him more in Lady Knight. He's an interesting contrast to Neal, yet he reminds me of Neal too, but like the less dramatic version loool

The Ordeal was what I was waiting for all this time. Forget about what happened in the room...the second the door opened and Kel saw Raoul and her parents and Neal and I'm just hear thinking, OH MY GOSH I AM SO PROUD WHY ARENT YOU REAL SO I CAN HUG YOU. I honestly felt like I could feel everyone's sigh of relief. But besides that, I felt this overwhelming sense of pride and respect and awe and love!!!! THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL GOOD WRITING! I felt all those emotions and it made me want to tear up, but NOPE IT WASNT OVER.

Kel's knighted, her mother is crying and so is her father, she hugs her friends and Raoul, and then she turns and is gifted a shield by Shinko and the QUEEN, and it's not just any shield, it has a distaff border which even Alanna doesn't have. AND THEN ALANNA REVEALS HERSELF and I think anyone could have guessed that, BUT MY THROAT GOT ALL TIGHTENED UP AND I WANTED TO CRY (but I suck at crying) and then Kel's like, "You want to come to dinner? Someone has to keep Neal from giving a long speech." And Alanna says yes, and it's over and I died.

Wow this is long and kind of "reviewy". If I could rate this higher I'd give it a million stars!!!

I AM CRYING

MY HEART HURTS

I CAN'T GET THE WORDS "DA" OUT OF MY HEAD

I DON'T REMEMBER FEELING THIS BROKEN THE FIRST TIME

THIS BOOK...JUST WOW!!!

Rereading this duology has given me a better appreciation of the scope of Tamora Pierce's creativity and writing. This series is so unique from the other Tortall books, and I think that is why it stands out!

Compared to Alanna, Daine, and Kel, this book focuses more on the behind-the-scenes of running a kingdom (or taking over a kingdom) - whereas Aly's predecessors are more involved in a hands-on kind of way. That's what I loved about this book. Yes, it's mostly Aly sitting at a desk and going through paperwork and using her mind more than her hands, but it's interesting. It gives you can idea of how countries are run, how threats are identified and dealt with, how rebellions are formed, how strength is found in weaknesses, and how to use people against each other to get to a certain means. It shows you the complexity and the forethought that must happen in order for a successful rebellion to take place. I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT!!

I have read the other reviews for this book and wanted to address a few things.

First of all, some reviewers have said that everything seemed to come too easy for Aly. I have to agree a little that things did seem to happen too smoothly, though that could have just been because Aly was taught so well by her father. And it could also have been because the Rittevons were so slack in their security that it never dawned on them that the Raka could have such a good spymaster. But I'll admit, things could have gone "more" wrong. Maybe one of Aly's informers could have gotten caught, or a close friend turned out to be a spy for the Crown, I don't know. But at the same time, I liked how the story went. It didn't bother me too much that everything came so easy for Aly - it didn't feel that way while I was reading. Aly just felt prepared most of the time - there were those times when she wasn't prepared like with Sarai and Dunevon and the ship, but I loved seeing how her mind worked and how she came up with solutions to problems.

A thing I really liked about this series is the role of Kyprioth. Compared to the other Tortall books, the Gods aren't so involved in the main character's lives. Like they pop in now and then, but they don't do much else. Kyprioth was an interesting god - he felt so human and real, and then we were reminded that like the Greek/Roman gods, he doesn't care so much about who dies, as long as he gets what he wants. That scene between him and Aly after the sinking of the ship made me so mad, yet it made so much sense that Kyprioth would do something like that. I think someone argued that he interferes waay to much and makes everything so easy for Aly - I'm not sure if I'd agree with that. He interferes cause that's his nature. He's a Trickster god, he's impatient and doesn't like to sit around waiting for stuff to happen. So he does something and then Aly has to deal with the repercussions. Same thing with the Graveyard and Sarai.

Speaking of Sarai...I really started to not like her in this book, but at the same time I understood why she was acting the way she was. Sarai had lost her father because of someone who she kind of had feelings for/loved. She feels guilty and mad and impatient. She wants something to happen and doesn't want to wait. Which makes sense. I think, by this point, she's tired of life as a noble with a constant threat to her life and not being able to speak her mind. So she runs away. It all seems so part of her character, yet it made me mad that she didn't think about what would happen to Winna and Dove and Petranne and Elsren. That she could just leave them like that and not think twice. Also I really liked Zaimid - like A LOT - and was hoping that he and Dove would end up together. So the pairing just didn't seem right to me. But oh well...I should also add, that I forgot a lot of plot twists in this book, so I was genuinely surprised when Sarai left and when certain people died.

Another argument made was that we didn't get to see Nawat's character growth and for that I definitely agree. The first time around, I fell in love with Nawat and Aly together, but this time that wasn't the case exactly. Nawat wasn't even there for most of the book, so when he came back all changed, it felt like something was missing. It felt like he changed a part of who he was to make Aly happy, though at the same time Aly came to realize that she can't control Nawat like she did her other boyfriends and she has to let him do what he's good at. So I don't know. I'm stuck here. But they are cute together and Nawat is hilarious and he's still a little crow so I don't know...

Someone else said that we don't see Aly's character growth, but we're told it instead. And I don't agree with that exactly. I guess we are told by Aly what her previous dalliances were like with boys in Tortall, and she points out in this book that she doesn't feel that way anymore and that she's more serious. All I can say is that Aly's grown up. She's seen more of the world and seen things that are more important than fooling around and having meaningless fun. I do love how she still uses her flirting skills for her own benefit - it makes her a fun character to read about!

I feel like I've bashed this book a whole lot, yet given it a 5 stars anyway. I feel like all these points don't take away from the plot and the creativity. I loved every second of this book! I genuinely had my mouth hanging open multiple times and the FEELS were just too much by the end.

Honestly a great way to end the year!!!

Rating: 4 stars!
One Word Review: EPIC!

I don't even know where to begin, so I'll start with what I did like and then move on to what I didn't like.

WHAT I LIKED:

The character arcs in this book just blew my mind! Especially with Vivia! Half way through the book I wasn't sure about her character. It seemed for a second that she was completely different from what she was like in Truthwitch. But the problem with that was that we only saw a glimpse of Vivia in Truthwitch, and what we did see was her trying to be who she thought she should be, instead of just accepting who she was. I loved that moment when she finds the underground city and lets that mask fall off and reveals her true self to Stix! It was just perfect and made my heart clench with happiness!

Aeduan's character also really surprised me! We get to see a completely different side of him in this book and I'm honestly shipping him and Iseult so hard now!!! AHHHHH!!! The way his and Iseult's relationship formed in this book was perfect! The way they slowly start trusting one another and helping/saving one another...The way Aeduan helps Little Owl...so good!

Iseult's character arc was interesting. Seeing her going from the lack of confidence she has because Safi isn't with her, to be able to fend for herself, make her own decisions, and trust in her judgement was so so good! She became such a confident young woman and I absolutely loved that! And we see the same thing happening with Safi in her POV.

Iseult finally succumbing to Esme was not my favourite part of the book, but I was expecting it, to be honest. Deep down inside though, I was hoping it wasn't going to happen. Aeduan does say in the book:

"She was what she was, and fighting one's nature only brought pain."

I guess this goes back to Vivia. She accepted both aspects – her Nihar rage and her mother's love for their people and their country. I honestly really hate Esme. She creeps me out so much! I just hope Iseult doesn't turn into her by using this new Weaverwitch power.

I'm not really sure about Merik's character arc. I felt like out of all of the characters, his POV was the most difficult to understand. I definitely got what Merik was going through. He's angry and confused and he wants revenge for what happened to him and his ship. And like Cam says:

"Stop seeing what you want to see, Merik Nihar, and start seeing what's really here!"

But I feel like Merik wasn't completely in the wrong. Yeah, he thought he could get trade for Nubrevna, but I don't think he was seeing something that wasn't there. I think he was blind with hope and yeah things didn't work out, but it wasn't wrong for him to hope or try. He says he thought the navy needed him as a leader, when they didn't and again, I don't think thats true. I feel sorry for Merik cause he doesn't feel like he as a role to play in Nubrevna at all. And he thought that by being the Fury, he could take revenge and make things right and actually do some good. And yeah, he was wrong about Safi and Iseult and Cam, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad thing – he just judged them before getting to know them and that happens, but he realized where he had gone wrong. As for wanting the throne for himself, I think that was mostly Vivia's fault for cutting him off and trying to be someone else. Merik started to see Vivia as the enemy and not as someone who also cares about her people and at the same time is struggling to show she cares in the right way.

I don't know. Merik is complicated. Definitely a difficult character to understand.

I want to talk about the second half of the book cause literally it went from being pretty good to CRAZY in two seconds! So much happened, there were so many plot twists, and it was AMAZING!

For some reason, I don't know if I'm blind like Filip (lol), but I didn't guess that Kullen was the Shadow. I thought the entire time that the Shadow was Ragnor or one of his minions or something. And he was going around cleaving people??? I'm still confused about all of this, which I'll get to later. So when it was revealed that it was Kullen, I was a) confused about what he is and what he's actually doing, and b) I felt like slapping myself, cause of course it was Kullen! He's definitely changed a lot from who he was and I honestly don't understand all of it. I'm assuming what Esme showed Iseult in her dream about keeping that friendship bond b/w the blacksmith guy and his threadbrother is what happened to Kullen and Merik. And that explained a lot! Especially after Merik realizes that he is dead and the only reason he's alive is because of Kullen?? Lol I am so confused!!! That's the one big thing I didn't like about this book that I'll mention again later.

Onto Safi...I was hoping for a Safi and Iseult reunion, and that kind of happened in the end which I liked, but it was interesting seeing Safi on her own. And like I mentioned above, she really does change a lot. She starts trusting herself and her decisions. AND she starts thinking before acting rashly, which was a fine thing indeed! I didn't like her rashness in Truthwitch and seeing her acting more calm and watching her surroundings and thinking was a nice change. I definitely wasn't expecting to see Caden aka Chiseled Cheater again! I really hated him in the beginning, but once more is explained about who the Hell-Bards are (though not enough is explained), I started to really like him and the other Hell-Bards! And Vaness has also become a new favourite. She's so badass and powerful, yet she cares about her people! I really can't wait to see more of Marstok in Bloodwitch!

Another thing I want to bring up, is the diversity!!! I loved everything about this book because of how diverse the cast is! It's so refreshing to see that in fantasy!

ON TO THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:

Iseult sums this up so well, I'm just going to quote her:

"More than anything, Iseult wished for answers."

I feel like Iseult is saying what's on everyone's minds: WE NEED MORE ANSWERS. I will admit, the reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I still feel confused. I don't fully understand what is going on with Merik, Kullen, and the "dead-but-not-so-dead" men, and also the Hell-Bards. Not to mention what Ragnor is planning and what that has to do with Little Owl and HOW DOES ALL THIS MAGIC WORK??! I feel like there are even more unanswered questions now than there were before. I'm still confused about Leopold (and I'm sad he wasn't even here), the mysterious blood-scent Aeduan keeps smelling...it's a little frustrating I'll admit and I hope Bloodwitch actually answers some of these questions because it's getting confusing staying on top of everything.

One other thing I didn't like was the multiple POVs. I don't mind multiple POVs – I actually enjoy them. But in this case it felt kind of all over the place. I wish Susan Dennard had dedicated one chapter to each character, instead of switching (multiple times) within one chapter. A lot of the times, we would get a glimpse of Vivia's POV for a couple pages and then it would switch to Merik or Safi or Iseult or Aeduan. And it got a bit too jumpy. Considering this book is supposed to be focused on Merik, it didn't feel like that entirely.

Another thing I didn't like was Aeduan and Iseult's last few scenes. The whole fighting against the Red Sails and the Baedyeds was confusing and I really wish we had a map of the Contested Lands. I was so confused about who was going where and where this Amonra River was. That scene where Iseult appears out of nowhere to kill the Firewitch and save Aeduan made no sense. Like if he's travelling north and he's using his magic to run really fast and Iseult is heading south towards the river, how does she end up where Aeduan is? And how does this river run exactly? Like does it loop down towards the southern point of the Contested Lands???!!! I don't know? I'm confused again. And maybe I'm the only one, but I like to be situated where I am in a story. If I don't know what my surroundings look like, it gets confusing. Same thing goes with Safi and Vaness and the Hell-Bards. The Contested Lands aren't even labeled on the map. I'm going to stop here, cause I was probably the only one who had this issue.

PREDICTIONS FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES (These are completely random and probably all wrong lol, but just what I'm thinking might happen):

– Something romantic is going to happen between Safi and Caden (I can feel it in my bones)
– Merik and Kullen are both going to die (like actually die), or some kind of magic thing will happen and one will sacrifice himself for the other
– Serrit isn't dead
– Iseult is not going to stay at the Carawen Monastery and instead is going to join Aeduan
- Leopold is going to come back
– AEDUAN AND ISEULT (YES YES YES)
– Merik, Cam, and Ryber are going to bump into Iseult and Aeduan in the Sirmayan Mountains
– Vivia and Stix (hehe)
– Corlant is going to die and Iseult is going to kill him

Okay, so that's it. I literally can't wait to get my hands on Bloodwitch! Also, for those of you who've read Windwitch, I've heard there are things that happen in Truthwitch that make more sense after reading Windwitch. Did you notice anything? Please tell me if you did! I think the only think I noticed was the Hell-Bard necklace thing.

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

*SPOILERS*

I haven’t read the entire Iliad. I did take a mythology course last year where we spent quite a bit of time reading most of it and discussing it in class. One thing that hasn’t change from reading the Iliad and now having read TSOA, is that I still hate Achilles.

I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way. The Iliad isn’t my favourite epic because Achilles just made me so angry…which, ironically, the first word of the Iliad in Greek is “Anger”, so I guess it served its purpose. His pride (hubris) made him cruel, self-centred, and unrelatable. I had hopes that The Song of Achilles would change my view on Achilles, but unfortunately it made me hate him even more.

The Iliad never really focused on Achilles childhood and his relationship with Patroclus. What I liked about TSOA was that it did explore that. I learned a lot about Achilles and Patroclus that I didn’t know before. And I slowly fell in love with both characters. But then the events of Troy came to pass and it felt like being stabbed in the stomach by Hector’s spear. We see how pure and good-hearted Achilles is for the majority of the book, and then everything is twisted in on itself as soon as he is denied his “honour”.

One thing I liked about the Iliad was that since it didn’t focus on Achilles’ childhood, there was no reason to like him or feel betrayed by his character. The Iliad never felt personal while I was reading it. I didn’t feel for the characters a whole lot, except for Hector and Patroclus. What Madeline Miller did well was use this opportunity to explore the past, and in that way, she made us feel for these characters. When Achilles betrayed the Greeks because of his pride, I, as the reader, felt betrayed. And that, in itself, is kind of a good thing.

What I can’t get over though is Patroclus’ love for Achilles. It was understandable up to the main turning point. But then Achilles decides to step down and not fight and Patroclus is left to watch his friends and companions die. He feels betrayed, and hurt, and angry. And he has a right to be! Even after constant entreaties by the other Greek kings, Achilles doesn’t budge. What I can’t understand is how Patroclus could still love someone who did what Achilles did. It doesn’t make sense.

I get that Achilles is a hero, and that he is partly divine and believes he deserves a certain kind of respect and honour. And I understand that the culture at this time focused heavily on honour and winning spoils from battle. But one can be a hero and not be so prideful. Peleus is a good example, as Patroclus notices himself that despite all his success and riches, Peleus remains humble. This quote by Briseis to Achilles really stuck out to me and I feel its relatable in this instance:

“You have never deserved him. I do not know why he ever love you. You care only for yourself.”

Maybe I’m being harsh, but I feel like Briseis has a point. And unfortunately, it’s too late for Achilles to make up for his mistakes.

I know what I’m saying is just opinion. Madeline Miller stayed true to the plot of the Iliad, but it still bothers me. I could never forgive Achilles for what he did. Because of his pride, hundreds of soldiers were killed. Because of his pride, Patroclus died. His pride didn’t make him more respected, but hated. And that’s what annoys me. To me, he isn’t a character to be looked up to, but a character who should act as a warning to everyone; of what can happen if you think only of yourself. I guess all good stories have morals we can learn from.

One slightly controversial (maybe) opinion I have is that I was hoping beyond hope that Patroclus would end up with Briseis. I knew it wasn’t going to happen, cause it doesn’t happen in the epic, but the minute Briseis was introduced, I fell in love. Her character isn’t talked about much in the Iliad, besides being the girl that was taken from Achilles. That’s another thing I loved about TSOA. Madeline Miller fleshed out some of the characters that didn’t play a huge role in the Iliad. Briseis has to be one of my favourite characters! She’s so pure and good and I think she and Patroclus could have been very happy together. This quote by her almost broke my heart:

“Best of men. Best of the Myrmidons. It is the truth. Let it stand, for once.”

Most of my complaints have nothing to do with Madeline Miller. You can tell how much time and effort she put into making TSOA as accurate as possible. Her writing is beautiful and simplistic, which made this book a relatively quick and easy read. I absolutely loved how she really expanded on the characters that weren’t mentioned a whole lot in the epic, and overall I think she’s a brilliant writer.

Now to answer the question…do I prefer the Iliad or The Song of Achilles? I think I’ll have to go with TSOA. Mostly because it made me feel something for the characters, which the Iliad lacked. I loved the backstory and learning about Achilles’ and Patroclus’ childhood. Briseis was just amazing! Odysseus and Diomedes relationship made me LOL so many times! Even though I hated Achilles more than I did in the Iliad, it was also a feeling that I think was very authentic to what Patroclus felt. And I think because of that, TSOA is a very well-written book.

I want to end off with some of my favourite quotes from the book, so here’s a few:

“What is admired in one generation is abhorred in another. We cannot say who will survive the holocaust of memory… We are men only, a brief flare of the torch.” – Odysseus

“I am sick to death of this tale about your marriage bed.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t have suggested I tell it.”
“And perhaps you should get some new stories, so I don’t fucking kill myself of boredom.” –Diomedes and Odysseus

“There is no honour in betraying your friends.”

I really liked Arrian's way of writing about Alexander, though he is somewhat biased and kind of contradicts himself. There were even a few parts where I was almost overcome with emotion, which is weird for me. I guess taking a course on Alexander had made me fall in love with his story and has given me the opportunity to get to know him in the same way I'd get to know a character in a book.