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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
EAN num: 9780375814716
ISBN number: 037581471X
Label: Laurel Leaf
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 448
Printing Date: August 26, 2003
Publishing house: Laurel Leaf
Age index: Young Adult
Release Date: August 26, 2003
Sale Popularity Level: 41980
Studio: Laurel Leaf
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Product Description:
Protector of the Small #4
Keladry of Mindelan has finally achieved her life-long dream of being a knight. But it’s not turning out as she imagined at all. With the land of Tortall at war with the Scanrans, she has been assigned to oversee a refugee camp. But 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 that she feels could turn the tide of the war. . .
Amazon.com:
In the final thrilling installment of Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small series ( First Test, Page, and Squire), our sturdy young heroine, Keladry of Mindelan (a.k.a. Kel), has finally been knighted. Never one to rest on her laurels, Kel champs at the bit, ready to tackle the horrific magic killing devices she was shown in the Chamber of the Ordeal during her knighthood initiation. The huge, insectlike machines, 'made of iron-coated giants' bones, chains, pulleys, dagger-fingers and -toes, and a long whiplike tail,' feed on the souls of dead children and are systematically killing off the citizens and warriors of Tortall.
Thoroughly disgusted to discover that not only is she not going to be assigned a combat post, but she has been placed in charge of a refugee camp instead, Kel, in her usual noble, stoic way, swallows her disappointment and sets out being the best refugee camp commander possible. Of course, destiny has a way of sneaking up on a young woman like Kel, and soon she is fulfilling the ordeal the Chamber set out for her... and then some.
Tamora Pierce once again draws her legions of fans into her story, blending humor, pathos, exhilarating battles, and gripping drama with a very real, very appealing protagonist. It's easy to make war appear grey and white, a matter of good versus evil. Pierce finds the shades of gray. (Ages 12 and older) --Emilie Coulter
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Rated by buyers 
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The series started out great, but from the beginning what bothered me was, ho-hum, no romance, sure Kel developed a crush on Neal, not that it ever turned into anything. But the story witheld my interest long enough for "Squire" the third book in the sereis. Well, I loved it! There was just as much, if not more action, than the very first two books, all while Kel's romance with Cleon was blossoming into something wonderful and true. Then, comes Lady Knight. I personally was very excited to read it. Well, when Cleon walked in during supper one night, I just smiled because I was glad that our heroine would now have him back after over a year without him. WRONG. Cleon moreorless 'broke-up' with Kel, and she was GLAD about it, because or else she feared that she would have to tell him herself. After the romance died, so did the rest of the story. Sure the action scenes were great, but without the assurance that if Kel did get hurt during battle she would have Cleon (not just her other friends) to worry about her, I was overall disappointed. Our poor Keladry, a lady knight with no love....
Rated by buyers 
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Tamora Pierce's very first two books were obviously written by someone who didn't quite know their style yet. The "Lioness" quartet isn't written spectacularly, but the story is interesting and catchy, and the characters and action are enough to keep readers going. While perhaps the second two books of this very first quartet weren't as good (slightly slower, unfortunately), they were still enjoyable. The same applies to the better "Immortals" quartet. In the "Immortals" quartet, the writing is better, but the stories are new, original, and interesting. Fun, still.
Then we hit Kel and the "Protector of the Small" quartet of Tortall. All seemed nice and dandy, right? Well, not exactly. "First Test" was reasonable enough, but Kel is an incredibly flat character. What made the Lioness quartet so fun was that Alanna was a kick-[...] character. She felt wholly real, with her temper, her personality, and her MISTAKES. Kel is just bland, flat, and picture-perfect. Pierce created the character she wanted, not the sort of character that would actually exist.
But it was still fun. Enjoyable, that is. "Page" was cool, "Squire" was awesome and incredible, but then we hit the finale. This book, "Lady Knight". Pierce generally falls with her finales. As a general thing, her stories are mostly predictable and run-of-the-mill, and she seems to run out of ideas once she hits the end. Here's an example of that.
I loved "Squire", and then I read this. It was a disappointment, certainly, but not only that. It was boring. It was dull. It's the sort of book that's only worth rereading for the sake of NOT DOING something else. It's not the sort of thing you go back to because you loved the story and the characters. Kel was just as flat, just as predictable, and just plain dull throughout this book. What made "Squire" and "Page" so interesting was everything AROUND Kel - meaning, her friends, her surroundings, her enemies. They were who made the story what it was. Here? It's just slow action that moves at a pace similar to a grandmother turtle.
Obviously, anyone who has read "Squire" and the other books in the "Protector of the Small" series will want to read this to finish it off. Really, I figure this won't actually scare away most of Tamora Pierce's girl-based fanclub, but I figure people should know what they're getting into.
TO SUM THIS UP: "Lady Knight" was where it became clear that while Pierce can now write well, perhaps her imagination is failing her. With nothing interesting here, it seems that she has forsaken quality story-telling for quality writing. This doesn't have a particularly interesting story-line, it moves slowly, and the cool characters from days ago are simply side-men now. This doesn't live up to previous books. In the meantime, I'll go back and reread "In the Hand of the Goddess".
Rated by buyers 
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My only disappointment with this book is that I have no more Tortall series to read.
I read Allana's & The Immortals series about 5 years ago, and for reason I had decided not to read the Protector of the Small. BIG MISTAKE!!! I've recently bought all the books and litteraly ate them up in a couple days.
I've enjoyed this quartet just as much, if not more, as I enjoyed reading The Long of the Lioness & the Immortals.
P.S. I`m a 30 years old male, these books aren't just for young readers ;P
Rated by buyers -
This book is fantastic, for more information, read other reviews. For all you wondering whether this is the last you read of Kel, it sounds like its not. I was at a event in Corvallis, OR, yesterday and Tamora Pierce said that she was considering a book about Kel when she is done with the six or more books currently scheduled. This information will likely change, but it gives us some hope, since there were many people who wanted to hear her response to that question, given the cheers when she announced the idea.
Rated by buyers -
Keladry of Mindelan, having achieved her goal of becoming a knight is disappointed at how things are turning out. The war between Tortall and Scanran is growing and before Kel knows it Lord Wyldon is assigning her to a refugee camp where she will lead it and take charge. Kel doesn't want to at all. She wants to be in the battle where she is truly needed but Wyldon disagrees and in the end Keladry goes to the refugee camp.
But Kel does not want to be there. In her Ordeal, it told her to go after a man named Blayce who is killing children in order to make killing machines that are tearing Tortall apart. What to do?
Read 'Lady Knight'! It's a great ending to a great series.
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