I’m now onto the third book in the Song of the Lioness series which is The Woman Who Rides Like a Man. Alanna, the only female knight there ever was in Trebond has set out on a journey with Coram, her servant, in a bid to find exciting adventures and villains to fight with.

After battling with some desert raiders, Alanna and Coram meet Halef Seif, the headman of the Bloody Hawk tribe who are of the Bazhir clan. They all then return to the Bloody Hawk village where they were eventually adopted by the tribe.

But not everyone was welcoming or accepting Alanna as she walks around wearing men’s clothes and her face unveiled unlike good Bazhir women. The one who is openly hostile towards her is the shaman, Akhnan Ibn Nazzir who believes that she was sent by the devil to corrupt them all. In a later event, both of them fight where Alanna triumphs over the unfortunate Akhnan. As a result, Alanna is expected to become the next shaman for the Bloody Hawk tribe.

Besides having to worry about her duties as the new shaman, Alanna is also bothered with the evil magic in a crystal sword that she’s using and also having to train her three young apprentices to be the next shamans of the tribe. Kara and Kourrem are obedient students while Ishak, the hot-headed one who also shows extreme interest in Alanna’s crystal sword.

Let’s also not forget that Alanna is somewhat caught in a love triangle with Jonathan of Conte and George, the King of Thieves. Jon plans to make Alanna his wife while George has promised to wait for her no matter what. Jon will always be Number One in Alanna’s heart but she’s not ready to walk down the aisle.

This book was alright where we meet new characters from different cultures and customs. You can expect a lot of events happening but don’t worry, you won’t get lost in the plot. Pierce has cleverly written out the story so readers don’t confuse themselves.

So who are you voting for to end up with Alanna? Jon or George? I know that some of you know how the story ends but don’t let it out, okay? If you ask me, I’m all for George. Jon just didn’t impress me much I guess.

Can’t wait to get started on the final book, Lioness Rampant!

Rosie Dunne and Alex Stewart have always been best friends. They first met when they were five years old and have always been together through thick and thin. They did things like all best friends did together. They roughed it out through school, making their teachers and parents go crazy over their silly antics.

One fine day, Alex and his family had to move to Boston as his father was being transferred in his job. Alex and Rosie are from Dublin. Naturally, they’re upset because they can’t spend time together that much any longer. So they kept in touch through letters and e-mails.

Alex was supposed to return to Dublin to accompany Rosie to her debs or prom night. However, he missed his flight and Rosie had to go with someone else, a guy named Brian. She got drunk and the unexpected happened. Rosie then ended up being a pregnant 18-year-old. She couldn’t go to college in Boston anymore and also couldn’t be with Alex.

It’s evident that Alex and Rosie have strong feelings for each other but numerous things always got in the way. Just when Rosie might have confessed her feelings to Alex, he and his girlfriend, Sally, announced that they’re to get married! Rosie, wanting to move on, met another guy, Greg and got married too. Both friends were at each other’s weddings but felt weird seeing each other walking away from the altar with someone else.

Both friends also showed obvious dislike for the other’s spouses or partners. Rosie strongly expressed her dislike for whoever Alex was dating or was married to. Alex would also find fault with Rosie’s husband, Greg. And they’ll go on and on criticizing but they never got around to confessing their true feelings because they had to think of others, especially their children. They still do ponder over the ‘silence’ which they experienced after Rosie kissed Alex.

Anyway, Rosie’s daughter, Katie seemed to be experiencing the same thing like her mom. She also has a guy best friend, Toby, and never gave a second thought of having feelings for him. Katie and Toby are like the younger versions of Rosie and Alex!

Where Rainbows End is written in the form of letters, e-mails, and instant messages so it’s a very engaging read. Reading it was very quick even though it’s a rather thick book. Some boring parts could have been taken out so as to make the book thinner. Rosie’s e-mails tend to be terribly long as she can drone on and on about her job, her kid, Alex, Alex’s wife/girlfriend and her husband, Greg.

I definitely enjoyed reading this, just like Ahern’s other novel, PS, I Love You. Some things didn’t make sense in this novel but they can be excused. Can’t wait to read more of her books! Ahern sure knows how to write funny, heart-and-soul, touching and moving kind of stories.

Other Reviews: Annie, Alice, Rima, Kittycat

The Johnson family consists of George and Olivia Johnson, Harriet’s parents, and Alec, Toby, and Edward are her brothers. Her parents own a shop that sells off vegetables, fruits and other stuff which their uncle, William Johnson sent them. Usually, what he sent them could not be sold off easily as they were bad, rotting or just things that people don’t want. He grew them in his own garden and always eats the good ones so the Johnson family is stuck with selling bad stock.

Now, since Harriet is feeling weak and looking fragile, her doctor, Dr. Phillipson suggested that she take up skating to improve her health and strengthen her legs. Alec will then get a job delivering newspapers so that there’ll be money to rent her skates and boots. Her brothers are really thoughtful.

At the skating rink, Harriet befriends another young girl, Lalla Moore who’s training to be the greatest skater in the world. Lalla’s parents died in a skating accident when she was very young. Her eccentric Aunt Claudia wished for her to be a star skater and made her practise as often as possible. The aunt is also always reminding everyone that Lalla is a special child and that she needs to concentrate fully on her skating and nothing else. Therefore, poor Lalla’s life is quite sad for a young child who shouldn’t have such a heavy burden on her shoulders.

The story is more focused on Lalla’s skating and not much on Harriet’s. When she first entered the skating rink, she could barely skate. But, we will know that she’s improving fast not only in her skating but in her health too. She’s become so good that Lalla’s personal skating trainer, Max, told her to take up some skating tests, which Lalla had taken earlier.

Lalla is quite a selfish little girl with too many grand ideas in her head. When she sees a photograph of Harriet in a newspaper and the article claiming her to have a great future in skating before her, she got upset and threatened poor Harriet. Of course, Lalla thinks that she should be the only good skater and Harriet will always be not as good as her.

White Boots is a nice story for children and adults alike. I thought the cover somewhat dull. Only a pair of legs in white boots doing a ‘left forward outside edge, most likely a crossover’, according to Noel Streatfeild’s nephew, William Streatfeild, who wrote a postscript at the end of the book. If it’s a book meant to attract children, they should make a cover that is more eye-catching.

Buy White Boots (Large Print)