First Test

About First Test

First Test is the opening volume of Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small quartet and the first fantasy novel in the Tortall world to feature a protagonist who pursues knighthood not because she is Chosen or prophesied but simply because the law has changed to allow it and she has the ability and the will. Keladry of Mindelan—Kel—arrives at the palace as the first girl to openly train as a page since Alanna, and she does so knowing she will be treated differently, held to higher standards, and given obstacles that the boys around her do not face. Pierce's achievement with Kel is to create a hero whose defining quality is persistence rather than exceptional talent. Kel is good, and gets better, but she is not magical or uniquely gifted—she is competent, fair-minded, and refuses to be broken. The coming-of-age arc is grounded in something close to realism within a fantasy context: the specific difficulties of being the first of anything, the loneliness, the small daily victories, the importance of finding allies without compromising your own standards. The reluctant hero element is unusual here—Kel is not reluctant to fight for herself, but she is consistently reluctant to make others fight her battles for her, and the line between self-sufficiency and pride is something she navigates throughout. War is present in the background: the Tortallan military is a going concern, and everything Kel trains for has concrete application in a world that needs its knights. First Test is an ideal entry point for readers new to Tamora Pierce, and it is one of the most quietly revolutionary books in young adult fantasy: a story about what it takes to keep going when the system was not built for you. It belongs on any list of the genre's essential works.

Tropes & Themes