In the Hand of the Goddess - Tamora Pierce

Alanna is still disguised as a boy and now a squire to Prince Jonathan. They are best friends and Jonathan is one of the few people that know Alanna's secret.

But when Jonathan is threatened by a very powerful and mysterious sorcerer, Alanna realizes it'll take all she knows to protect Jonathan. 

I read Alanna: The First Adventure in 2009 and it became one of my favorite books. The story was great and Alanna was a strong, determined female character. She was very clear about what she wanted in life and determined to have it. I, of course, expected her to grow up throughout the books and change somewhat and even before open to things she wasn't before.

I liked this book, but not as much as the first. I just felt that Alanna wasn't the same Alanna that I came to know and love from the first book. She was still there, but not fully, if that makes sense.

I didn't expect her to never fall in love, but just the way it happened and some of her actions I felt it happened too fast and it just didn't feel like the way Alanna would have handled things, or her emotions.

That being said, I still liked the book and it was very easy to get into like the first book. While I am disappointed with Alanna's change in this book, I still like her and I'll read the rest of this series.