The way Pierce writes about women has been perfected in Protector of the Small. Sure, in Song of the Lioness, Alanna dated multiple people, had a charm to protect against pregnancy, married and had children when she wanted to, and showed the world that being a woman didn’t stop her from being a champion and a hero. But there’s only so much open feminism you can write when you spend half the series hiding your gender from almost everyone you know. I wouldn’t say Daine in the Immortals series was a step backwards, she just didn’t present as many opportunities for these conversations or situations. She spent most of her time with animals, or one-on-one with Numair, or fighting immortals or in another realm with the gods. Pierce touched on Daine’s indecision about dating, marriage, and having children but it was only ever in the background, never quite front and centre. And I’ve already written more than enough on my thoughts about her eventual relationship with Numair so we don’t need to go down that path again… However, Kel is completely different. She has open conversations with her mother and other women about sex and marriage. She dates a friend and her inner turmoil about how she feels about him, how far she wants to take things with him, and whether or not she thinks they should get married isn’t pushed aside or into the background, it’s a consistent theme and thought discussed throughout the relationship. There’s never pressure from others as to whether or not she should be dating. Raoul, a big brother figure, makes sure she’s aware of the realities of the world so she isn’t blindsided but he doesn’t make her decisions for her, he just makes sure she has all the information before she decides for herself. Even better, she’s never too girly for wanting to date someone or too manly as a knight to be desired as a woman. On top of this, equal rights between all people are brought up over and over again, showing the strives Kel makes to fight for what’s right, regardless of how much trouble or unpopularity it brings her way. You can actually see the change she brings about in the people around her throughout the series by never letting up on the right and wrong of everyday practices that have been normalised. There are just so many factions of Pierce’s writing in this series that come together to make Kel an amazing role model for young women and inspiring female protagonist in this YA fantasy.

The only thing I disliked about Lady Knight was the cliffhanger feel to the ending. Not because any part of the plot here was left open, but because I wanted more. Some light hints at spoilers as I question what happens next, just don’t want to give anything away unintentionally: