Knight, by Tamora Pierce

When Keladry entered the Chamber of the Ordeal, she had a very different experience than most. Not only did the Chamber make her relive her worst fears and memories, it also set her a task. An evil mage is working for Scanra, creating the evil killing machines that decimate the Tortallan armies. The mage is using death magic, and the Chamber informs Kel that this cannot be. The Chamber tells Kel that her path will cross with the mage’s at some point, and then she must kill him. Kel finds this singularly unhelpful, for the Chamber cannot name when or where. But Kel cannot just ride off to Scanra alone. Against her will she is put in charge of a refugee camp on the Scanran border, where the children and others she is guarding are perfect fodder for the killing machines. Kel cannot stand to just sit there, but she is duty bound to protect these people. But it is not just duty, for she would protect them all with her life, and Gods help those who get in her way.

Angst can either be a really boring emotion, or really great plot device. Kel needs desperately to kill Blayce, but she is stuck in a position where she cannot. With all her heart she wants to protect the refugees, but that is made nearly impossible by the lack of resources. She is torn so badly by two confliction duties: her duty to the Crown, and the charge the Chamber laid on her. Fortunately, Kel’s angst makes for a great book. In no way is it boring, and I think it is my favorite of the series. Out of all the books in the Protector of the Small, I could just read this book without having to read the others. The quality of writing is such that it could be a marvelous stand alone book: it is my everlasting happiness that it is not a stand alone because I enjoy the others so much. But my slightly muddled point is that Knight is a fantastic book. It’s also slightly longer than the others, but that just makes for more good reading.

We get introduced to a new character, and it was a good move on Pierce’s part. Tobe is a wonderful character who plays a good part in the book. He is not the sort of ‘last minute introduction character that has no point and is very one dimensional.’ He is a great character in his own right, with a wonderful sense of humor and true devotion to Kel. Kel is becoming a busy girl, and she now needs someone to look after her. Tobe plays a needed part without stealing the show from the other characters. Knight is just so well balanced and well written that I am running out of things to say. They wouldn’t be enough and I’d just sound silly. So if you haven’t started reading this series yet, you really should rethink how you’re spending your time. Because you are seriously missing out on some first class books.