Thank you to Netgalley, Tamora Pierce and ABRAMS Kids for a complimentary digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

I first read Tamora Pierce's seminal 'Song of the Lioness' quartet back when I was a kid myself and seeing that there is now a graphic novel adaptation of it really took me back. I love that they chose to re-create this story, originally released in the 80s and the art is gorgeous and really fits how I saw all the characters from the original series. I also love the choice of adapters here with one being a nonbinary person of colour, which really works with our somewhat genderfluid heroine, Alanna - back when I first read this and seeing Alanna dressing as a boy and trying to hide how her body was changing as she grew, I didn't take this for a trans storyline but on re-reading this it really shines through as a trans experience of sorts. Never does Alanna or Alan as they're known, say that they don't want to be a woman knight, but they are also pretty horrified about certain things they experience with their body which really does mirror a trans experience.
The arc version I received was in black and white rather than colour so I think this did hamper the visual storytelling somewhat and the quality wasn't perhaps the best particularly as it went further into the graphic novel unfortunately - hopefully this quality issue will be fixed with the addition of colour for the final release in May.
Overall, I liked this graphic novel but I did feel like with them basically squeezing a whole novel in here, we definitely lost a lot of the detail and the subtleties of character relationships - the only ones I truly believed in throughout this graphic novel was with the History teacher and the Prince, the others and all the side characters generally felt too under-developed to really be able to tell them apart. It's been too long since I read the original novels to tell if this was a fault in the original book also, but I suspect this was due to the more rushed pacing of the graphic novel. Some of the chapters feel very short and off kilter as they're depicting certain events but the pacing does get better towards the end when the group are on a journey to a far off land and the events which happen there.
I thought this was a good adaption but definitely had some room for improvement - I'm interested to see how the rest of the series will be adapted however!

I grew up with Tamora Pierce as one of my favorite authors and I was thrilled to see her come out with a graphic novel on her Song of the Lioness series. I loved the characters, the plot, and enjoyed seeing the visual interpretations of the characters and world, but I do wish it had had colored- hopefully a finally one does. This is a great story for reluctant readers and middle grade students who want a strong female lead who has a goal and lets nothing stop her from reading it. It mixes fantasy with some historical context for a uniquely blended story of genre and setting.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. I will be purchasing this once it's out. My opinions are my own.

I discovered Alanna and Tamora Pierce as a teen and have been entranced ever since. So of course I jumped at the chance to see the graphic novel adaptation early and couldn't wait to read it. I loved the art style chosen by Vita Ayala and Sam Beck as it is very much geared to the target audience, but also has a nostalgia vibe that will appeal to those like me who grew up with Alanna, and the rest of the Tortall book series.

Vita did an amazing job at taking the essence of Alanna's first adventure and making it easy to read, thus inviting an entire new generation to fall in love with this red headed girl who wanted to defy societal norms and be a hero. Sam's artistry brought everyone to life and I adore the characters.

Highly recommend for those looking for a non-traditional girl story about magic, heroes, defying norms, and becoming yourself. Really looking forward to seeing the rest of the series!

As a fan of the Song of the Lioness Quartet, I had to read this graphic novel as soon as I heard about it. The story is the same fun adventure full of character growth, magic, and friendship. I thought that the art style of the book was beautiful and fit with the story. I did find that the format did allow less time for some of the characterizations of the minor characters, which made me less attached to the larger group of friends, which could be an issue if the later books are also adapted (at least for readers who have not read the original books). Other than that, I enjoyed jumping back into the world of Tortall and seeing Alanna's adventure play out again in a new way. Definitely a fun and nostalgic read for anyone who loves the Song of the Lioness Quartet.

This book was so good! It was very different to anything else i’d read in a little while and it was like a huge breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed it. I want to read more in the series asap

This was a decent graphic novel adaptation of the book, but for me, a graphic novel will never beat the full text. The final book is also due to be in full colour, while the arc was black and white, which did take a lot of the experience away from me, but it didn't impact my rating since I know the final book will be different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Fanfare for an arc in exchange for an honest review

When I saw this book was being adapted and made in to a graphic novel, I was so happy.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ahead of release! I loved revisiting Tortall and all the wonderful characters. If you loved the original books or want to visit a magical world - this book gives so much.

The fresh take and newly added elements are definitely needed, and something I am sure the author Tamora appreciates - to bring the amazing Alanna to new readers.

A girl who wants to be a knight and fight as one. Prevented from doing so, because of her gender. So she swaps places with her twin Thom and heads off to train as a knight. What could possibly go wrong? I can't wait for the final copy to release and have it on my shelves.

Highly recommend this fantasy series to anyone who loves a good strong FMC, royalty, thieves, romance and magic.

I have kind of always wanted to get into Tamora Pierce's books. I remember reading one of them in elementary school and loving it. I'm really enjoying the graphic novel adaptations.
Alanna of Trebond wants to be a knight. Girls are not allowed to be knights, so she switches places with her twin Thom, cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy in order to train. At the beginning she is bullied and is the smallest and weakest, but she works hard and even befriends the prince. Alanna also has healing powers which she uses to save the prince. She ends up traveling with him to a faraway city that is close to a cursed city and they figure some stuff out I don't want to spoil.
I felt like this book had a lot more words than the usual graphic novel and it was quite long as well. I really got a feel for this world where women and girls are not allowed to be soldiers or knights or pages and this is all Alanna wants. This was a good graphic novel to have a lot of words since a lot of things needed to be explained.
The first half of the book was kind of slow paced, but it was really setting up for the explosive ending. The ending was really exciting and quite interesting.
The only thing that took away from the experience was that the art was black and white and I think in the finished copies it will be color. Absolutely no fault of the book since it was an arc. It was a little hard to distinguish between a few of the characters without the color, but I think that will be a moot point with finished copies.
I'm really hoping that the rest of this series gets put into graphic novel form because I'm loving reading Tamora Pierce's books this way!

The set up of the ARC for this was really hard to read, but I love this story and I love the art! I’m so excited to be seeing this in person. For the ARC itself doesn’t have the text in the speech bubbles so it was like a puzzle lol.

Tamora Pierce has always hard a special place in my heart and I’m so excited to see her novels adapted in different ways!

I always wanted to see her books turned into a TV show or movie and a graphic novel is honestly so close to this that it feels like a childhood dream is coming true!

Beautiful adaptation of one of my favourite series!

Song of the lioness quartet has a special place on my shelf and always has so when I found out there was a graphic novel I absolutely needed to read it!

The artwork is perfect and I could not have asked for more! I can’t wait to see the rest of the series made this way! Now I just need The Immortals and Daughter of the Lioness and I’ll be a happy book dragon!

Thanks The Abrams Books Team and Tamora Pierce for the amazing opportunity to read this in return for a review!

Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tamora Pierce books were my childhood. I loved The Immortals Series and then quickly read the rest of her Tortall books. The last series I read was the Alanna Series. Seeing a graphic novel adaptation happen made me so happy thinking these books can make it into a new generation’s hands. The copy I read was not finished, which made telling some of the side characters apart a little harder with no color clues, but even with that, it was an enjoyable romp. I would highly recommend adding it to a middle school or high school library.

I really wanted to like this, but because the words and images were not coordinated it was very hard to read and understand . I love the original story. Formatting issues with the digital ARC made this hard to review content.

This book sets the scene very nicely for what promises to be a great epic fantasy story.
Although the pace can be a little slow at some points, I felt that this was necessary to properly establish the world and its characters. The relationships between the characters are probably what I enjoyed the most, as well as the characters themselves. Alanna is wonderful, and I was immediately rooting for her.

I really loved the realism conveyed through her physical growth and how she copes with the changes in her body. Additionally, her determination to live the life she has chosen for herself, despite going against the tide of gender stereotypes in a world (and particularly an environment) dominated by men, is both inspiring and compelling.

The magic is a delightful bonus, and I felt the battle with the Ysandir provided some good initial context for how it works in this world.

Having read this as an ARC on Kindle, I’m not confident in commenting on the art, as I was only able to see the black-and-white outlines, which felt unfinished in some sections. However, this glimpse of the story was enough to make me want to get the finished book and the subsequent chapters of this series. I can’t wait to see where Alanna and Jon’s relationship goes, and I feel there is definitely some political intrigue lurking in Duke Roger’s character, which remains largely unexplored at this stage.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this wonderful story.

Song of the Lioness: Alanna (Song of the Lioness #1) by Tamora Pierce, 251 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Abrams Fanfare (ABRAMS), 2025. $18.
Language: PG (1 swear, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: MANY
When Alanna (11yo) and her twin brother, Thom, are sent away by their father to become a court lady and a knight, respectively, neither are happy. So they switch places. Thom goes into training to become a sorcerer in the City of the Gods, and Alanna cuts her hair and calls herself Alan in order to be a page in training to become a knight.
While Alanna struggles with the long road to become who she wants to be, she perseveres, showing readers that victory is about more than magic and inherent talent. Alanna’s story captured me when I was her age, and reading this graphic novel version has brought it to life again for me—it even cleared up some confusion I didn’t realize I still had from when I read the series before. I loved how the illustrations enhanced my visualization of the action sequences and of the castles and world Pierce described.
Characters of various skin tones are depicted throughout the book. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, mild scary elements, mild innuendo, and partial nudity. The violence rating is for assault, war, death, and fantasy violence.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I was elated to see that this story is receiving the graphic novel treatment. This book was one of my first fantasy action reads back in the 90s, so it holds a special place in my heart.

The author of the adaptation may have chosen to stick too closely to the source material at some points. I think that some different choices could have been made to update the story for the format and to keep the plot a bit more focused.

This early e-galley did not contain the full color art, so I do plan on picking up a completed copy to see the final results. Pre-teens who prefer graphic novels may enjoy this version, but I think I would recommend the original to most readers instead.

YA graphic novel remake from the popular Tamora Pierce Lioness series. A young girl disguises herself as a boy to become a knight.

This was one of the first fantasy books I was introduced as a teen and it was amazing to see the story adapted into graphic novel format with the potential for a whole new generation to discover this series and see themselves reflected in the story.

I really loved seeing Alanna's feelings towards her gender/gender expression more deeply explored in this format and I really hope to see the remaining three books in the series adapted as well.

The drawing and layout were well matched the the story and added such a wonderful extra depth

I didn't get to read this story as a book so the graphic novel is the first time I'm encountering it and I thought it was fabulous. Even though it is for people much younger than I, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are some good themes and everything you'd want from fantasy, as well as plenty of heart. The tone is light despite some of the themes covered. All in all a fast and satisfying fantasy read which I am sure will be even more charming when the artwork is complete.

It's been years since I read the original books and this was a delightful way to revisit them! I do think a little bit of detail is lost in this format, but the story doesn't suffer for it. The plot moves along quickly and the art is beautiful, even in the unfinished version I was able to see. I'm very excited to see the final version!

A great introduction (or reintroduction!) to Tamora Pierce and Alanna.

Thanks to Abrams Kids and NetGalley for the early copy!

Song of the Lioness was a short, sweet romp through a whimsical fantasy world. As I read this as an ARC, the art hadn't been entirely finished and I believe the addition of colour will make this a vibrant and gorgeous piece. This graphic novel was lighthearted, but not without its serious moments and touched on some distinct topics including identity, bullying and elitism.

Ultimately, this graphic novel felt very much like the beginning of something. There wasn't much going plotwise as it seemed mostly to be worldbuilding and the establishment of characters and settings for later books. While this isn't a terrible sin, it did mean the storyline occasionally fell victim to unsettled pacing and unsubstantial moments. Despite this, Song of the Lioness was an easy, lighthearted, joyous read, perfect for fans of nostalgic fantasy. Thus, I rated it 3.5/5 stars.