Squire (Protector of the Small #3)
Funnily enough, Squire follows our heroine, Keladry of Mindelan, through her years as a squire. I know, right? Who'd have guessed.
I'm not sure why I'm being so snarky about this, the book was lovely. At this point in the series, I'm not sure if there's any more apt of a word to describe Kel than to say she's 'steadfast.' She not only survives her (3-4?) years as a squire -- and she squires for no less of a knight than Raoul of Goldenlake, the commander of the King's Own, protectors of the realm -- she thrives. Not to say that she isn't presented with challenges, because she is. She has to prove to almost every person she encounters that she deserves to be where she's at. They come at her with derision and violence, and she defeats them by doing nothing more than being herself: a skilled fighter and commander in training with a knack for winning the loyalty of others (be it human, animal, or immortal).
Squire also serves as a sort of pivot point for the series. Kel's old adversaries either admit defeat (Lord Wyldon finally acknowledges Kel's worth as a potential knight and resigns) or are defeated, but not always by what you would expect (Joren and Vinson, the bullies from books one and two come back in a grand fashion, only to be defeated by their own unbendable natures -- they both die while attempting the final Ordeal that would make them knights, the Chamber of the Ordeal apparently having found them unworthy). But as soon as old adversaries are removed from Kel's path, new ones begin to show their faces. Scanran raids grow ever more frequent during Kel's years as a squire until finally they are on the brink of all out war. The appearance of a mysterious, strong, and new mechanical foe on the side of the Scanrans heralds things to come in book four. Kel, newly knighted, will no doubt have a place in those events.
Oh, and also, there be some romance in the mix for the adolescent Kel. I can't say that I'm all attached to the idea of Cleon and Kel as a romantic pair, but I do like that Pierce is so dedicated to providing Kel with an authentic teenage experience, even as the rest of her life is so different, not only from our experiences in the real world, but from the experiences of girls in her own fictional world.