In The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Tamora Pierce demonstrates not only her ability to spin a lively, readable fantasy full of adventure and suspense, she also uses her detailed knowledge of medieval customs and history to create a believable setting. Readers will enjoy her descriptions of battle, armor, weapons and fighting techniques that were used in the middle ages. Her writing is clean and reads quickly. Her characters are engaging and believable.

The writer has also done a good job of creating not just a credible fantasy world, with its own history, customs and religion, but has also created two distinct cultures within that world. In the Bahzir and the Tortallans, Pierce is able to show two very different ways of life.

Alanna is a likeable heroine who struggles with many of the issues young people still face today as they reach adulthood. The...