A stack of books with Review in a box

A stack of books with Review in a box

Title: Alanna: The Graphic Novel Adaptation

Author: Tamora Pierce

Publisher: Abrams

Publication date: May 13, 2025

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Summary

Alanna isn’t like the other girls in her kingdom of Tortall. All she wants is to be a knight, something that isn’t allowed. So, she dresses as a boy and makes her way to the capital to enlist in page training. Alanna’s skills and work ethic quickly earn her friends, but it’s soon obvious that not everyone wishes her well. As she gets further into her training, her secret gets harder and harder to keep.

Review: Alanna

Thanks to Abrams and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Alanna: The Graphic Novel Adaptation by Tamora Pierce. The story itself is adapted by Vita Ayala. I think they do an excellent job of tweaking the story where it needed it but keeping true to the original story. We get the same amount of character and world development, and I sincerely hope that they continue with the series.

Out of all Pierce’s works, I think this series might be one of the best to adapt to graphic novel form. There’s a lot of action/fighting in this one, and that adapts really well to graphic novel format. The art wasn’t totally finished in the ARC, but I am excited to see it once it’s totally done!

I loved these books when I was a teen, so it is fun getting to revisit the stories as an adult. Though it’s been awhile since I read the original book, a lot came back to me while I was reading this graphic novel. It definitely made me want to go back and read this series, because it probably would come with some serious nostalgia.

All in all, if you like Pierce’s work, and fantasy graphic novels in general, definitely check this out when it comes out in May!

4/5 stars

By Amanda

An avid young adult reader and reviewer, I'm also a coffee connoisseur and a playlist curator. Current teen librarian-in-training.