The Blue Sword

Title : The blue sword

Author : Robin McKinley

Citation : McKinley, Robin. The blue sword. New York : Greenwillow Books, c1982.

An orphan girl, Harry Crewe, leaves her Homeland to live in a desert country called Damar, after the dead of her father. Damar is a bleak landscape where Homelanders and the secretive magical Hillfolk share the area that once part of the great kingdom. She then gets kidnapped by Corlath, the Hillfolk King, who takes her deep into the desert. Without knowing the Hillfolk language, she is wondering why she has been chosen by Corlath who does know that she is to be trained in the arts of war. Will she be ready to accept her true destiny's that of the heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan?  There had no woman who can handle and use weapons as skillful as the Lady Aerin that gone into battle with the North in the Hill-King's army. The Blue Sword is the first installment of the Damar series. A world-building storyline, fast-paced and strong sense of place mix together with a descriptive and engaging style have made this book of New York Times bestseller.  

Other book in the Damar Series : The hero and the crown (1984)

Trickster's Choice

Title : Trickster's choice

Author : Tamora Pierce

Citation : Pierce, Tamora. Trickster's choice. New York : Random House, 2003. 

As a daughter of the famed Alanna, the Lioness of Tortall, Alianne Cooper or Aly is expected to be a knight. But her parents do not support her dangerous wish to be a spy like her father. Aly begins a furious argument and then runs away. On her escape, things go horribly wrong. Aly is captured by pirates and sold as a slave to the noble Balitang family of the Copper Isles, where she is straightaway entangled in royal family intrigues. Aly has to create a secret spy network and fighting force to defend her charges from royal assassins. She then discovers that she is about to enter a life and death wager with the Trickster God, Kyprioth. This book is the first installment of the Daughter of the Lioness series. The world-building and action packed storyline seems to go hand in hand with angst-filled and upbeat tone. The author is smart to deliver not only the continuation of the Alanna series but also creates a sassy heroine that is struggling to escape her parent's expectation. This aspect will resonate mostly with teens. The readers will never forget Aly's interesting interest such as transforming from a crow. With some elements of political intrigue, interfering gods and humorous undertones, the readers who have engrossed in the tales of Alanna the Lioness will be equally fascinated by this rich and complex tale of Alanna's teenage daughter.

Other book in the Daughter of the lioness or also known as Trickster Series : Trickster's queen (2004).