In The Hand of The Goddess

 In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce 240 pages

Summary: Disguised as a boy, Alanna of Trebond becomes a squire -- to none other than the prince of the realm. But Prince Jonathan is much more to Alanna; he is her ally, her best friend, and one of the few who knows that she's really a girl. Now it will take all of Alanna's awesome skill, strength, and growing magical powers to protect him from the mysterious evil sorcerer who is bent on his destruction--and hers!

Here continues the story of Alanna, a young woman bound for glory who is willing to fight against enormous odds for what she believes in.

My Thoughts: The second book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet focuses on Alanna as a squire. Again I adore this author and I feel like I'm going to repeat myself a LOT. I love how  much Alanna despises her magic in this series and doesn't want to deal with it. She pushes away an important part of her life because she wants to prove herself to the world that even as a female she CAN and will become a knight no matter what. This book introduces her awesome animal companion and a dark sorcerer who will stop at nothing to get what they want. While there is romance in this book, the main theme is discovering yourself and realizing the importance of friendship and hard work.