Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1)
12/2013 ** And re-read again.6/26/13 ** Re-read for comfort food...
8/18/12 ** Not sure how many times I've read this...HATE, HATE the covers on the editions I own.
It was interesting to re-read the Alanna series immediately after finishing the Beka Cooper series, which was written more than 25 years later. Pierce's books in the 80s were strong and are stronger now. I'm impressed at the way in which she revisited Corus, the Court of the Rogue, and the Black Cat. She's stayed true to the essentials, but deepened and broadened the world building with her later works.
While I see errors in the world-building in her early work (commoners can't carry swords, but Coram does), she still took on the current political issues and provided a strong female and feminine character for girls of all ages and eras to connect with.