When I first came across Tamora Pierce’s The Song of the Lioness Quartet, I had no idea what it would mean for me. Yeah, I got that it was about a girl wanting to become a knight, and I thought that was cool; but I had no idea what adult themes Pierce had in store for her readers along the way.

Lioness holds nothing back. It’s not a gore-fest or a roadside brothel, that’s not what I mean; it really provides a gritty, realistic fantasy adventure story with a very strong, heroic female lead that doesn’t withhold the details of her growing from child to woman, nor woman to knight.

It was the first adventure story I’ve read that wasn’t a clear-cut happily ever after story that circled around a beautiful maiden’s wedding; rather, it dealt with gray areas that you’re more likely to witness in life, and nontraditional female roles. In a word, it’s fabulous.

The Song of the Lioness is about Alanna of Trebond, a spirited young girl who pretends to be her twin brother, Thom, so she can train with the knights at the royal palace. She changes her name to Alan and makes friends with several of her peers, as well as George, an older man who is known as the King of Thieves. With a temper, a good dose of hardheadedness, and a ferocity to deny her own gender and the magic within her, Alanna sets the stage within her very own self for a dynamic battle.

Plenty of other battles ensue, of course, along the way, during which she masters a sword, defeats evil characters and generally proves herself worthy of knighthood. Alanna eventually falls for her own best friend, Prince Jonathan of Conte. Though he discovers that she’s a girl, he still wants her to be his own squire as she continues to train for knighthood. However, both Jonathan and George fall in love with Alanna, which, of course, leads to complications.

From being knighted, slaying the king’s own would-be killer, going off on her own adventures, to falling in love, Alanna is the epitome of the lioness, ferocious and courageous yet lovely and protective at the same time. A strong heroine worthy of admiration by girls—and even women—everywhere. In her independence and strength she aptly demonstrates all that a woman can be, and that any limitations put on someone because of their gender can be broken.