History YMMV / SongOfTheLioness

* ValuesDissonance: George starts showing explicit romantic interest in Alanna at latest when she's about ''fifteen'' and he's about ''twenty-one'' (when they met, it's a little ambiguous, but by the time Alanna is 15 it's blatant) and Alanna first came to his attention when she was ten [[BecauseDestinySaysSo because his Sight told him she was pivotal to his future]]. As a spymaster, he secretly monitors her actions, which Alanna explicitly describes as [[StalkingIsLove "stalking"]] and he deliberately maneuvers her into a position where he can steal her first kiss without her resisting. He also drugs her without her consent. Despite all this, he is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today view some of these elements as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and very disturbing at worst. While part of this is DeliberateValuesDissonance, with a lot of mentions of InUniverse teenage marriages, Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values make their relationship a lot creepier now and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* ValuesDissonance: George starts showing romantic interest in Alanna at latest when she's about ''fifteen'' and he's about ''twenty-one'' (before, it's a little ambiguous, but it's definite by that point). Part of this is DeliberateValuesDissonance, with a lot of mentions of InUniverse teenage marriages, and Alanna first came to his attention when she was ten [[BecauseDestinySaysSo because his Sight told him she was pivotal to his future]]. As a spymaster, he also secretly monitors her actions just like everyone else's, and he deliberately maneuvers her into a position where he can steal her first kiss without her resisting. Despite all this, he is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today may view some of these elements as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now, and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* ValuesDissonance: George starts showing romantic interest in Alanna at latest when she's about ''fifteen'' and he's about ''twenty-one'' (before, it's a little ambiguous, but it's definite by that point). While part of this is DeliberateValuesDissonance, with a lot of mentions of InUniverse teenage marriages, and she came to his attention when she was ten [[BecauseDestinySaysSo because his Sight told him she was pivotal to his future]] he also secretly monitors her actions for her 'protection' and kisses her without her consent, and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now, and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* ValuesDissonance: George starts showing romantic interest in Alanna at latest when she's about ''fifteen'' and he's about ''twenty-three'' (before, it's a little ambiguous, but it's definite by that point). While part of this is DeliberateValuesDissonance, with a lot of mentions of InUniverse teenage marriages, he also [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now, and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* ValuesDissonance: George shows romantic interest in Alanna when she's about ''thirteen'' and he's ''eighteen'' (or more), and [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now, and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* ValuesDissonance: George shows romantic interest in Alanna when she's ''eleven'' and he's ''eighteen'', and [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now, and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheChessmaster Duke Roger of Conté]], [[TheProtagonist Alanna]]'s ArchEnemy and the BigBad, was originally heir of his cousin King Roald before the birth of Prince Jon bumped him down the line of succession, and he stops at nothing to get his place back. He creates a MysticalPlague that kills many in the city of Corus before it reaches its intended target, the royal family, who were deliberately targeted last so that the palace Healers were too weak to save Jon's life. When this fails, Roger's second attempt on his cousin's life involves goading Jon into getting himself killed by exploring a cursed city. Alanna foils this too, so Roger sends multiple {{Animal Assassin}}s after her, tries to drown her, [[MoreThanMindControl turns her friend Alex against her]] so that he tries to kill her while sparring, and helps create a war with Tusaine so he can pull a UriahGambit on both of them. After the war is ended without his intended results, Roger casts a wasting sickness on his lawful aunt, the Queen Lianne, using a wax doll of the Queen, being periodically run under a stream of running water that slowly drains her life force; this wrecks her already-poor health enough that she dies little over a year after the spell has been ended. When Alanna uncovers this plot and finally exposes him, [[spoiler:she kills him]], but that doesn't end it. When Roger returns he has become a full-blown OmnicidalManiac, who gives up regaining the throne in favor of destroying Tortall with an earthquake out of spite. Not even his own followers, except [[TheDragon Alex]], are told, most thinking that they're participating in a standard usurper plot and not realizing that he cares nothing for them either.

* FanPreferredCouple: Averted with Alanna's childhood friend George Cooper, who Pierce decided was better for Alanna after she [[ShipSinking sunk the ship]] of Alanna/Jonathan in ''The Woman Who Rides Like A Man''.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Duke Roger of Conté]], [[TheProtagonist Alanna]]'s ArchEnemy, was originally heir of his cousin King Roald before the birth of Prince Jon bumped him down the line of succession, and he stops at nothing to get his place back. He creates a MysticalPlague that kills many in the city of Corus before it reaches its intended target, the royal family, who were deliberately targeted last so that the palace Healers were too weak to save Jon's life. When this fails, Roger's second attempt on his cousin's life involves goading Jon into getting himself killed by exploring a cursed city. Alanna foils this too, so Roger sends multiple {{Animal Assassin}}s after her, tries to drown her, [[MoreThanMindControl turns her friend Alex against her]] so that he tries to kill her while sparring, and helps create a war with Tusaine so he can pull a UriahGambit on both of them. After the war is ended without his intended results, Roger casts a wasting sickness on his lawful aunt, the Queen Lianne, using a wax doll of the Queen, being periodically run under a stream of running water that slowly drains her life force; this wrecks her already-poor health enough that she dies little over a year after the spell has been ended. When Alanna uncovers this plot and finally exposes him, [[spoiler:she kills him]], but that doesn't end it. When Roger returns he has become a full-blown OmnicidalManiac, who gives up regaining the throne in favor of destroying Tortall with an earthquake out of spite. Not even his own followers, except [[TheDragon Alex]], are told, most thinking that they're participating in a standard usurper plot and not realizing that he cares nothing for them either.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Duke Roger of Conté]], Alanna's ArchEnemy, was originally heir of his cousin King Roald before the birth of Prince Jon bumped him down the line of succession, and he stops at nothing to get his place back. He creates a MysticalPlague that kills many in the city of Corus before it reaches its intended target, the royal family, who were deliberately targeted last so that the palace Healers were too weak to save Jon's life. When this fails, Roger's second attempt on his cousin's life involves goading Jon into getting himself killed by exploring a cursed city. Alanna foils this too, so Roger sends multiple {{Animal Assassin}}s after her, tries to drown her, [[MoreThanMindControl turns her friend Alex against her]] so that he tries to kill her while sparring, and helps create a war with Tusaine so he can pull a UriahGambit on both of them. After the war is ended without his intended results, Roger casts a wasting sickness on his lawful aunt, the Queen Lianne, using a wax doll of the Queen, being periodically run under a stream of running water that slowly drains her life force; this wrecks her already-poor health enough that she dies little over a year after the spell has been ended. When Alanna uncovers this plot and finally exposes him, [[spoiler:she kills him]], but that doesn't end it. When Roger returns he has become a full-blown OmnicidalManiac, who gives up regaining the throne in favor of destroying Tortall with an earthquake out of spite. Not even his own followers, except [[TheDragon Alex]], are told, most thinking that they're participating in a standard usurper plot and not realizing that he cares nothing for them either.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Duke Roger of Conté]], Alanna's ArchEnemy, was originally heir of his cousin King Roald before the birth of Prince Jon bumped him down the line of succession, and he stops at nothing to get his place back. He creates a MysticalPlague that kills many in the city of Corus before it reaches its intended target, the royal family, who were deliberately targeted last so that the palace Healers were too weak to save Jon's life. When this fails, Roger's second attempt on his cousin's life involves goading Jon into getting himself killed by exploring a cursed city. Alanna foils this too, so Roger sends multiple {{Animal Assassin}}s after her, tries to drown her, [[MoreThanMindControl turns her friend Alex against her]] so that he tries to kill her while sparring, and helps create a war with Tusaine so he can pull a UriahGambit on both of them. After the war is ended without his intended results, Roger casts a wasting sickness on his lawful aunt, the Queen Lianne, using [[NightmareFuel a wax doll of the Queen, being periodically run under a stream of running water that slowly drains her life force]]; this wrecks her already-poor health enough that she dies little over a year after the spell has been ended. When Alanna uncovers this plot and finally exposes him, [[spoiler:she [[TrialByCombat kills him]]]], but that doesn't end it. When Roger returns he has become a full-blown OmnicidalManiac, who gives up regaining the throne in favor of destroying Tortall with an earthquake out of spite. Not even his own followers (except [[TheDragon Alex]]) are told, most thinking that they're participating in a standard usurper plot and not realizing that he cares nothing for them either.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Duke Roger of Conté]], Alanna's ArchEnemy, was originally heir of his cousin King Roald before the birth of Prince Jon bumped him down the line of succession, and he stops at nothing to get his place back. He creates a MysticalPlague that kills many in the city of Corus before it reaches its intended target, the royal family, who were deliberately targeted last so that the palace Healers were too weak to save Jon's life. When this fails, Roger's second attempt on his cousin's life involves goading Jon into getting himself killed by exploring a cursed city. Alanna foils this too, so Roger sends multiple {{Animal Assassin}}s after her, tries to drown her, [[MoreThanMindControl turns her friend Alex against her]] so that he tries to kill her while sparring, and helps create a war with Tusaine so he can pull a UriahGambit on both of them. After the war is ended without his intended results, Roger casts a wasting sickness on his lawful aunt, the Queen Lianne, using [[NightmareFuel a wax doll of the Queen, being periodically run under a stream of running water that slowly drains her life force]]; this wrecks her already-poor health enough that she dies little over a year after the spell has been ended. When Alanna uncovers this plot and finally exposes him, [[spoiler:she [[TrialByCombat kills him]]]], but that doesn't end it. When Roger returns he has become a full-blown OmnicidalManiac, who gives up regaining the throne in favor of destroying Tortall with an earthquake out of spite. Not even his own followes (except [[TheDragon Alex]]) are told, most thinking that they're participating in a standard usurper plot and not realizing that he cares nothing for them either.

* ValuesDissonance: George shows romantic interest in Alanna when she's ''eleven'' and he's ''eighteen'', and [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now, and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* ValuesDissonance: George shows romantic interest in Alanna when she's ''eleven'' and he's "eighteen'', and [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now, and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* ValuesDissonance: George shows romantic interest in Alanna when she's ''eleven'' and he's implied to be somewhere in his mid ''twenties'', and [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now, and this is even the part of everything she's written that she most wishes she could go back and change.

* ValuesDissonance: George shows romantic interest in Alanna when she's ''eleven'' and he's implied to be somewhere in his mid ''twenties'', and [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now.

* ValuesDissonance: George shows romantic interest in Allanah when she's ''eleven'' and he's implied to be somewhere in his mid ''twenties'', and [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[{{Squick}} squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now.

* ValuesDissonance: George shows romantic interest in Allanah when she's ''eleven'' and he's implied to be somewhere in his mid ''twenties'', and [[StalkerWithACrush stalks her for years]], and yet is presented as a perfectly fine romantic option. Readers today tend to view that as [[Squick squicky]] at best and [[StalkingIsLove very]] [[PaedoHunt disturbing]] at worst. Tamora Pierce has gone on record stating changed values do make this a lot creepier now.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Duke Roger of Conté]], Alanna's ArchEnemy, was originally heir of his cousin King Roald before the birth of Prince Jon bumped him down the line of succession, and he stops at nothing to get his place back. He creates a MysticalPlague that kills many in the city of Corus before it reaches its intended target, the royal family, who were deliberately targeted last so that the palace Healers were too weak to save Jon's life. When this fails, Roger's second attempt on his cousin's life involves goading Jon into getting himself killed by exploring a cursed city. Alanna foils this too, so Roger sends multiple {{Animal Assassin}}s after her, tries to drown her, [[MoreThanMindControl turns her friend Alex against her]] so that he tries to kill her while sparring, and helps create a war with Tusaine so he can pull a UriahGambit on both of them. After the war is ended without his intended results, Roger casts a wasting sickness on his lawful aunt, the Queen Lianne, using [[NightmareFuel a wax doll of the Queen, being periodically run under a stream of running water that slowly drains her life force]]; this wrecks her already-poor health enough that she dies little over a year after the spell has been ended. When Alanna uncovers this plot and finally exposes him, [[spoiler:she [[TrialByCombat kills him]]]], but that doesn't end it. When Roger returns he has become a full-blown OmnicidalManiac, who gives up regaining the throne in favor of destroying Tortall with an earthquake out of spite. Not even his own followes (except [[TheDragon Alex]]) are told, most thinking that they're participating in a standard usurper plot and not realizing that he cares nothing for them either.

* CompleteMonster [[BigBad Duke Roger of Conté]], Alanna's ArchEnemy, was originally heir of his cousin King Roald before the birth of Prince Jon bumped him down the line of succession, and he stops at nothing to get his place back. He creates a MysticalPlague that kills many in the city of Corus before it reaches its intended target, the royal family, who were deliberately targeted last so that the palace Healers were too weak to save Jon's life. When this fails, Roger's second attempt on his cousin's life involves goading Jon into getting himself killed by exploring a cursed city. Alanna foils this too, so Roger sends multiple {{Animal Assassin}}s after her, tries to drown her, [[MoreThanMindControl turns her friend Alex against her]] so that he tries to kill her while sparring, and helps create a war with Tusaine so he can pull a UriahGambit on both of them. After the war is ended without his intended results, Roger casts a wasting sickness on his lawful aunt, the Queen Lianne, using [[NightmareFuel a wax doll of the Queen, being periodically run under a stream of running water that slowly drains her life force]]; this wrecks her already-poor health enough that she dies little over a year after the spell has been ended. When Alanna uncovers this plot and finally exposes him, [[spoiler:she [[TrialByCombat kills him]]]], but that doesn't end it. When Roger returns he has become a full-blown OmnicidalManiac, who gives up regaining the throne in favor of destroying Tortall with an earthquake out of spite. Not even his own followes (except [[TheDragon Alex]]) are told, most thinking that they're participating in a standard usurper plot and not realizing that he cares nothing for them either.