The Earthsea Quartet

I read these when I was about 12, I would guess. I remembered the names Ged and Sparrowhawk and not really anything else.

Rereading them, I really liked them. They have a fairy-tale feel, with enough description for the setting, and not really any action-sequences, in the ‘modern' sense. No blow-by-blow accounts.

Of the four I think I found A Wizard of Earthsea the weakest. Possibly also because I have read a lot of classic fantasy. So things like the jealousy-storyline with Jasper were very predictable to me.

My favourites were The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore. Tehanu was good too, but sort of sadder and more wistful.

I think Tombs of Atuan and Tehanu (books 2 and 4) are where this series particularly hit its mark for me (although 1 and 3 are excellent in their own right). Le Guin shines in the delicate  characterization of Tenar and somewhat subverts typical fantasy tropes to focus on themes of girlhood/adolescence (Atuan) and motherhood (Tehanu). I can understand why fans of fantasy as a genre may be put off by these two books, but I think the reason I continue to think so much about these two entries lies in their use of a fantasy setting to explore themes of religion, womanhood, and family (rather than telling a grand fantasy adventure).