Rating: 
Summary: A great teen fantasy!
Review: Ok,this is the best book ever. I got it for Christmas and at first I didn't want to read it at all. It was a rainy afternoon when I first picked it up. I could not put it down after that. It is about a young girl named Aerin who is the daugher of a king. Her fathers first wife died and he remarried and had Aerin. The town is afraid of Aerin because her mother is beleived to be a which. She sopposedly died when she found out Aerin was a girl and not a boy. Aerin never thought that she fit in. The only friend she really has is Tor, her cousin. I really began to know the characters as the book went on. She goes on and has adventures. It is a story about love, bravery, and truth. It is a wonderful book and McKinley is now my favorite author. I recomend this book highly if you like stories where the girls can save themselves. It is a wonderful book and after you read it, definately pick up The Blue Sword.... the sequel. I love Robin McKinley!!! Enjoy and read all of her books!
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book by any criteria
Review: I was given a copy of this book when I was in sixth grade. I'm 24 now, and I've easily read it twenty times. I do a lot of reading in all genres, and this is the only book that I can return to again and again. I loved it when I was eleven, but I was older before I "got" it. It is feminist in nature, but not overtly so... it is more a story of discovering yourself no matter who you are.
McKinley's prose is beautiful, evocative, and completely appropriate in a fantasy context. Aerin, the heroine, is developed with care and affection. And by no means is this your standard formula fairy tale. The plot deals with pain, power, rejection, and the greyness between good and evil.
Though "The Blue Sword," which takes place in the same universe, is an excellent book, I think that "The Hero and the Crown" is my number one reccomendation for fantasy fans.
Rating:
Summary: One of my all time favorite fantasy books
Review: I read this book for the first time in middle school and over the years I've re-read it numerous times (um, its been a long while since middle school). Each time I read it I still felt like it was a great story. I'm finally going to add it to my personal library. And I know I'll continue reading it. I recommend any of her books but this one is still my favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Dragon's Bane
Review: The first part of a two-part historical fantasy, The Hero and the Crown won Robin McKinley a well-deserved Newbery Award. The land of Damar will captivate you and linger with you long after you close the book. McKinley's writing and style are exceptional. Let's face it, authors do not write like this anymore - even she doesn't anymore. All the more reason to treasure these intoxicating worlds of words.The titular Hero is actually a heroine, Aerin, an shunned princess of Damar. From the beginning, life is not good for Aerin and sets the dark mood of the novel. She's the only royal who is not magical - a very strange occurrence for a Damarian. Additionally, her late mother's dubious reputation has cast a shadow on the daughter. Her only allies are Tor, a cousin, and her maimed horse, Talat. A dragon is tormenting Damarians and Aerin sets out to prove her worth to her people. Her preparations, struggles, and failures are heart-breaking. McKinley's superior descriptive skills are very much in evidence throughout the book. From the moment you begin reading, her words cast a spell, drawing readers into her world like a vortex. It's so easy to empathize with Aerin as she fights every step of the way to finding herself. This journey leads her to a mage, Luthe, and further battles. There is a sense of constant action, when in fact there are not many actual combats. Aerin's search for purpose, identity is so strong every sentence carried the weight of a sword-clashing charge. The final course of the plot and characters weren't quite to my liking as a romantic teen when I first read Hero, but the inevitability and *rightness* of it comes with a realistic sense of bittersweetness and maturity. I hesitated to write this review at all because I was (and am) afraid I may dissuade a reader from trying this excellent author, but I believe other reviews speak just as strongly in its favor as this one is attempting to. The more I consider Robin McKinley, the more I believe she isn't so much a young adult author as simply an adult one. Her text and content are fit for an adolescent age bracket, but to get the most of her best work, a great deal more maturity is helpful. I'm still learning from these "kid's" books well into my twenties. These are the kind of books that grow up with you and continue to enlighten, comfort, and push you. Another favorite is the sequel, The Blue Sword.
Rating:
Summary: The best book by the best author
Review: For a fantasy-lover who has read everything from Robert Jordan and Melanie Rawn to David Eddings and Mercedes Lackey, this is a big thing to say. I'm saying it. ROBIN MCKINLEY IS THE BEST AUTHOR! Not just fantasy, although she's really good in that; but in literary stuff. Her writing is superb. And, by the way, she's a really great lady too. I wrote a fan letter to her (I didn't know she was in the middle of writing a novel) and she took time off from it to reply in a one-page letter and even give me some advice on the book I'm writing! Anyway, Aerin-sol is THE HEROINE of all fantasy literature. Not just for teenage girls. I'm nearly fourteen, and I love her (I have since I was eight) and my mom loves Robin McKinley's stuff too. I don't know how many copies of The Hero and the Crown we have. Aerin and Tor, Luthe and Talat, even Galanna, are so believable. They're real people, and the story grabs you right in and holds you there. The villains (Maur and Agsded) are incredibly villainous; the love-scenes are very good, not overdone (which is one mark of sloppy writing, and Robin McKinley definately isn't a sloppy writer); the problems are real and the characters engaging. This is getting to be a really long review so I'll just end now, although I continue to sing Robin McKinley's praises.
Rating: 
Summary: McKinley is a hero
Review: Have you ever read a book as a child that still managed to resonate as an adult? "Hero and the Crown" was one such book for me. I can still remember reading it as an 11 year old, and presenting a shoe box diorama of the showdown between Aerin and the Dragon in my reading class. While the strong feminist principles were not quite understood as an 11 year old, they are today. Even re-reading it now, you cheer for Aerin as she begins to understand her place in the world, and how what others say really doesn't matter. She longs to be more than the sum of her parts, and proves to be more than capable not only to herself, but to her father and the Damarians. Great example of Robin McKinley's writing, that transcends age and sex, and is a worthy adventure/fantasy for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I read The Hero and the Crown in the age of ten. When I read it then, I didn't understand it that well and the tiny letters hurt my eyes (I wear very, very thick glasses). I read it again and again; the story was enchanting more than anything; this book motivated me to write. After I read this book I was crazy about Aerin-sol. She's the princess of Damar but called witchwoman's daughter. I felt kind of dreamy while reading this book.
I'm a little sorry for Luthe. But the ending was BEAUTIFUL. This is a must-read for any reader. I'm twelve now and I've read this book about seven times. It still amazes me.
Rating:
Summary: Blue Sword and Hero & Crown are some of my fave books
Review: The Hero and the Crown and THe Blue Sword are two of my favorite books. I would have to say that I prefer the Blue Sword but I read the Hero and the Crown first and I think both are great. I read the H&C last year and I seem to understand it better now. It starts out in the present, then flashes back, and then gets you caught up. I had trouble with this book the first time I read it but I read it in one day. Some might think that these two books are slow but I liked them just fine. Most of the book takes place in Damar which is the part I enjoyed. This book is about adventure, love, feeling outcast, and you can't forget the animals. McKinley gives the animals many characteristics while still allowing the animal feel. Aerin feels outcast because of part of her heritage and feels weighed down by her responsibilty in her father's kingdom. I loved her character up until she falls in love with Luthe. I know many will disagree with me but it just irritates me. I like Luthe but I wish he would just teach her and continue being a mage. I loved Tor from the beginning of the book and I am glad that she went back to him. Another thing that irritates me is the whole mage thing and how she isn't quite mortal anymore. But now I see that I am making the book sound bad and I must insist that this is one of the BEST BOOKS EVER! In this book Aerin battles dragons, deals with an annoying cousin (Galana), and is just all around one of my favorite heorines. Please read this! (Even if Luthe irritates you)
Rating:
Summary: Wow I love Robin McKinley!!
Review: Ok, did anyone else completely fall in love with Luthe? McKinley's characters are amazing; they're so,so,so real. this is one of my alltime favorite commfort books; serioulsly, if I've had a bad day, I pick up this book! I've lost count of how many times I've read it. Seriously read this book.
Rating:
Summary: stunning plot and characters
Review: I first had this book read to me when I was in fifth grade, and it was incredibly confusing. I picked it up again in high school and understood why. McKinley uses time like Faulker - it becomes one of the very elements she writes with, like structure or diction. Chronology is fluid, and it works amazingly well throughout the story. The interplay of memory and action, past and present and future is amazing. The character development is also stunning. Aerin, the main character, is strong, with significant depth. Through her interactions with the others, we can see not only how she relates to them, but who they are - and they are not just the stock personalities we tend to find in a "fairy tale." All in all, incredible writing, one of my favorite books, and something well worth a read. Not your typical fantasy book - something much more, something ambitious that sparks your literary palate.
|
