The Hero and the Crown

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Summary: The Hero and the Crown
Review: This is one of the best and most enjoyable books I have ever read. My niece Lynnie gave it to me because I had run out of reading media.I am ever so grateful she lent me her Robin McKinley collection. I don't think i have so enamored of an authors storytelling besides Anne Mccaffrey, Andre Norton, and George R.R. Martin.
This 2 book series has an equally great read in "The Blue Sword". I would recommend them to anyone.

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Summary: Lady Aerin, Dragon-Killer
Review: How can anyone say that The Hero and the Crown isn't worthy of a full five stars? I read the book the first time when I was about eight--finished it in a day, which would be a long time for me now; I read it again about every two months now, at 15. It's still so gripping that I can't help but finish it in less than two hours. Aerin-sol is one of the most memorable of all characters in fiction; her friends Tor, Luthe, and Talat, and her enemies Maur and Agsded, are no less memorable. McKinley's rich writing and vivid imagery pull the reader in and make it impossible to leave. The storyline is complex, with long flashbacks and numerous characters, but that only makes it richer. The strong Aerin should be a model for any young woman searching to find who she is and what she is worth, but the book isn't just for teenage girls. Anyone--and EVERYONE--should read The Hero and The Crown.

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Summary: All time favorite
Review: I reread this book at least once a year, and have been doing so since I checked it out of the library at age 8 almost 20 years ago. A timeless classic, a masterwork of writing, inspiring and sweeping, a story to cherish.

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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!

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Summary: Truly SATISFYING and FRESH fantasy & characters
Review: Robin McKinley's books aren't exactly what I would recommend to anyone who is a big battle fanatic. They do have their battles (the final battle between Aerin and the man in the red room and the battle between the Damarians and the Northerners) but it doesn't take over the whole book. There is just enough of a battle to make the book filling, not overwhelming. You can truly see the battle for what it is and the just cause it is being fought for. But in my opinion, they are all the better because of the lack of long, drawn-out, extremely detailed, horribly gory battles!

There isn't constant action from scene to scene, you get to know the characters instead, possibly even better than they know themselves. This book is also about discovering the true nature of Aerin and finding ourselves in the process. We find out about their history, there is a great insight into why they are who they are. And I love the horse aspect, I LOVE horses! I own several and have applied the method of riding that Aerin and Harry use to my own horses. The leg thing really does work. Both Damar books are for horse lovers and those who want to know the misfit characters for the genuine, real and wonderful characters that they are. We see wrongs being made right, people coming together in friendship and love and we are able to see a lot of GOODNESS in the process.

Anyone who has been ostracized, left out from the crowd, never felt like they quite fit in, these books are for them. It shows what a strong character people like that can have and how, in many ways, they are stronger than those who have not had the same hardships. After all, it was the misfits with the strongest "kelar" and the ones who defeated the gravest of enemies! This referring to both this book and The Blue Sword also by Robin McKinley.

Aerin is a great character and I would not pass up the experience of following her through all her hardships, it just might teach you something if you do! The thing about Robin McKinley's characters is that they are REAL, you can almost become a personal friend of theirs just by reading these books. They are very approachable characters and your copies of these books will become dog-eared and tattered from reading just like mine have! I also recommend The Blue Sword in addition to this, it takes up the story 500 years after Aerin's time, but still we meet up with some old friends again!

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Summary: The very Peak of Perfection!
Review: Splendid high fantasy... filled with tender moments, good characters, satisfying action and sparkling dialogue... superb

The characters are extremely lovable and the landscape is so vividly described (although not in the sense of devoting too many words to it) that it comes alive.

Aerin as a princess who determines her own destiny and seeks out to fight the dragon and even invents a recipe for "fire repellent" is absolutely brilliant.

If you like adventurous & gutsy heroines who aren't too tough for romance, then this book is for you.

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Summary: Worthy of Praise
Review: The Hero and the Crown is a truly pic fantasy in every sense of the word. McKinley spins a beautiful and rich universe which nonetheless awes and impresses. A favorite.