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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Better than I'd thought going into the novel. McKinley's fantasy here has a kind of crunchy realism that only rarely drifts into McKillip-like territory, but it lacks the groundedness of someone later like Bujold, for example. This is folk fantasy developed as far from its gossamer roots as possible, and yet retaining the aura of "in a land far, far away"...
Protagonist Aerin is certainly living in a 1980s young adult mold, with her enablers and villains also struck from the same, but without the debilitating safeness that would colonize later YA.
Strongly recommended.
Protagonist Aerin is certainly living in a 1980s young adult mold, with her enablers and villains also struck from the same, but without the debilitating safeness that would colonize later YA.
Strongly recommended.
A true classic. I forgot how funny this book was, in addition to being a great story.
first class fantasy.
dragons, magic swords, immortals, and petty royalty.
also an excellent female lead which is rare in a book as old as I am.
dragons, magic swords, immortals, and petty royalty.
also an excellent female lead which is rare in a book as old as I am.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As usual, McKinley's books have a rhythm with me. The first chapter, I'm bored to tears, forcing myself to continue reading. By the second, I'm sucked in so violently, nothing else ranks above finishing it, and I blast through the pages. But then there's the end, where it's like she always loses faith in her own stories, and loses momentum. She always strays, always just shifts gears, and I am always displeased by the ending. Every. Single. Book. I have read a huge chunk of them lately, and I have to say, this is my last. My heart can't take it, LOL. Her writing is decent, but sometimes exhausting.
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A classic fantasy in all the best ways. The plot moves quickly, with what is and what was and what will be accepted as fact all in a single moment. I thoroughly enjoyed Aerin’s strength of conviction, the parallels between her and broken Talat, and of course Talet’s undying loyalty. I loved the way magic seemed to seep into everything and everyone as the chapters progress, almost as if reading the pages themselves reawakens and reinvigorates something unknown.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The inner bookjacket says this is the "prequel" (their emphasis) to [b:The Blue Sword|407813|The Blue Sword (Damar, #1)|Robin McKinley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1286927812s/407813.jpg|2321296], but I guess it was written afterwards to expand the world, so Goodreads lists it as #2 in the Damar series.
This is a lovely coming-of-age story with a female protagonist. Certain parts reminded me of elements from the Earthsea series by [a:Ursula K. Le Guin|874602|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1244291425p2/874602.jpg] and The Dark Tower by [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg]. The type of struggles, and the style and pace of the writing make me hesitate to tag this as "YA" because I'd probably recommend to a younger audience than I usually think of for most YA novels. For this book I'd say maybe as young as 5/6th grade but probably more in the middle school range. Definitely still enjoyable as an adult reading it for the first time though. (Thanks for the rec, Diana!)
This is a lovely coming-of-age story with a female protagonist. Certain parts reminded me of elements from the Earthsea series by [a:Ursula K. Le Guin|874602|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1244291425p2/874602.jpg] and The Dark Tower by [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg]. The type of struggles, and the style and pace of the writing make me hesitate to tag this as "YA" because I'd probably recommend to a younger audience than I usually think of for most YA novels. For this book I'd say maybe as young as 5/6th grade but probably more in the middle school range. Definitely still enjoyable as an adult reading it for the first time though. (Thanks for the rec, Diana!)