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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’ve always held a soft spot for this book since I first read it more than a decade ago. McKinley’s writing style is more fantastical and whimsical than a lot of modern authors, and the plot isn’t always so in your face and obvious. Because of this, I can see how for some her writing might not resonate, but for me, this book is one of my favorites of hers, probably second only to its companion book, The Blue Sword.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Robin McKinley is one of those Fantasy authors who I've never heard anything negative about her writing. When I found out that she wrote several fairy tale retellings, I began trying to find all of them. While this isn't a retelling, it's still Fantasy, so I bought it along with the second book, The Blue Sword.
I would have finished The Hero and the Crown in a single day if I had started it earlier. I tried to finish it before I went to bed, but by 4 am, I couldn't keep my eyes focused on the page anymore. So, I finished it the next day. The only part of the story I didn't care for was the romance. I know the two characters involved had spent a lot of time together by the time they fell in love, but it didn't feel that way. Perhaps that's because I read the book so quickly, or maybe it's because that part of the story didn't take up a lot of pages. Regardless, I would have preferred them to just be close friends. That's how I feel about a lot of fictional relationships, though, especially if the romance isn't necessary to the plot. Why is it that every time there happens to be both a male and female character in a book they have to fall in love with each other?
Putting the romance issue aside, I absolutely loved this book. There is a significant part involving the main character, Aerin, and her relationship with her horse that I thought would bore me because I've never had any real interest in horse stories. Surprisingly, that was one of the most engrossing parts of the story. In other words, Robin McKinley succeeded in making me care about a horse, when up to this point in my life, the only horses I've liked are My Little Ponies. So, if you happen to love horses, Robin McKinley, quest narratives, or High Fantasy, take a lazy day during the weekend (but start earlyish) to read The Hero and the Crown.
I would have finished The Hero and the Crown in a single day if I had started it earlier. I tried to finish it before I went to bed, but by 4 am, I couldn't keep my eyes focused on the page anymore. So, I finished it the next day. The only part of the story I didn't care for was the romance. I know the two characters involved had spent a lot of time together by the time they fell in love, but it didn't feel that way. Perhaps that's because I read the book so quickly, or maybe it's because that part of the story didn't take up a lot of pages. Regardless, I would have preferred them to just be close friends. That's how I feel about a lot of fictional relationships, though, especially if the romance isn't necessary to the plot. Why is it that every time there happens to be both a male and female character in a book they have to fall in love with each other?
Putting the romance issue aside, I absolutely loved this book. There is a significant part involving the main character, Aerin, and her relationship with her horse that I thought would bore me because I've never had any real interest in horse stories. Surprisingly, that was one of the most engrossing parts of the story. In other words, Robin McKinley succeeded in making me care about a horse, when up to this point in my life, the only horses I've liked are My Little Ponies. So, if you happen to love horses, Robin McKinley, quest narratives, or High Fantasy, take a lazy day during the weekend (but start earlyish) to read The Hero and the Crown.
As a teen, I dipped my toe in the world of fantasy fiction at the recommendation of a good friend. At the time, I preferred "literary" fiction, and, having just finished reading a string of good literary novels with first-person female narrators ("Jane Eyre," "Villette," "Rebecca," and "The King's General"), I asked my friend Lily if she could recommend me any books that resembled these. In response, she lent me three works of fantasy fiction: "Winter Rose" by Patricia McKillip, "Beauty" by Robin McKinley, and "The True State of Affairs" (a short story, found in the collection "Minor Arcana") by Diana Wynne Jones. I look back on all three fondly and would like to revisit them at some point. I liked the erotic voraciousness of the heroine of "Winter Rose," the canniness and bitterness of Wynne Jones's broody heroine, and the tension-so-thick-you-could-cut-it-with-a-knife that permeated McKinley's fairy tale.
Wanting to take a soak in that cozy childhood feeling again, I recently picked up a second fantasy novel by McKinley, "The Hero and the Crown." After finishing it, I also skimmed McKinley's vampire novel "Sunshine," and now I'm starting to see patterns and trends in McKinley's work as a whole. For example, her heroines have an annoying habit of stumbling upon the fact that they're descended from magical aristocracy---how boring is it when a character's ancestry is one of his/her defining characteristics?
The only part of this book that I could get really excited about was the psychological maturity of the "love triangle," if you can call it that: the man who facilitates the heroine's sexual initiation is not the man she ends up marrying, but her husband is wise enough never to interrogate her about her sexual past or to chafe at taking second place in her heart. Given this progressive/feminist plot element, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this novel was apparently initially marketed as a children's book and won a Newbery Medal in 1985.
Wanting to take a soak in that cozy childhood feeling again, I recently picked up a second fantasy novel by McKinley, "The Hero and the Crown." After finishing it, I also skimmed McKinley's vampire novel "Sunshine," and now I'm starting to see patterns and trends in McKinley's work as a whole. For example, her heroines have an annoying habit of stumbling upon the fact that they're descended from magical aristocracy---how boring is it when a character's ancestry is one of his/her defining characteristics?
The only part of this book that I could get really excited about was the psychological maturity of the "love triangle," if you can call it that: the man who facilitates the heroine's sexual initiation is not the man she ends up marrying, but her husband is wise enough never to interrogate her about her sexual past or to chafe at taking second place in her heart. Given this progressive/feminist plot element, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this novel was apparently initially marketed as a children's book and won a Newbery Medal in 1985.
One thing I've been appreciating recently is succinct storytelling - it forces me to slow down and appreciate every word on a page, when a mid-story battle is over in two pages. There's something magical to this, and it makes the images you do get stand out - a large dragon smiling at you while smoke seeps out from between its horse-leg length teeth; orange juice reflecting the light in a crystal glass (damn, I was trying to not mix my Damars).
Anyway I have big feelings about Lady Aerin, Dragon Killer, which has something to do with how often I've read this book and how it's approaching the 'read in pieces' stage of its life, and more to do with a clever lady knight trying desperately to prove herself to herself, and how she manages to do so.
Anyway I have big feelings about Lady Aerin, Dragon Killer, which has something to do with how often I've read this book and how it's approaching the 'read in pieces' stage of its life, and more to do with a clever lady knight trying desperately to prove herself to herself, and how she manages to do so.
The Hero and the Crown started well. The first half of the book was pretty solid, and I thought the plot held together well throughout. There was a lot of telling instead of showing, though, and by the end of the book I was more than ready for things to be finished.
I didn't like Luthe. I thought he was weird and the romance with Aerin was very out of the blue. I really just wanted them to be good friends, if anything, and I resented the fact that McKinley pushed a romantic relationship there.
Tor was okay, but flat. Arlbeth had more dimension than Tor. Tor seemed to be there only to provide someone to rule the kingdom instead of Aerin, and to be the only person who appreciates Aerin as a person for most of the book.
I understand why this won the Newberry at the time, but I feel like it didn't stand the test of time as far as writing goes. Recommended for fans of the genre, but not for general reading.
I didn't like Luthe. I thought he was weird and the romance with Aerin was very out of the blue. I really just wanted them to be good friends, if anything, and I resented the fact that McKinley pushed a romantic relationship there.
Tor was okay, but flat. Arlbeth had more dimension than Tor. Tor seemed to be there only to provide someone to rule the kingdom instead of Aerin, and to be the only person who appreciates Aerin as a person for most of the book.
I understand why this won the Newberry at the time, but I feel like it didn't stand the test of time as far as writing goes. Recommended for fans of the genre, but not for general reading.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-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
The first half of this book was fantastic, and exactly the kind of kick-ass young girl feminist fantasy novel I would have adored as a younger gal. The second half... well... it's there.
I loved this book so dearly. I’m just sad I didn’t get to read it til now. Is the… choice between your cousin and a man who’s possibly as old as timeish kinda wild… yes but also this quote “I love you… I will love you till the stars crumble, which is a less idle threat than is usual to loves on parting”… “long after Aerin was out of sight, he lay full length upon the ground, and pressed his ear to it, and listened to Talat’s hoof beats carrying [her] farther and farther away. “
I adore Aerin. She feels realistic and strong but not unattainable. I love her story and I like the side characters a lot. An underrated gem in the fantasy genre.
I adore Aerin. She feels realistic and strong but not unattainable. I love her story and I like the side characters a lot. An underrated gem in the fantasy genre.