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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
I'm all doped up on antihistamines and too groggy for grown-up books, so I'm revisiting some YA female-empowerment classics.
The good: 5-star world-building, a solid dose of outsider heroine ass-kicking and rule-breaking, and a flawed but relatable protagonist who has to earn what she takes from the world. In this last, especially, it's a big improvement over The Blue Sword, whose heroine gets everything handed to her effortlessly, à la Harry Potter's inborn Quidditch skills. The less good: an abrupt tonal shift halfway through, from Aerin's swordplay, dragons, and anger to sickbeds, brooding, and a journey of boring, confusing, and ultimately unnecessary magical discovery guided by an arrogant wizard who supplants her original, less condescending love interest. Lots of plot points seem shoehorned in just so Aerin can save the day and set the stage for the next book—e.g., did they really need the wildcats to tame themselves to fight for her, on top of her insane résumé of reinventing horseback riding, rescuing the crown, killing the number one baddie, and saving the realm? Maybe I just prefer my boss bitches wild, free, and unattached from sketchy wizards who had crushes on their moms.
The good: 5-star world-building, a solid dose of outsider heroine ass-kicking and rule-breaking, and a flawed but relatable protagonist who has to earn what she takes from the world. In this last, especially, it's a big improvement over The Blue Sword, whose heroine gets everything handed to her effortlessly, à la Harry Potter's inborn Quidditch skills. The less good: an abrupt tonal shift halfway through, from Aerin's swordplay, dragons, and anger to sickbeds, brooding, and a journey of boring, confusing, and ultimately unnecessary magical discovery guided by an arrogant wizard who supplants her original, less condescending love interest. Lots of plot points seem shoehorned in just so Aerin can save the day and set the stage for the next book—e.g., did they really need the wildcats to tame themselves to fight for her, on top of her insane résumé of reinventing horseback riding, rescuing the crown, killing the number one baddie, and saving the realm? Maybe I just prefer my boss bitches wild, free, and unattached from sketchy wizards who had crushes on their moms.
I think it would be interesting to survey people to see which of the Damar books they prefer; I wonder if doesn't strongly correlate with which order you read them, the first always being the most preferred. The books are so strongly written than each story, and each heroine, has her own very distinct voice. Each is easily a very good standalone novel. However, they become even stronger as a pair. I read [b:The Blue Sword|407813|The Blue Sword (Damar, #1)|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1286927812s/407813.jpg|2321296] first, and so the forested Damar of Aerin's time is a little odd, and the outright magic in most of the book lacks the creeping subtlety of that in [b:The Blue Sword|407813|The Blue Sword (Damar, #1)|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1286927812s/407813.jpg|2321296].
That being said, Aerin is still a ton of fun to hang out with, and if some events are a tad less explicable in this book, that's just fine. Any Damar book is a book worth reading. I hope we get another one (starring a protagonist with long black hair who at some point sits next to some very tall white walls?)
That being said, Aerin is still a ton of fun to hang out with, and if some events are a tad less explicable in this book, that's just fine. Any Damar book is a book worth reading. I hope we get another one (starring a protagonist with long black hair who at some point sits next to some very tall white walls?)
I found it hard to believe that the 30-some year old heir to throne would have been allowed to stay single for so long.
I got a copy of this in 6th or 7th grade. I've read it so many times that it is being held together by a rubber band. I enjoyed it because it was the first real fantasy book I read where the hero is a young woman. She's not just the sidekick, but the hero. She's also flawed and not supergirl or ravishing beautiful. It's a wonderful book because of that. In many ways, it is the perfect book for any quiet girl simply because a loner, an outcast proves herself needed. Perhaps the success of the book among girls is tied to that facet of the story.
I really love Robin McKinley, except that the two books in this series oddly both degenerated into a lot of long sentences stringed together with "ands." First half of books, normal. But then when she gets to the climactic battle, suddenly the ands appear. Is it an attempt to be Biblical? It makes me feel as though a four year old took over the keyboard.
This books is really more of a precursor to the previous book.
In many ways I liked this one better, though i really would have liked to have the first books story continue. Or this story continue for that matter.
More Books!!
In many ways I liked this one better, though i really would have liked to have the first books story continue. Or this story continue for that matter.
More Books!!
very enjoyable
This is a well - wrought story. Somewhere in the middle, I feel, something was cut out of the tale and the dreamy fantastical quality becomes a bit heavy - handed.
This is a well - wrought story. Somewhere in the middle, I feel, something was cut out of the tale and the dreamy fantastical quality becomes a bit heavy - handed.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book when I was little, and I remember really liking it and looking for the sequel at my library, but, being unable to find it, moving on to other books. It's just as good as I remember it being. When I was little I never thought I wasn't able to do whatever boys could do, and I think this book and books like it played a part in that.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes