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jennkei's review against another edition
2.0
Unfinished the first time around, came back to it since nothing else to read, and actually started enjoying it. 4 stars. But the ending. D: 3 stars. THE SEQUEL IS EXPECTED IN 2015?! (five years after this was published) D: 2 stars.
applegnreads's review against another edition
3.0
Good but... well, it doesn't end with this book. If you're expecting it to, forget it.
celestens's review against another edition
4.0
I went into this book expecting something more like her "Beauty and the Beast" retellings or her Damar series. This was even more unusual. Nevertheless it was an interesting read, and THERE HAD BETTER BE A SEQUEL!
thegoodreadsfork's review against another edition
5.0
I first received this book when I was around 14 yrs old and the tale has stuck with me even ten years later. This story emboldens you to stand for what you believe in, dare to take risks, and to keep an open mind about others. I lived through each moment with the duo and flew through the exhilarating rollercoaster plot.
kangokaren's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first time Robin McKinley has written a book with a direct sequel. I couldn't believe the suspense she left me in. Such a fabulous writer.
rain_e's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
halcyone's review against another edition
3.0
This review was originally posted at The Cozy Armchair.
I'd never read a book by McKinley before so I had no idea what I was in for, which is part of the reason why I didn't let myself be deterred by the largely negative reviews on Goodreads. In retrospect, I don't entirely regret picking up Pegasus, but I sure as hell can't say it was a lovely, entertaining read. No, sir, it wasn't. Pegasus was a tedious book, full of minute detail and introspection and an emphasis on beauty. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful story, but it gets so bogged down in the details that it doesn't really go anywhere for approximately 80-90% of the book.
The mythology and history behind the story are gorgeous and very well thought out. McKinley's descriptions of the pegasi are breathtaking, as is her intricate world-building. Time appears to pass rather fluidly, which gives the story a certain atmosphere that's very hard to pinpoint. I guess part of this can be attributed to the fact that the whole thing is narrated by Sylvi, so the reader gets a front row seat for her thoughts, feelings, and insecurities.
In fact, these elements dominate a large part of the narrative, and I would say they are part of the reason the story moves so slowly. Similarly, politics, an understanding of this world's origins, relationships, etc, are all emphasized throughout the story. We may see them through Sylvi's limited vision, but they are still very prominent.
For me, the highlight of the book was the relationship established between Sylvi and Ebon, which I suppose is the whole point of the narrative: for them to completely win you over. They've got their own brand of humor and a very particular way of interacting. I was moved by their friendship and loyalty to each other. Naturally, I was rooting for them all the way.
But the truth is, there isn't much to worry about until the end. The antagonist is introduced early on and then forgotten until the very end of the novel, brought back to set up the perfect cliffhanger so you'll want to pick up the sequel. It's an awful tactic that soured my experience with the rest of the book. I wanted more than that.
I struggled to decide what kind of rating to give this book. Really, I'd encourage you to take a look at more than one review, maybe even give the book a trial run, because there are so many aspects to it - the history, the pegasi and their culture, the looming evil, the underlying current of intrigue in the kingdom's politics, and so on - that it's very difficult to dismiss the book entirely. It isn't badly written, it's just given to very flowery prose, and it gets lost in its own intricacies.
This book is for those that can handle an incredibly slow and meandering story. Otherwise, I would suggest you save yourself the pain. But as I said before, I don't regret reading it because a part of me is genuinely interested in future developments. I'm the kind of person who likes to finish a series once it's started, but with this lovely announcement I find that enthusiasm of mine dimming with every passing day. I'm more likely to forget about a sequel to Pegasus now that it's destined to be published a couple of years later than expected. Sure, Ms. McKinley has a right to take her time writing it, but let's hope she doesn't regret deciding to start a trilogy and leave us hanging entirely.
So, proceed with caution if you decide to pick up Pegasus.
I'd never read a book by McKinley before so I had no idea what I was in for, which is part of the reason why I didn't let myself be deterred by the largely negative reviews on Goodreads. In retrospect, I don't entirely regret picking up Pegasus, but I sure as hell can't say it was a lovely, entertaining read. No, sir, it wasn't. Pegasus was a tedious book, full of minute detail and introspection and an emphasis on beauty. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful story, but it gets so bogged down in the details that it doesn't really go anywhere for approximately 80-90% of the book.
The mythology and history behind the story are gorgeous and very well thought out. McKinley's descriptions of the pegasi are breathtaking, as is her intricate world-building. Time appears to pass rather fluidly, which gives the story a certain atmosphere that's very hard to pinpoint. I guess part of this can be attributed to the fact that the whole thing is narrated by Sylvi, so the reader gets a front row seat for her thoughts, feelings, and insecurities.
In fact, these elements dominate a large part of the narrative, and I would say they are part of the reason the story moves so slowly. Similarly, politics, an understanding of this world's origins, relationships, etc, are all emphasized throughout the story. We may see them through Sylvi's limited vision, but they are still very prominent.
For me, the highlight of the book was the relationship established between Sylvi and Ebon, which I suppose is the whole point of the narrative: for them to completely win you over. They've got their own brand of humor and a very particular way of interacting. I was moved by their friendship and loyalty to each other. Naturally, I was rooting for them all the way.
But the truth is, there isn't much to worry about until the end. The antagonist is introduced early on and then forgotten until the very end of the novel, brought back to set up the perfect cliffhanger so you'll want to pick up the sequel. It's an awful tactic that soured my experience with the rest of the book. I wanted more than that.
I struggled to decide what kind of rating to give this book. Really, I'd encourage you to take a look at more than one review, maybe even give the book a trial run, because there are so many aspects to it - the history, the pegasi and their culture, the looming evil, the underlying current of intrigue in the kingdom's politics, and so on - that it's very difficult to dismiss the book entirely. It isn't badly written, it's just given to very flowery prose, and it gets lost in its own intricacies.
This book is for those that can handle an incredibly slow and meandering story. Otherwise, I would suggest you save yourself the pain. But as I said before, I don't regret reading it because a part of me is genuinely interested in future developments. I'm the kind of person who likes to finish a series once it's started, but with this lovely announcement I find that enthusiasm of mine dimming with every passing day. I'm more likely to forget about a sequel to Pegasus now that it's destined to be published a couple of years later than expected. Sure, Ms. McKinley has a right to take her time writing it, but let's hope she doesn't regret deciding to start a trilogy and leave us hanging entirely.
So, proceed with caution if you decide to pick up Pegasus.
thestoryowl's review against another edition
5.0
AAAHHH! Curse you, cliff-hanger! I can't wait for the next book to come out.
thebookhaze's review against another edition
3.0
Pegasus is a story about two completely different races living in a symbiotic relationship together. The humans kill the natural predators of the pegasi, and the pegasi’s presence always bring abundance to the humans.
The royal family and their cousins have been bound to their own personal pegasi when they turned twelve for dozens of generations, but the two races are so different that they can barely communicate or understand each other without the help of the magicians and shamans. That all changes when Princess Sylviianel and her pegasus, Ebon, find that they can speak directly to each other through their minds.
I usually either find myself loving McKinley’s work or being really ambivalent about them. The problem is, I’m not sure yet if I think this is a great book or a really meaningless one. Apparently, there is a sequel to this book, so I can hardly make my decision until I read the sequel because this book definitely can’t stand on its own.
To say that the ending was abrupt would be an understatement, and I honestly feel that the break didn’t work at all. McKinley and her publishers should have waited until the whole story was finished and published the whole thing together. If they couldn’t wait, they should’ve found a better way to bridge this book into the next.
Some people have said that they found the story slow going, and I would agree, but I did enjoy a lot of the back history and description of the differences between the races. There was a lot of beauty to the story, and a lot of nuances to the differences between the culture of the two races and the way they saw things differently. The truth is, I really did enjoy the story, even if I don’t like the way McKinley ended, or rather, didn’t end, it.
I am pretty invested in the story, so I will be looking forward to the sequel to see how everything turns out. I don’t recommend getting started on this book until the sequel is out though.
The royal family and their cousins have been bound to their own personal pegasi when they turned twelve for dozens of generations, but the two races are so different that they can barely communicate or understand each other without the help of the magicians and shamans. That all changes when Princess Sylviianel and her pegasus, Ebon, find that they can speak directly to each other through their minds.
I usually either find myself loving McKinley’s work or being really ambivalent about them. The problem is, I’m not sure yet if I think this is a great book or a really meaningless one. Apparently, there is a sequel to this book, so I can hardly make my decision until I read the sequel because this book definitely can’t stand on its own.
To say that the ending was abrupt would be an understatement, and I honestly feel that the break didn’t work at all. McKinley and her publishers should have waited until the whole story was finished and published the whole thing together. If they couldn’t wait, they should’ve found a better way to bridge this book into the next.
Some people have said that they found the story slow going, and I would agree, but I did enjoy a lot of the back history and description of the differences between the races. There was a lot of beauty to the story, and a lot of nuances to the differences between the culture of the two races and the way they saw things differently. The truth is, I really did enjoy the story, even if I don’t like the way McKinley ended, or rather, didn’t end, it.
I am pretty invested in the story, so I will be looking forward to the sequel to see how everything turns out. I don’t recommend getting started on this book until the sequel is out though.
oreolover15's review against another edition
3.0
http://brookejeansbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/pegasus.html