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harvestwitch's review against another edition
5.0
This is the fictional folklore that I live for. Girls with swords, warrior riders, strange magic, and sweet romance… loved it. I’ve been hearing praise for Robin McKinley for years now, and I’m sad it has taken me so long to pick one of her books up. (I’ve already picked up three more.) And how I wish there was a series of sequels for this story, but because the ending was 5 stars alone, I guess I’ll have to be content.
audryt's review against another edition
3.0
I'm just the sort who ought to be a McKinley fan, but her books always feel so slow to me that I stop reading before I get to the end. However, the premises she chooses and the characters she creates are great.
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
Embarrassingly enough, although I've read HERO AND THE CROWN multiple times, this is the first time I've read BLUE SWORD. Interesting to read in light of the thinking I've been doing on postcolonial fantasy. It seems slightly ahead of its time, with its valorization of the "native" culture, although it's always easier for the colonizers and the almost colonized/resisters of colonization to get along with they have a common enemy to fight. McKinley is writing in epic/folklore mode, so it's not surprising that the villains are are so faceless, or so out and out evil, but it does grate a bit after reading books like THE LOST CONSPIRACY and NATION. The idea of a person with dual racial heritages acting as a "bridge" between cultures also intrigues me, although in the end Harry seems less of a bridge than a complete adopter of her secondary culture. I'll want to think more about the desires the book seeks to raise and appease in its reader, with its melding of the capitivity/Sheik narrative, adventure tale, Hindu-influenced female hero figures, and Kipling... What does it mean when a book allows its reader to leave behind her own race/culture and be adopted into/accepted by another?
eletricjb's review against another edition
4.0
The only thing about this book that bothers me is the abruptness of the love story. I mean, if you've ever read a book before, you know Harry and Corlath are going to end up together, but they barely spend any time together where they get to understand each other, and then they are in love, the end. I'm not mad about it, because do I want more heterosexual love stories? Uh uh. But it still left me feeling like something fundamental was missing.
Harry and Senay would have been a much more interesting love combination anyway, why won't anyone think of the lesbians?
The end.
Harry and Senay would have been a much more interesting love combination anyway, why won't anyone think of the lesbians?
The end.
justafriendlybagel's review against another edition
5.0
Robin McKinley understands fantasy so well. Just finished a reread and I love it more as an adult than I did as a middle schooler, partly because I understand it better now. This story and its follow up really grips the meaning of a hero and of legends as they were in the past, her heroes feel Arthurian.
whisper88's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
A classic that was ahead of its time, but didn't age as well as we hoped.
Robin McKinley is an OG YA pioneer in the same vein as Jane Yolan and Tamora Pierce. I adore most of her novels, but this one doesn't do it for me. It's Tolkien-esque in all the worst ways without the redeeming humor and minute world building of LOTR.
Robin McKinley is an OG YA pioneer in the same vein as Jane Yolan and Tamora Pierce. I adore most of her novels, but this one doesn't do it for me. It's Tolkien-esque in all the worst ways without the redeeming humor and minute world building of LOTR.
sarahbowling6608's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
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? No
4.5
amym84's review against another edition
5.0
This book has been on my TBR pile for a long while. While this isn't the first Robin McKinley book I've read, but it's the first book of hers that is considered YA that I've read. Honestly, though, I think the book is ambiguous enough that it could cross the boundries as to what is YA and what is "adult".
This is a wonderful fantasy story in the land of Damar about Harry who has gone to live with her brother on what is basically an army base (although not directly called that) after the death of her father. One day they learn that Corlath, the king of the Hill-folk, is planning on making a visit. They don't know what this visit will be about but everyone is on their guard because Hill-folk and "Outlanders" don't usually get along well. Corlath asks the Outlanders' help in fighting the Northlanders who want to take over all the land of Damar. Of course the Outlanders don't believe him and Corlath leaves angry, but not before he sees Harry. He sees something in Harry that his intution tells him that he needs to take Harry. So he goes back to the fort in the middle of the night and kidnaps Harry.
So the adventure begings. I will admit that there were a few slow places througout the book. From what I've read of McKinley she's not one to use a lot of dialogue in her books, so they are very descriptive of surroundings. It's very true here and sometimes it can cause the story to lag, but oftentimes the book is very exciting. I will also say that I was a little put off by the different names for the different people of Damar. Sometimes there would be dual names. Harry herself was called by about three different names in the book and sometimes there would be two of her names used in the same sentence. It's a book that you have to be alert to read. I feel like you can't skim over it or you might miss something important.
I think Harry is a great female character. She's faced with unthinkable circumstances being taken away from her home, being made into a King's Rider and then having to make the difficult decision of what to o when your opinions differ from the King. Make your own decision (which you belive is right) or follow the King blindly? She's a very strong character in a genre that sometimes likes the use of the damsal in distress with the white knight on a horse to save said damsal. That's not the case here, and when I think abou when this book was originally published (1982) I I feel proud that the story is still relevant today and we are still seeing people who want to read / write characters like this.
Corlath for all the he's pretty secretive and closed-mouth about a lot in the book doesn't try to shield Harry because she's female. He sees her destiny and instead of keeping her from it he makes sure that she's trained in order to ensure her success. I think his subtle affection for Harry is very sweet and vice versa on her end as well. I like that it did't overwhelm the storyline but gave just a hint of what is truly there.
The secondary characters were all really well written and I wish we had more books in the Damar world so they could all be explored. The second book [b:The Hero and the Crown|77366|The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #2)|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170900106s/77366.jpg|2321243] is a prequel with Aerin as the main character (another strong female). I look forward to reading it. Until Then!
This is a wonderful fantasy story in the land of Damar about Harry who has gone to live with her brother on what is basically an army base (although not directly called that) after the death of her father. One day they learn that Corlath, the king of the Hill-folk, is planning on making a visit. They don't know what this visit will be about but everyone is on their guard because Hill-folk and "Outlanders" don't usually get along well. Corlath asks the Outlanders' help in fighting the Northlanders who want to take over all the land of Damar. Of course the Outlanders don't believe him and Corlath leaves angry, but not before he sees Harry. He sees something in Harry that his intution tells him that he needs to take Harry. So he goes back to the fort in the middle of the night and kidnaps Harry.
So the adventure begings. I will admit that there were a few slow places througout the book. From what I've read of McKinley she's not one to use a lot of dialogue in her books, so they are very descriptive of surroundings. It's very true here and sometimes it can cause the story to lag, but oftentimes the book is very exciting. I will also say that I was a little put off by the different names for the different people of Damar. Sometimes there would be dual names. Harry herself was called by about three different names in the book and sometimes there would be two of her names used in the same sentence. It's a book that you have to be alert to read. I feel like you can't skim over it or you might miss something important.
I think Harry is a great female character. She's faced with unthinkable circumstances being taken away from her home, being made into a King's Rider and then having to make the difficult decision of what to o when your opinions differ from the King. Make your own decision (which you belive is right) or follow the King blindly? She's a very strong character in a genre that sometimes likes the use of the damsal in distress with the white knight on a horse to save said damsal. That's not the case here, and when I think abou when this book was originally published (1982) I I feel proud that the story is still relevant today and we are still seeing people who want to read / write characters like this.
Corlath for all the he's pretty secretive and closed-mouth about a lot in the book doesn't try to shield Harry because she's female. He sees her destiny and instead of keeping her from it he makes sure that she's trained in order to ensure her success. I think his subtle affection for Harry is very sweet and vice versa on her end as well. I like that it did't overwhelm the storyline but gave just a hint of what is truly there.
The secondary characters were all really well written and I wish we had more books in the Damar world so they could all be explored. The second book [b:The Hero and the Crown|77366|The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #2)|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170900106s/77366.jpg|2321243] is a prequel with Aerin as the main character (another strong female). I look forward to reading it. Until Then!
meardaba's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0