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A review by amym84
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
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!