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A review by bibliorama
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
Enjoyment - 4.5
This book was a surprise. It was a random library pickup because I wanted to read nore classic YAish fantasy, and I quite enjoyed it. It's a standalone and leans heavily into the chosen one trope, which I haven't read a true chosen one story in a hot minute. It is also a trope that I find to be satisfying with lots of payoffs. I can also see the bones and influence this story had on modern YA fantasies, and I like seeing other authors' influences. This does have its dated themes that will lower some of the enjoyment, particularly in the beginning.
Start - 3.5
It has heavy colonialism tendencies and white saviorish feelings. I'm telling you this at the start because I didn't know going in and I know others would like to know that beforehand. It's dated and had my eyes rolling, but if you're looking for classic YA and still want to try this out, once the beginning was it was easier to sink into the world and characters. The beginning was my least favorite section, but that just means it got better as it went on.
Characters - 4
Harry is an interesting protagonist. She obviously follows some typical "chosen one" plot beats, but her feelings about the events happening around her jumped out as very clear to me. She has a lot to process, but she's also honest about the things she doesn't want to process in the moment. She is also interesting because she was never presented as a damsel even when she was in distress. Plus there was a very stereotypical damsely kind of scene that happens as the inciting incident, but in honesty, those scenes where just fun because I wasn't expected anything like that to happen. She also was always expected to have to take up responsibility and fight. Plus she has a cat and what more can I really ask for besides that.
Corlath, now he was a perspective I did not expect to get, but I'm glad we did. He was described as having a power that made him overly aggressive and easy to anger, but I didn't feel that when we saw him interact that he was overly angry at all. He actually had, I feel, the right amount of frustration and anger considering the situation he was in. His interactions with Harry and the others, he seemed quite friendly and quiet.
Atmosphere - 4
The setting starts in a secluded, desert town. Normally, I really do not vibe with desert settings (I'm looking directly at you Nevernight). I think it has to do with me being more interested in oceans and forests, however, in this book I felt like there was a real love towards the desert and mountainous surroundings that was easy to feel and buy into. The heat of the desert and harshness that can come with it wasn't presented as an inherent antagonist to the characters. I think this feeling was also why I enjoyed the desert setting in An Ember in the Ashes. The desert is the most stand out setting, the rest was more basic and stereotypical forests.
Plot - 3
The plot here is not a complex one, but I think that'd do well for those who aren't wanting an epic fantasy. It follows the chosen one arc, while have training scenes that were enjoyable. There was also some slight romance and tension, but not overly done. It was a simple, easy plot.
Ending - 3.5
The battle wasn't very long for how life threatening the antagonist was made out to be. But with this story, the battle wasn't the main focus in my opinion. Harry and Corlath were and they were fun. So I'll forgive a lackluster ending.
Style - 4
There were some intersting writing choices that were done. POVs will switch within the same chapter, and sometimes from paragraph to paragraph. That might seen extreme, and the first time it happens you might have to double read to understand that the perspective changed. But, for how short of a book this is, I found it to be helpful to get all the info we need in a timely manner. Sonce I'm nosey by nature, I like knowing what everyone is thinking, but I'm not patient enough to want or need a full chapter dedicated to a POV. So, this worked for me and I was surprised at how it didn't end up confusing me.
Overall - 3.8 rounded 4
This book was a surprise. It was a random library pickup because I wanted to read nore classic YAish fantasy, and I quite enjoyed it. It's a standalone and leans heavily into the chosen one trope, which I haven't read a true chosen one story in a hot minute. It is also a trope that I find to be satisfying with lots of payoffs. I can also see the bones and influence this story had on modern YA fantasies, and I like seeing other authors' influences. This does have its dated themes that will lower some of the enjoyment, particularly in the beginning.
Start - 3.5
It has heavy colonialism tendencies and white saviorish feelings. I'm telling you this at the start because I didn't know going in and I know others would like to know that beforehand. It's dated and had my eyes rolling, but if you're looking for classic YA and still want to try this out, once the beginning was it was easier to sink into the world and characters. The beginning was my least favorite section, but that just means it got better as it went on.
Characters - 4
Harry is an interesting protagonist. She obviously follows some typical "chosen one" plot beats, but her feelings about the events happening around her jumped out as very clear to me. She has a lot to process, but she's also honest about the things she doesn't want to process in the moment. She is also interesting because she was never presented as a damsel even when she was in distress. Plus there was a very stereotypical damsely kind of scene that happens as the inciting incident, but in honesty, those scenes where just fun because I wasn't expected anything like that to happen. She also was always expected to have to take up responsibility and fight. Plus she has a cat and what more can I really ask for besides that.
Corlath, now he was a perspective I did not expect to get, but I'm glad we did. He was described as having a power that made him overly aggressive and easy to anger, but I didn't feel that when we saw him interact that he was overly angry at all. He actually had, I feel, the right amount of frustration and anger considering the situation he was in. His interactions with Harry and the others, he seemed quite friendly and quiet.
Atmosphere - 4
The setting starts in a secluded, desert town. Normally, I really do not vibe with desert settings (I'm looking directly at you Nevernight). I think it has to do with me being more interested in oceans and forests, however, in this book I felt like there was a real love towards the desert and mountainous surroundings that was easy to feel and buy into. The heat of the desert and harshness that can come with it wasn't presented as an inherent antagonist to the characters. I think this feeling was also why I enjoyed the desert setting in An Ember in the Ashes. The desert is the most stand out setting, the rest was more basic and stereotypical forests.
Plot - 3
The plot here is not a complex one, but I think that'd do well for those who aren't wanting an epic fantasy. It follows the chosen one arc, while have training scenes that were enjoyable. There was also some slight romance and tension, but not overly done. It was a simple, easy plot.
Ending - 3.5
The battle wasn't very long for how life threatening the antagonist was made out to be. But with this story, the battle wasn't the main focus in my opinion. Harry and Corlath were and they were fun. So I'll forgive a lackluster ending.
Style - 4
There were some intersting writing choices that were done. POVs will switch within the same chapter, and sometimes from paragraph to paragraph. That might seen extreme, and the first time it happens you might have to double read to understand that the perspective changed. But, for how short of a book this is, I found it to be helpful to get all the info we need in a timely manner. Sonce I'm nosey by nature, I like knowing what everyone is thinking, but I'm not patient enough to want or need a full chapter dedicated to a POV. So, this worked for me and I was surprised at how it didn't end up confusing me.
Overall - 3.8 rounded 4
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Colonisation, and Kidnapping
Minor: Blood