Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jennicjul 's review for:
The Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
I hadn't read The Hero and the Crown since high school, so when I found it on my YA shelf recently, I wanted to revisit what I remembered to be one of the better fantasy books I read at the age of fifteen. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, the book has become more powerful, more nuanced, and more eloquent as I've gotten older. I may appreciate these qualities more now than I did then.
People will say that the protagonist Aerin is a good "role model" for girls, but I don't really like the term "role model" when it comes to female literary characters. As a teenage girl, I didn't want a role model. What I wanted was to read about fully-realized, well-crafted female characters with their own dreams and desires, their own flaws and shortcomings. Aerin is that character. Though brave and intuitive, she is constantly running up against her own insecurities, fighting back the bitterness brought on from feeling out of place in her king father's country. The book is just as much about overcoming these obstacles as it is battling dragons.
The structure of the novel is not perfect. As in many fantasy stories, the narrative sags a bit in the middle with the sudden introduction of a new character, Luthe, who becomes Aerin's mentor. I didn't connect with him as much as the story probably wanted me to. Overall, whenever the plot moved outside the City, I was always anxious to get back to the characters I was familiar with.
In all, this is a great young adult read. McKinley is quite skilled as a writer. Her landscapes are lush with detail, and she knows how to strike the right emotional tenor in each scene.
People will say that the protagonist Aerin is a good "role model" for girls, but I don't really like the term "role model" when it comes to female literary characters. As a teenage girl, I didn't want a role model. What I wanted was to read about fully-realized, well-crafted female characters with their own dreams and desires, their own flaws and shortcomings. Aerin is that character. Though brave and intuitive, she is constantly running up against her own insecurities, fighting back the bitterness brought on from feeling out of place in her king father's country. The book is just as much about overcoming these obstacles as it is battling dragons.
The structure of the novel is not perfect. As in many fantasy stories, the narrative sags a bit in the middle with the sudden introduction of a new character, Luthe, who becomes Aerin's mentor. I didn't connect with him as much as the story probably wanted me to. Overall, whenever the plot moved outside the City, I was always anxious to get back to the characters I was familiar with.
In all, this is a great young adult read. McKinley is quite skilled as a writer. Her landscapes are lush with detail, and she knows how to strike the right emotional tenor in each scene.