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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I just finished this book in one great gulp over the last 24 hours (in between the minding of my three children, two nieces, making a batch of cookies and some home made pizza etc etc). It was fantastic. McKinley is a master of fantasy writing - the characters never felt forced, I believed in her...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A newly orphaned young lady named Harry Crewe is sent to a far-away desert outpost of the Homelander empire where her brother is stationed in the military. She tries to settle into her new home amongst the unease that is brewing between the Homelanders, the Free Hillfolk of the desert, and the harsh Northerners who are said to not even be human. While experiencing her new surroundings, Harry is intrigued by the desert and the mysterious tales of magic that the Free Hillfolk are said to possess. The narrative gains interest when the king of the Free Hillfolk is compelled to kidnap Harry because her destiny is intertwined with the survival of his people. Harry learns to wield the Blue Sword of the legendary Lady Aerin in order to bring peace to the land. This story is full of lengthy descriptions of characters and the different settings. The pacing is slow, and it takes the story several chapters to become interesting. Some girls might be drawn to this story especially because it contains a female protagonist and a bit of romance. Fantasy readers who are drawn to long, epic tales might be like this story. ”
Jennilyn P wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Girl from England-ish country moves to imperial outpost in Afghanistan-ish country, and realizes her destiny as the savior of a people. An enjoyable read, and I probably would have liked it a lot had I read it as a younger girl. Harry made for an oddly inert heroine, being merely the vessel of larger powers beyond her understanding or control, but whatevs. Lots of adventures, ex: kidnapping by foxy prince, going through intensive horse-riding and sword-fighting training in mountains, making friends with a horse and kitty.”
Karam wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Well written and well crafted heroine tale. Not my favorite of McKinley's work (my favorite of hers will probably always be Beauty), but still pretty good.”
fantasylover12001 wrote this review Wednesday, October 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Very satisfying fantasy/adventure.”
Michelle J wrote this review Monday, October 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I enjoyed the deep characters in this book. The author does a wonderful job of helping you to really care about what the characters are feeling. I also love how strong the women are in the book. They are not pigeon holed into their roles. When something occurs in the main characters life, they respond in strong ways and guide the plot with their decisions. The one big downfall of the book is the plotting. The pace of the book is so slow! Because the book was so slow I had to put it down and come back to it several times. I would go as far as to say the plot is exceptionally slow, BUT otherwise interesting and enjoyable in the end.”
John B wrote this review Thursday, October 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Very good. I love how McKinley's characters are always tough girls. ”
Tera B wrote this review Tuesday, September 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“My number one favorite book. I have read it about 3 times through. I can pick it up anytime, flip to a random page and just get lost in it. Robin Mckinley is a master of fantasy. She wrote a new language, created a new world and culture and wove an amazing story in it. The book couldn't get any better in my opinion.”
Kat F wrote this review Friday, September 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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Dana W wrote this review Thursday, July 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is the first Damar book, however I read it after I read The Hero and the Crown. The author says she meant the prequel to show how Harry (it's the heroine's nickname) was trying to live up to a legend (Aerin) who was not as great as history thinks. Maybe it's because I read them out of order, or maybe it's because this book needed a few more details given to how the kelar works and what exactly Harry experiences when working her magice, but I fail to connect to it the way I do to Hero. It's a good read and if you are only going to read two McKinley books this and Hero should be those two. If you are only going to read one, go with Hero.”
Melissa L wrote this review Monday, July 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
