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Liked It “The Hero and the Crown is McKinley's second book in the Damar series (however long that will be), though it is the prequel to The Blue Sword. I like this one just a bit better. Aerin is first sol (which roughly translates to Princess) of Damar and, unlike the rest of her family, seems entirely...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“The Hero and the Crown is McKinley's second book in the Damar series (however long that will be), though it is the prequel to The Blue Sword. I like this one just a bit better. Aerin is first sol (which roughly translates to Princess) of Damar and, unlike the rest of her family, seems entirely devoid of a magical gift. So she is searching for some way to prove herself and, due to a well aimed taunt and some interesting recipes, becomes a dragon slayer. Of course, that means the dragons start showing up in full force, the kingdom of Damar is under threat from the Northern Demons and Aerin is the only one who can do anything about it. After nearly getting herself killed, twice, Aerin fulfilled her role and finds out that her life is far more complicated and magical than she could have known.
Liz S wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
As I've said before, McKinley's strength lies in her characters. Damar is one of the few places where she sets her stories that has its own history and existence and such; usually they're just in a kingdom somewhere. But Aerin is a marvelous heroine, with whom it is impossible not to identify. She is a twist on the usual princess, not just because she is an outcast, but because she is proactive. Women were never proactive in fantasy novels until McKinley and Tamora Pierce started writing. Aerin, in particular, is so lovable because her problems are real. I could actually sympathize with her position as first sol, which is a change from my usual scoff of "I wish I had your problems".
McKinley also does her readers the great service of making the romantic aspect of the story surprising. Having a painfully obvious romantic trajectory is acceptable for Jane Austen, but it is nice to see a bit of creativity in the more modern folk and McKinley provides just that. I thought I knew how the romance was going to turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised (especially as this was not the first time I had read this book. The first time in about seven years, though.) And the bittersweetness of Aerin's life is pretty much encapsulated in that.
I am, I'll admit, biased when reviewing my favorite authors. I've always been a littls suspicious of McKinley's heroines as the same sort keep popping up in vastly different stories. Still, they are excellent heroines and we could use more like them.
This is definitely my favorite of the two Damar books and it comes highly recommended, especially for any girl (such as myself) who spent her childhood searching for female leads who were not pathetic. As you might note, that search means that said female leads take up a disproportionate number of books on this shelf.”“This is a book if you like adventure, dragons and heroines. A true wow!!!!!!!!”
Ally N wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I enjoyed this book, but I felt that it sort of went in a different direction after the first half. So the second half of the book has a very different feel to it. Nevertheless, it was a good book.”
Tabetha S wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“A very good book about a girl who slays dragons”
Dr. S wrote this review Tuesday, November 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Prequel to The Blue Sword”
Elden wrote this review Tuesday, October 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“I love fantasy, particularly with dragons and horses so this book had a special appeal to me, especially because it is so well written. Thus it really upset me to have to give it only two stars but I really can't recommend this, rather I would discourage anyone who is wondering not to read it. None of the characters have good morals and the very themes of the book are unbiblical. The romance is very inappropriate so I wish I had not read it.”
Charlotte H wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I enjoyed this book enough to tear through it in a weekend. I did find the editing to be a bit lacking, long sentences linked by the word "and" abounded throughout. The story, however, was wonderful. The characters were well written. All in all, a great read.”
Liz wrote this review Monday, September 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Erin is one of my favorite heroines ever! Also, her horse Talat is (I think) one of the most wonderful animal characters in book history (If you want to try and prove me wrong, go ahead!). I think it dragged on a bit at times, and it was kinda sad, but it is now one of my favorite books! ”
Jane B wrote this review Saturday, September 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I liked this book and had a hard time waiting to be able to read the whole series.”
Kari B wrote this review Thursday, September 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
