[.ca] Hero And The Crown (ISBN 0441013058)

Witchwoman's Daughter:
"The Hero and the Crown" is a beautifully written tale that creates a whole new world for readers. Aerin, the daughter of the rumored "witchwoman" and of the current king, is at best an awkward princess who'd like nothing better than to stay hidden from the rest of the world, or at least the rest of the castle. But her pride leads her to declare herself and find a place despite the constant disapproval, and hatred of certain other nobles. While dragons existed, it was believed that all of the old and powerful dragons had been killed off. Then a man comes riding in to the king's court, speaking of a great black dragon that could destroy a village in a single breath. The king, hands full with a pending battle, ignores the threat, but Aerin doesn't. She goes alone to meet the dragon, but the task ends up being harder than she could ever have imagined. Is Aerin up to it?

Truly SATISFYING and FRESH fantasy & characters:
Robin McKinley's books aren't exactly what I would recommend to anyone who is a big battle fanatic. They do have their battles (the final battle between Aerin and the man in the red room and the battle between the Damarians and the Northerners) but it doesn't take over the whole book. There is just enough of a battle to make the book filling, not overwhelming. You can truly see the battle for what it is and the just cause it is being fought for. But in my opinion, they are all the better because of the lack of long, drawn-out, extremely detailed, horribly gory battles! There isn't constant action from scene to scene, you get to know the characters instead, possibly even better than they know themselves. This book is also about discovering the true nature of Aerin and finding ourselves in the process. We find out about their history, there is a great insight into why they are who they are. And I love the horse aspect, I LOVE horses! I own several and have applied the method of riding that Aerin and Harry use to my own horses. The leg thing really does work. Both Damar books are for horse lovers and those who want to know the misfit characters for the genuine, real and wonderful characters that they are. We see wrongs being made right, people coming together in friendship and love and we are able to see a lot of GOODNESS in the process. Anyone who has been ostracized, left out from the crowd, never felt like they quite fit in, these books are for them. It shows what a strong character people like that can have and how, in many ways, they are stronger than those who have not had the same hardships. After all, it was the misfits with the strongest "kelar" and the ones who defeated the gravest of enemies! This referring to both this book and The Blue Sword also by Robin McKinley. Aerin is a great character and I would not pass up the experience of following her through all her hardships, it just might teach you something if you do! The thing about Robin McKinley's characters is that they are REAL, you can almost become a personal friend of theirs just by reading these books. They are very approachable characters and your copies of these books will become dog-eared and tattered from reading just like mine have! I also recommend The Blue Sword in addition to this, it takes up the story 500 years after Aerin's time, but still we meet up with some old friends again!

The Masterpiece:
The Hero and the Crown is an amazing book. I read it when I was quite young but still enjoyed it a great amount. It is a book I still remember from three years ago as an amazingly written and engaging story. I found the Hero and the Crown to be better than the Blue Sword, but my friend thinks otherwise and so you can't trust me entirely on that point. If you enjoy this book I suggest you also read the Golden Compass, another captivating story.

One of the greatest stories ever told:
This is an epic story of love and girl power. I cry when I read this book it's truly like camelot all over again. I think I read this book 28 times. It and Blue sword are just wonderful.

3 Reasons Why You Should Read It:
Should be considered mandatory reading for every girl from ages 9-15 (no, make that 4-100). I've read this book every year for the past, oh, ten or so years. Robyn McKinley's characters are incredibly complex for a young adult story (and quite honestly, I didn't realize it was considered young adult until i had to replace my battered and much beloved copy a couple of years ago and couldn't find her in the regular fantasy section). Ok, so it does have a woman with a sword on the cover. For those who aren't immediately interested in the fantasy genre, it's probably off-putting. But for those who can read fantasy, they'll find a young woman who has had to learn self reliance, practically from the first chapter. She actually does face the dragon no one else can. And the story doesn't end with her cataclysmic fight. The perfect prince doesn't exist, rather there are two very real men that both love the main character. McKinley doesn't waste time on creating the fairy tale ending - or rather, she complicates every traditional fantasy assumption. 1. The writing. There are writers who have great content, but use words unimaginatively; there are writers who have a delicate and subtle grasp on language, but have boring or atrocious stories; and there are those, rare and few, who can do both. Create human characters and beautiful prose. McKinley is one of them. She is a true prose writer - some of her writing verges on poetry. Every line is constructed with a particular cadence and measure. That, itself, is worth the reading. Most authors can't keep up that kind of style. 2. The story. There's everything right with a story that starts out conventionally wrong. Some critics say this book doesn't get going until the middle. They're totally misguided: the story starts the reader with enough questions to choke a horse (the best way to begin, to challenge interest, to retain a reader). Its structure is well developed and unique. The extended flashback that comprises the first act of the book is masterful. McKinley unfolds a tale, rather than wasting pages and pages on exposition. 3. The characters. Don't exist in a vacuum. Aren't archetypes. Have moods. Can hold two thoughts in their head at once. Have consistent personalities. Act impulsively. The good ones are people you'd like to get to know better. And, honestly, in a genre that continues to be dominated by sword toting men and the women who follow them, this is a book about a girl who chooses her own way. Who doesn't shy from the right (but dangerous, scary, and painful) path. As a woman it does get tiring reading the male perspective day in and day out. Oh hell. Go out and buy it. You'll find it absolutely worthwhile.