Rating: 
Summary: A dark, many layered book.
Review: "The Hero and the Crown" is the darkest of McKinley's books, but in some ways the best. While it lacks the sweet magical charm that makes "Beauty" so enjoyable, it is in many ways more satisfying. The world of Damar is much darker in this book then it is in "The Blue Sword" and the tension can almost be seen, seeping from underneath. The writing is, I think, some of the best I've ever seen. It draws you right away into Damar, and does not allow you to escape it: a feeling which at times is uncomfortable. The book haunted me for days.
The presance of Aerin's motherr is always felt, lingering in the background, and influencing her relationship with everyone. There are many symbols and events in the book that are only tuched on, leaving you with the feeling that there is infenitly more then what is there, floating on the surface
Rating:
Summary: A tale of two kingdoms...
Review: 'The Hero and the Crown' was the first book I read by Robin McKinley - a strategy I wouldn`t recommend anyone else putting in practice, because after this the others seem almost flat in comparison. Stark and almost unbearably intense, the book draws the reader into Damar with a cold plunge, quickly dispelling any ideas you might have had that this was going to be a cheerful foray into the forest for some classic dragon-hunting. Fresh as I was from the simple, forthright approaches to fantasy by authors such as David Eddings or Terry Brooks, I was totally unprepared for the shock of impact. After the first reading, I found the book overly disturbing, dark and indefinable. Now, however, after reading it twice since then I came to love the book as well as respect it, and to appreciate the gritty realism and dark enchantment that makes this more than a fantasy: it can easily be applied to any time, anywhere. The characters are more vivid than most other authors have ever managed to convey, and they never cease to develop and change as the story progresses. One should never feel safe in judging Robin McKinley`s characters, because something to change your mind again is always just around the corner. The only fitting comparison I`ve ever found in fantasy literature are the characters in Melanie Rawn`s 'Ruins of Ambrai'. I have only one complaint to make, and that is the story`s approach to `the enemy`. I think the experience of watching Aerin defeat Agsded would have made a deeper impression if we knew more about him: his personality before and after he became corrupted, and so on. It seems one of the author`s unshakeable principles to never develop the enemy, a character which in many books is the most interesting; and this considered it seems a shame, since few are capable of creating characters quite like Robin McKinley
Rating:
Summary: I still read it after all this time!
Review: I first picked up this book when I was but a child, and I have read it at least once every year since then. This book is magic. Aerin is a courageous heroin who will stop at nothing to meet her goals. There is everything in this story: a likable and believable heroin, a mysterious wizard, dark mages, dragons, and all the four-legged beasties that we love. Read it if you're 9, read it if you're 49. Just read it
Rating:
Summary: The best fantasy book I've ever read, period.
Review: I read "Beauty" four years ago, and only last year found out Robin McKinley had written more... and I'm so thankful she has! Believable characters and an imaginative storyline coupled with McKinley's wonderful gift of description make this fairy tale a modern classic. Aerin fights dragons and goes on a quest for the Hero's Crown, but that's just the beginning. Read it if you're young, so you can return to it for your own kids. Read it if you're old, so you can share it with someone else. Read it if you're in between, just for yourself. You'll be thankful for Robin McKinley too
Rating:
Summary: I love this book as much now as when I was twelve.
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite books. I first read it when I was twelve, and I still re-read it when I need a comfort book. If you're a kid, read it; if you're a grownup, read it; if you have a young daughter (especially if she thinks she's clumsy and ugly and doesn't fit in), read it to her
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful, graceful, and almost theriputic book.
Review: The Hero and the Crown is an awsome work. It has everything: dragons, evil mages, lonley kings, magical battles, fierce princessses, and, of course, romance. Amazingly, this book ties all these fantastic elements together in a way that makes them seem natural and graceful. The Hero and the Crown has not only captured my imagination and my heart, but also something fundemental about human nature
Rating: 
Summary: Read it aloud yourself, instead.
Review: The book in print is magical, evocative, and lyrical. The audiotapes are leaden and so disappointing. The voices for
the main characters are wrong, wrong, wrong. The female
sounds wimpy and trapped in a bad sitcom, while the male
lead sounds like he has hair on his knuckles. If you really want a good fantasy on tape, buy something
read by Flo Gibson. If you like McKinley, you will enjoy
the E.E. Nesbit books, such as "Five Children and It," and
"The Enchanted Castle," both excellently read
Rating:
Summary: The Masterpiece
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Truly SATISFYING and FRESH fantasy & characters
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Worthy of Praise
Review: The Hero and the Crown is a truly pic fantasy in every sense of the word. McKinley spins a beautiful and rich universe which nonetheless awes and impresses. A favorite.
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