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Summary: A great teen fantasy!
Review: Ok,this is the best book ever. I got it for Christmas and at first I didn't want to read it at all. It was a rainy afternoon when I first picked it up. I could not put it down after that. It is about a young girl named Aerin who is the daugher of a king. Her fathers first wife died and he remarried and had Aerin. The town is afraid of Aerin because her mother is beleived to be a which. She sopposedly died when she found out Aerin was a girl and not a boy. Aerin never thought that she fit in. The only friend she really has is Tor, her cousin. I really began to know the characters as the book went on. She goes on and has adventures. It is a story about love, bravery, and truth. It is a wonderful book and McKinley is now my favorite author. I recomend this book highly if you like stories where the girls can save themselves. It is a wonderful book and after you read it, definately pick up The Blue Sword.... the sequel. I love Robin McKinley!!! Enjoy and read all of her books!
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Summary: An amazing book by any criteria
Review: I was given a copy of this book when I was in sixth grade. I'm 24 now, and I've easily read it twenty times. I do a lot of reading in all genres, and this is the only book that I can return to again and again. I loved it when I was eleven, but I was older before I "got" it. It is feminist in nature, but not overtly so... it is more a story of discovering yourself no matter who you are.
McKinley's prose is beautiful, evocative, and completely appropriate in a fantasy context. Aerin, the heroine, is developed with care and affection. And by no means is this your standard formula fairy tale. The plot deals with pain, power, rejection, and the greyness between good and evil.
Though "The Blue Sword," which takes place in the same universe, is an excellent book, I think that "The Hero and the Crown" is my number one reccomendation for fantasy fans.
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Summary: One of my all time favorite fantasy books
Review: I read this book for the first time in middle school and over the years I've re-read it numerous times (um, its been a long while since middle school). Each time I read it I still felt like it was a great story. I'm finally going to add it to my personal library. And I know I'll continue reading it. I recommend any of her books but this one is still my favorite.
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Summary: An original fairy tale...
Review: The Hero and the Crown is an extraordinary book that's bound to be a classic!The main character, Aerin, is a strong female with perserverance that eventually leads her into a new corridor in her life where she must learn to develop her powers as well as rid her kingdom of fierce dragons. The kingdom where the story takes place is so imaginative and their customs are well developed. I especially love this book because I'm a fan of culture, history, adventure, and hard-hitting females who make it big in the world. The story becomes a legend to me and seems so real after you've read the book. It's almost as if the place where the book takes place existed and their battles were real. The legend wove its way into my heart making it a more than worthwhile read. I highyl reccomend this book to ALL young adults and teens looking for an intriguing read you'll never be able to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: Hmm...as always, hehe
Review: Well, I read The Blue Sword first, and I loved it. Then I read this, and I found it almost as wonderful as the Blue Sword. Aerin (Yay, I remember her name, I'm so horrible with them), daughter of a king in some kingdom, turns out to be a great warrior and sort of a tomboy, as she likes to destroy dragons, unlike the other feminine ladies of the court, and most people find her behavior unappropriate. Well, she doesn't care what they think. She sets off on a great adventure, and the tale goes on to explain what happens when she meets this wizard guy and how she battles one of the greatest foes of the kingdom...Good book, but the romance wasn't as great as it was in the Blue Sword. It was too strong or something. But it was still very good.
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Summary: McKinley is a hero
Review: Have you ever read a book as a child that still managed to resonate as an adult? "Hero and the Crown" was one such book for me. I can still remember reading it as an 11 year old, and presenting a shoe box diorama of the showdown between Aerin and the Dragon in my reading class. While the strong feminist principles were not quite understood as an 11 year old, they are today. Even re-reading it now, you cheer for Aerin as she begins to understand her place in the world, and how what others say really doesn't matter. She longs to be more than the sum of her parts, and proves to be more than capable not only to herself, but to her father and the Damarians. Great example of Robin McKinley's writing, that transcends age and sex, and is a worthy adventure/fantasy for everyone.
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Summary: Dragon's Bane
Review: The first part of a two-part historical fantasy, The Hero and the Crown won Robin McKinley a well-deserved Newbery Award. The land of Damar will captivate you and linger with you long after you close the book. McKinley's writing and style are exceptional. Let's face it, authors do not write like this anymore - even she doesn't anymore. All the more reason to treasure these intoxicating worlds of words. The titular Hero is actually a heroine, Aerin, an shunned princess of Damar. From the beginning, life is not good for Aerin and sets the dark mood of the novel. She's the only royal who is not magical - a very strange occurrence for a Damarian. Additionally, her late mother's dubious reputation has cast a shadow on the daughter. Her only allies are Tor, a cousin, and her maimed horse, Talat. A dragon is tormenting Damarians and Aerin sets out to prove her worth to her people. Her preparations, struggles, and failures are heart-breaking. McKinley's superior descriptive skills are very much in evidence throughout the book. From the moment you begin reading, her words cast a spell, drawing readers into her world like a vortex. It's so easy to empathize with Aerin as she fights every step of the way to finding herself. This journey leads her to a mage, Luthe, and further battles. There is a sense of constant action, when in fact there are not many actual combats. Aerin's search for purpose, identity is so strong every sentence carried the weight of a sword-clashing charge. The final course of the plot and characters weren't quite to my liking as a romantic teen when I first read Hero, but the inevitability and *rightness* of it comes with a realistic sense of bittersweetness and maturity. I hesitated to write this review at all because I was (and am) afraid I may dissuade a reader from trying this excellent author, but I believe other reviews speak just as strongly in its favor as this one is attempting to. The more I consider Robin McKinley, the more I believe she isn't so much a young adult author as simply an adult one. Her text and content are fit for an adolescent age bracket, but to get the most of her best work, a great deal more maturity is helpful. I'm still learning from these "kid's" books well into my twenties. These are the kind of books that grow up with you and continue to enlighten, comfort, and push you. Another favorite is the sequel, The Blue Sword.
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Summary: The best book by the best author
Review: For a fantasy-lover who has read everything from Robert Jordan and Melanie Rawn to David Eddings and Mercedes Lackey, this is a big thing to say. I'm saying it. ROBIN MCKINLEY IS THE BEST AUTHOR! Not just fantasy, although she's really good in that; but in literary stuff. Her writing is superb. And, by the way, she's a really great lady too. I wrote a fan letter to her (I didn't know she was in the middle of writing a novel) and she took time off from it to reply in a one-page letter and even give me some advice on the book I'm writing! Anyway, Aerin-sol is THE HEROINE of all fantasy literature. Not just for teenage girls. I'm nearly fourteen, and I love her (I have since I was eight) and my mom loves Robin McKinley's stuff too. I don't know how many copies of The Hero and the Crown we have. Aerin and Tor, Luthe and Talat, even Galanna, are so believable. They're real people, and the story grabs you right in and holds you there. The villains (Maur and Agsded) are incredibly villainous; the love-scenes are very good, not overdone (which is one mark of sloppy writing, and Robin McKinley definately isn't a sloppy writer); the problems are real and the characters engaging. This is getting to be a really long review so I'll just end now, although I continue to sing Robin McKinley's praises.
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Summary: 3 Reasons Why You Should Read It
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I read The Hero and the Crown in the age of ten. When I read it then, I didn't understand it that well and the tiny letters hurt my eyes (I wear very, very thick glasses). I read it again and again; the story was enchanting more than anything; this book motivated me to write. After I read this book I was crazy about Aerin-sol. She's the princess of Damar but called witchwoman's daughter. I felt kind of dreamy while reading this book.
I'm a little sorry for Luthe. But the ending was BEAUTIFUL. This is a must-read for any reader. I'm twelve now and I've read this book about seven times. It still amazes me.
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