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• I bought this book specifically because I liked The Blue Sword, and this was an origin story. But where The Blue Sword was thrilling with just the right amount of conflict and challenge, this one seemed to have one blow after the other for poor Aerin. She's lovely, and I love the feminist theme of the book, but I don't enjoy sad novels. I mean, sure, this one has a happy ending, but after reading about every blow the protagonist received, I got tired of it after a while. I'd recommend this book to people who love plots with a lot of conflict and sadness, after which the ending is happy.

• It's not often that a sequel surpasses the original...not when the original is as good as The Blue Sword. I have The Hero & the Crown in book form, but couldn't pass the opportunity to get one of my favourite books on my ebook device. It's a pity there is not the scope to give it more than five stars...

• I loved the heroine and the courage, tenacity and love she brought I loved her connection with the animals I loved the magic of her story and all she faced and defeated in such a human way

• DISCLAIMER: The following review was originally posted on my book blog (link in bio). I like Robin McKinley's writing style. It may not be suitable for all readers but it somehow suits me and my reading taste. I have liked her twists on old familiar-to-all fairy tales, I have liked her tries at horror and now I found myself also really liking this (young adult) fantasy story where one actually does go off killing the dragons and doesn't befriend them instead. I really like how McKinley doesn't exactly say a lot, but somehow the reader manages to get into the main character's head and understand them and root for them and their quests. Aerin is most definitely a strong character and I think she portrays perfectly how girls/women can be heroes, too. And seeing as how this book was first published in 1984, this book must have been a really rare find in the world of fantasy as well. Aerin may not think herself pretty or graceful, but she is hard-working and I think everyone can root for characters like that. Almost everyone else in the court has magic, but she doesn't. Her mother was considered a witch and now she's called a witch's daughter even though she has no magic herself. All she has is a great deal of perseverance and determination, and some luck on her side. I really enjoyed the book and I loved that I could both read and listen to it very easily thanks to Whispersync, but I have to admit that I didn't quite understand the small romance subplot in the book as McKinley twisted it a bit in a way that I didn't particularly like. Although the romance subplot ended the way I predicted at first, I didn't like a small part of it somewhere around 80% in or so where I kind of feared that my initial prediction might not come true after all. Maybe if the book had been slightly longer, I would've understood it better ...

• A wonderful story told in such a beautiful manner. Artful weaving of sweepingly dramatic visuals with powerful but simple sentences. The sad, poignant, lead character with a wry sense of humour brings the story to life effortlessly .I absolutely recommend this book.

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