Reviews

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

tregina's review against another edition

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5.0

I've read this book so many times I'm pretty sure I know entire sections word for word. It's the only book I had taken with me on vacation when our house burnt down over twenty years ago, and thus is the oldest and maybe dearest book I own. I'm not going to say it's perfect, but it's so special to me (and, don't get me wrong, very good) that I can't give it anything but a five.

ellis_eden's review against another edition

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4.0

#teamluthe

bewitchedandbewildered's review against another edition

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3.0

I had to read this for school but Overall it's really enjoyable and I want to read the rest of the series.

sillyman2453's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

curiousbibliophile's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

emberise's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Really strong character-driven plot in the first half, then descends into plot-driven characters in the second half. Disappointing ending.

catmegz's review against another edition

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5.0

An excellent prequel to The Blue Sword.

rrobinson2025's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved this story. It had so many comforting and familiar elements in it and I don't know why this sat on my tbr for so long! I loved the Aerin in this with her brains and her love for her father's old war horse. Her growth from a wallflower princess to a savior queen is something I will never tire of. I would have liked to see more from her and Luthe. Looking forward to reading The Blue Sword!

emath98's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

rlisaacs's review against another edition

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4.0

Shout out to Maddie, who recommended this to me and then lent me her copy so I could read it. I really loved this book!

Ever since "How to Train Your Dragon" came out, and even before that, I've loved stories with dragons, and have looked for books that might include them in the sense of companions, or even shifters that turn into dragons. This book obviously steers from that a bit, in that the dragons are bad guys. But I still loved this book. I loved Aerin. I loved Aerin's relationship to Talat, the horse. And though we saw him but briefly, I liked Luthe as well.

Can't wait to read "The Blue Sword". (Maddie has also lent me her copy of that as well. That is actually listed here as being the first book, but she told me that this one is the one that takes places first, so that is why I read this one first.)