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clevermird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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? No
3.25
This book was very hard for me to review because I have such mixed feelings about it.
Hundreds of years before The Blue Sword, Aerin is not yet Aerin-Sol, the Lady Hero. Instead, she's just Lady Aerin, the daughter of the king's second wife - a witch from the north who the citizens of Damar still distrust. She doesn't look like the rest of the royal family and her magical ability is nonexistent. Even her legendary title, "Dragon Killer" is more of an insult at this point: dragons are pests, a bit dangerous, but not worthy of any of the more important courtiers' time. But when a true threat arrives to endanger her homeland, Aerin and the injured warhorse that she rehabilitated will do anything to keep Damar safe, even if it means standing alone against a monster thought to be myth.
The first half of this book was great. Damar of this era looks quite different than the one that Harry and Corlath inhabit, but it was fun to see the changes that Aerin's actions bring, and some of the ways in which the legends built. I thought it was quite well done, as were the parallels and contrasts between Aerin and Harry and her slow building from awkward, forgotten teenager to heroic young woman was quite satisfying.
However, there is a point where the book drops off significantly, I'd say around the time Luthe appears. The plot becomes less clear, with lots of things seeming to "just happen" and I actually still do not understand how one of the major villains was defeated - while the actions that took place were clear enough, the reason that they had the effects they did was never explained. Some of this is explicable as Aerin passing from normalcy to legend, her adventures becoming the mythical ones for which she will eventually be known, but the book started to lose me by the end.
Worse still is the resolution to the love triangle. Spoiler alert going forward, if you really don't want spoilers, skip to the last paragraph:
At the end of the book, a newly-immortal Aerin finds herself with feelings for both Tor, her father's heir, and Luthe, the ageless magician who we will later meet in The Blue Sword. Her solution is to marry Tor, with the understanding between her and Luthe that she will return to him after Tor dies of old age. While there is some logic in her choice, I couldn't help but find it unsatisfyingly mercenary, even more so because it's not clear if Tor is aware that she's already picked out who she's going to get with when he dies.
In the end, The Hero and the Crown's first half is too good for a bad rating, but the later portion taints it enough that I can't really recommend it, either. A decent read for fans of The Blue Sword who want to see more of Aerin, but not necessarily worth it for anyone else.
Hundreds of years before The Blue Sword, Aerin is not yet Aerin-Sol, the Lady Hero. Instead, she's just Lady Aerin, the daughter of the king's second wife - a witch from the north who the citizens of Damar still distrust. She doesn't look like the rest of the royal family and her magical ability is nonexistent. Even her legendary title, "Dragon Killer" is more of an insult at this point: dragons are pests, a bit dangerous, but not worthy of any of the more important courtiers' time. But when a true threat arrives to endanger her homeland, Aerin and the injured warhorse that she rehabilitated will do anything to keep Damar safe, even if it means standing alone against a monster thought to be myth.
The first half of this book was great. Damar of this era looks quite different than the one that Harry and Corlath inhabit, but it was fun to see the changes that Aerin's actions bring, and some of the ways in which the legends built. I thought it was quite well done, as were the parallels and contrasts between Aerin and Harry and her slow building from awkward, forgotten teenager to heroic young woman was quite satisfying.
However, there is a point where the book drops off significantly, I'd say around the time Luthe appears. The plot becomes less clear, with lots of things seeming to "just happen" and I actually still do not understand how one of the major villains was defeated - while the actions that took place were clear enough, the reason that they had the effects they did was never explained. Some of this is explicable as Aerin passing from normalcy to legend, her adventures becoming the mythical ones for which she will eventually be known, but the book started to lose me by the end.
Worse still is the resolution to the love triangle. Spoiler alert going forward, if you really don't want spoilers, skip to the last paragraph:
At the end of the book, a newly-immortal Aerin finds herself with feelings for both Tor, her father's heir, and Luthe, the ageless magician who we will later meet in The Blue Sword. Her solution is to marry Tor, with the understanding between her and Luthe that she will return to him after Tor dies of old age. While there is some logic in her choice, I couldn't help but find it unsatisfyingly mercenary, even more so because it's not clear if Tor is aware that she's already picked out who she's going to get with when he dies.
In the end, The Hero and the Crown's first half is too good for a bad rating, but the later portion taints it enough that I can't really recommend it, either. A decent read for fans of The Blue Sword who want to see more of Aerin, but not necessarily worth it for anyone else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Incest
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