Don't judge a book by it's cover. . . My mom saw me reading this when we were at the condo in Grand Targhee and said "That book looks awful." Well. . . not quite. I have to admit, that some of the other covers I've seen for this book are much more appealing, and maybe if I'd gotten one of those other covers I might have been a little more excited to jump into this book. When I started reading this book I was distracted and busy, and I had a hard time getting into it. Then, once I picked up and I became more interested, I decided to set it aside so I could read Fire of the Covenant for trek. After trek I decided to finish it, and I had a hard time getting back into it. It's not a bad book, I just think I didn't really give a fair shot. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley is a fantasy/adventure book set in a distant time and land. The main character, Harry Crewe is a recently orphaned girl who is kidnapped and drugged in the middle of the night. As she travels with her captors to a new land, she discovers power and strength within herself that is both mysterious and magical. I struggled with the author's writing style, and I found the way she introduced the mythology of the land and it's people to be confusing. That said, I really liked Harry---a flawed heroine, and I enjoyed the magical world she created. I also enjoyed the battle at the end of the book and the decisions that brought Harry to that point. This was a mixed review. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I won't be rushing out to read the sequel. However, I will probably read more of this author in the future.
By the way, I have read and enjoyed two books by Shannon Hale (Goose Girl and Enna Burning), and I found a few striking similarities between these books. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Shannon Hale had read The Blue Sword and found a little bit of inspiration.
1 comment:
Is this the one that starts with Harry staring at a glass of orange juice? I'm pretty sure I had a hard time with this one initially too, but I love Robin McKinley. You really should give her another try and I personally liked The Hero and the Crown much better. Technically it's the sequel but it takes place before The Blue Sword and for the most part is a much smoother read. I also loved Beauty by her. Not all her books are great, but as a teenager, I loved them.
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