McKinley, Robin Books

Chalice

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

McKinley Goes McKillip 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Mirasol the beekeeper has unexpectedly become Chalice to a land in turmoil. Somehow she must hold her world together, and convince others to accept a Fire Priest as Master. McKinley creates for us an alternative medieval manor house, with Master and Circle tied to their demiese through magical earthlines.

This is a beautifully written almost poetical story, but if one is expecting the Robin McKinley of Spindle's End or The Blue Sword expect disappointment. The story moves gradually and repetitively. A skimmer will find this comforting, but the careful reader is left wondering if this book was sufficiently edited, or if the author was perhaps forced to expand from novella to novel length. There is little dialogue and a much of the McKinley wit we have all grown to expect and love is missing. Reading Chalice, it felt as though McKinley was getting in touch with her inner Patricia McKillip. Much is described, and most of it exquisitely and richly, but not very much actually happens. Please don't misconstrue, I adore McKillip, but it was a bit jarring to find her style coloring a McKinley novel.

However, one puts all expectations aside, Chalice provides a truly magical journey, leaving the reader satiated with imagery that lingers long after setting the book down. One's mind savors the flavor as one's mouth would the honey from Mirasol's chalice.

Editorial Review:

As the newly appointed Chalice, Mirasol is the most important member of the Master’s Circle. It is her duty to bind the Circle, the land and its people together with their new Master. But the new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, only drawn back into the human world by the sudden death of his brother. No one knows if it is even possible for him to live amongst his people. Mirasol wants the Master to have his chance, but her only training is as a beekeeper. How can she help settle their demesne during these troubled times and bind it to a Priest of Fire, the touch of whose hand can burn human flesh to the bone?

Robin McKinley weaves a captivating tale that reveals the healing power of duty and honor, love and honey.

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast

Robin Mckinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 242 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This much-loved retelling of the classic French tale Beauty and the Beast elicits the familiar magical charm, but is more believable and complex than the traditional story. In this version, Beauty is not as beautiful as her older sisters, who are both lovely and kind. Here, in fact, Beauty has no confidence in her appearance but takes pride in her own intelligence, her love of learning and books, and her talent in riding. She is the most competent of the three sisters, which proves essential when they are forced to retire to the country because of their father's financial ruin.

The plot follows that of the renowned legend: Beauty selflessly agrees to inhabit the Beast's castle to spare her father's life. Beauty's gradual acceptance of the Beast and the couple's deepening trust and affection are amplified in novel form. Robin McKinley's writing has the flavor of another century, and Beauty heightens the authenticity as a reliable and competent narrator.

This was McKinley's first book, written almost 20 years ago. Since that time she has been awarded the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and has delighted her fans with another retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fable, Rose Daughter. Still, McKinley's first novel has a special place in the hearts of her devoted readers, many of whom attest to relishing Beauty time and again. (Ages 11 to Adult)

Sunshine

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 315 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Burdened with excessive inner monologue 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I really wanted to like this book. The storyline was interesting and the character development was fine. I didn't even have a problem with the first person narrative as some readers do. The problem I do have is the rambling inner monologue that is simply never ending! I am halfway through the book and am now so frustrated by the monologue that I just can't bring myself to finish reading it.

Also, the author's use of analogies and similies is all over the map and mostly nonsensical. I spent so much time attempting to figure out the point she was trying to make. After a while I realized that my mind started wandering while I was reading the endless monologues so I figured there was no point in reading any further.

Sadly, this book had promise but I will not be coming back for seconds.

Editorial Review:

“A gripping, funny, page-turning, pretty much perfect work of magical literature” (Neil Gaiman)—first time in trade paperback.

There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it’s unwise to walk. But there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years, and Sunshine just needed a spot where she could be alone with her thoughts. Vampires never entered her mind.

Until they found her…

Blue Sword

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 232 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

One of the best in YA fantasy 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This Newbery Honor Book chronicles the adventures of Harry, a young girl who has just moved to Damar following the demise of both of her parents. Unexpectedly, Harry loves the desert land, but she dislikes her position as a ward. Little does she know what lies in store when the Hillfolk King, Corlath, comes for her in the night, but it is more than she ever dreamed.

Just like The Hero and the Crown, I loved this book. I was a bit worried when starting it, as it didn't seem to be close to the same and I'd got my hopes up. As soon as Corlath kidnapped Harry, though, I was hooked. McKinley has a style of writing that makes her books feel like fairy tales, completely enchanting and absorbing. It's so easy to feel Harry's emotions and get caught up in her story, just like I could feel for Aerin in the last book. These are also great books for young girls. The heroines are empowering and can take control of their own destinies. Harry is no exception; when she knows that she has to do something, she doesn't bow to the men in her life, and she accepts her possible fate.

Again, I wish I'd discovered these when I was younger! They were even written at the right time for my age group. Oh well. I'm definitely on the lookout for more YA McKinley novels. I'll be recommending this one to everyone who is open to young adult fantasy.

Editorial Review:

Harry, bored with her sheltered life in the remote orange-growing colony of Daria, discovers magic in herself when she is kidnapped by a native king with mysterious powers.

Rose Daughter

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 157 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A Disappointment 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book was wonderful to read until the end. The ending shocked me and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe Robin McKinley was trying to make this retelling "her own". If she was, she should have chosen another way to do it.

Not her best, but still good 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

First off, I adore Robin McKinley's books, period, but of all her books, this has got to be the only one I didn't feel good about when I finished reading it. I thought the story was only so-so and that she over did the details. It's bad when you are forced to skim paragraphs...much less full pages. I think this is probably her weakest novel and that she should have only written one retelling of Beuaty and the Beast. The story was good, and if you aren't a hard core McKinley addict you could probably look at it objectively and not compare it to legendary books like the Blue Sword or the Hero and the Crown, but alas I cannot. The story is over done,detailed, and written, but I still think people should give it a good try. Give McKinley a try. The ending was disappointing, but refreshing, and it's worth reading atleast once.

Editorial Review:

In the tradition of Beauty and Rose Daughter, Newbery Award-winning author Robin McKinley "lends a fresh perspective to a classic fairy tale, developing the story of Sleeping Beauty into a richly imagined, vividly depicted novel" (School Library Journal).

The Hero and the Crown

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 243 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Hero & The Crown - Excellent Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I first read this book when I was about 12 years old and as a young girl was captivated. I could relate to Aerins feeling of being the black sheep and her rise from being the unwanted sol to the hero of the story was a fairy tale I could make my own. I loved the book so much that over the years I read it over and over and never let go of it from move after move, from my first marriage, to my first house, through my divorce and coming into my own, 4 children and finally meeting my own Luthe. Sometimes many years passed before I picked it up and read it again. I am now 33 and my copy is old and torn and ragged, the cover nearly torn away, but I wouldn't give it up for anything. I don't know what made me look online to see if I could find a new copy, for in my heart I thought mine was the only copy in the world - it is that valuable to me. But when I found it was there, I was delighted and had to instantly buy it and the sequel, which I was surprised to learn of. I have 2 daughters now, 14 & 13; and I have encouraged them each to read the book. I will not make them, for when they finally pick it up I want them to experience the same deep love of a story of a girl who becomes a woman and feel all of the sorrow, tribulation, triumph and

Editorial Review:

From childhood, Aerin had been haunted by the story of her mother-a "witchwoman" who enspelled the king and then died in childbirth, leaving behind a newborn daughter and an heirless land. Left to her own devices, Aerin grew up wild, doing her best to live up to her reputation as the disappointment of the realm. But little did the young princess know the long-dormant powers of her mother would wield their own destiny, and leave Aerin with a duty to her scornful homeland that she couldn't refuse.

A Robin McKinley Collection

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good collection 4 out of 5 stars.
35 of 37 people found this review helpful.

Robin McKinley is best known for her tales about the mythical land of Damar, and the occasional retelling of time-honored fairy tales. This collection includes both -- the stories about Damar, "The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword," and Sleeping Beauty with a twist in "Spindle's End."

"The Blue Sword" introduces us to Harry (Angharad) Crewe, a bored, rather plain young woman in the remote colony of Daria. That changes when she encounters Corlath, the golden-eyed Hill-King of Damar, and the powerful young man realizes that she is a part of his future. So he kidnaps her, and Hary soon begins experiencing visions of the hero queen of Damar, Aerin -- and those visions will lead her to her destiny.

"The Hero and the Crown" is the story of Aerin, the daughter of a king and a witch -- allowed to remain, but never accepted. Despite this, she yearns to be a hero, and her discovery of a fireproofing agent gives her the chance to be one. After slaying the Black Dragon, an ancient monster, Aerin pays a price and must go to the mysterious wizard Luthe for help -- only to find herself embroiled in a battle against a dangerous foe.

"Spindle's End" takes readers to a lighter place. Princess Rosie is under a curse put on her by an evil fairy: on her 21st birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. In an effort to save her, Rosie is given to matter-of-fact good fairy Katriona, and grows up as a strong, independent girl who can speak to animals (a remarkably well-done touch) and assists a blacksmith. Needless to say, things get complex as the deadline for the curse approaches...

The range of McKinley's writing is shown in this collection. "Hero" and "Sword" are grittier, more complex, more mature and more nuanced. Damar is a lot like India, and McKinley clearly worked on making the cultures and conflicts believable, while dashing in some interesting magic. "Spindle's End" is frothier and lighter. The kingdom is more generic, and the magic more cutesy. But all the books have quirky, unconventional heroines, realistic animals (especially horses), and detailed writing.

Robin McKinley's works usually hit the mark, whether they are light and sweet or darker and grittier. This collection will entertain and amuse fantasy fans who appreciate a sword, a strong hero (of either gender), and plenty of unusual twists.

The Door in the Hedge

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Door in the Hedge 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Well written and fun to read if you like imaginative books.

Bedtime Stories -- They put you to sleep 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book has been sitting on my shelves for six years, hidden behind the other works of McKinley I actually like. By my old bookmark, I was on page 44 of the "Stolen Princess" the third time I tried reading it, but I dropped the book out of genuine boredom and fell asleep.

I remember skipping ahead to the "Princess and the Frog," a tale of nonsense. The princess somehow saves the day with pondwater-ex-machina (no clue is given to the reader that this will work) after two fighters pause in the middle of heated mortal combat for ten minutes while she fetches it.

At this point I put the book down for six years. I didn't get rid of it because two stories were left unread, and I do like McKinley. I found it yesterday while cleaning. So I finished the book at last.

"The Hunting of the Hind" is another Princess fairytale. In this story nothing is shown, everything is told, and the descriptions are florid. I managed to stay awake.

Finally "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" disappointed me. In some ways it is the best of the stories, as it's from a non-princess perspective. But no gripping action and little dialogue.

According to the author's notes at the end, this was McKinley's second novel, which explains why it was so bad. She was still finding her voice. Anyway, this book isn't for adults. I think it would be perfect to read these stories to a young girl at bedtime. They'd help her sleep, guaranteed.

Editorial Review:

Master storyteller Robin McKinley here spins two new fairy tales and retells two cherished classics. All feature princesses touched with or by magic. There is Linadel, who lives in a kingdom next to Faerieland, where princesses are stolen away on their seventeenth birthdays-and Linadel's seventeenth birthday is tomorrow. And Korah, whose brother is bewitched by the magical Golden Hind; now it is up to her to break the spell. Rana must turn to a talking frog to help save her kingdom from the evil Aliyander. And then there are the twelve princesses, enspelled to dance through the soles of their shoes every night. . . . These are tales to read with delight!

Dragonhaven

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Jake Mendoza lives at the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park. Smokehill is home to about two hundred of the few remaining draco australiensis, which is extinct in the wild. Keeping a preserve for dragons is controversial: detractors say dragons are extremely dangerous and unjustifiably expensive to keep and should be destroyed. Environmentalists and friends say there are no records of them eating humans and they are a unique example of specialist evolution and must be protected. But they are up to eighty feet long and breathe fire.

On his first overnight solo trek, Jake finds a dragon—a dragon dying next to the human she killed. Jake realizes this news could destroy Smokehill— even though the dead man is clearly a poacher who had attacked the dragon first, that fact will be lost in the outcry against dragons.

But then Jake is struck by something more urgent—he sees that the dragon has just given birth, and one of the babies is still alive. What he decides to do will determine not only their futures, but the future of Smokehill itself.

Deerskin

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 167 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good Fantasy - Great Message 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

To start off, this is a fantasy. That means you need to suspend disbelief and be prepared for the main character to take a journey of some sort. This also isn't your usual fantasy, not by a long shot. There is too much of the real world interwoven into the story. A princess that isn't the Disney princess we have learned to expect. Love at first sight that is so all consuming it eventually taints and even destroys the lovers. Beauty that is worshipped by the beholders and the beauty herself. Beauty that consumes, blinds, and eventually destroys those who come too close. And, a brutality straight out of the real world.

At first, McKinley lulls her readers into thinking this is an ordinary, sometimes a little dull, story of a princess. Obviously, she is going to do the usually princessy thing: attract a prince, get married, and live happily ever after. Okay, so she does, but the getting there isn't at all what the reader expects. Some readers may have to hang in there for the first several chapters. By the end of part one, McKinley has socked her reader between the eyeballs - hard.

Yet, this is a fantasy. Where a woman, princess or not, may have died in our world, a spiritual figure enters, and the princess and the story continue. The description of the slow road from trauma to acceptance to moving on with life is all too clear and not so much fantastical as fraught with real life experiences. There are plenty of symbols for those who choose to see them, but the story is valid for itself.

Who should read this? Women who hopefully never experience what this princess does. Men who will find this story a window into an experience they otherwise would be unlikely to experience. Young adults would benefit from reading the book as well. Perhaps though, it is a book, along with Gate to Women's Country, to share with young men, so they can see the world from another window. Over all, this is a basically very good read that is thought provoking as well as just plain enjoyable.

Editorial Review:

As Princess Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her breathtaking beauty she is the mirror image of her mother, the queen. But this seeming blessing forces her to flee for safety from her father's wrath. With her loyal dog Ash at her side, Lissar will unlock a door to a world of magic, where she will find the key to her survival-and an adventure beyond her wildest dreams.