McKinley, Robin Books

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)

Rose Daughter

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 158 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Read "Beauty" instead 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Years ago, I read Beauty, McKinley's first attempt at the Beauty and the Beast story. I loved it. Earlier this year, I picked it up again and read it. It held up well and I still find it incredibly charming.

Given how much I enjoyed Beauty, I really wanted to read "Rose Daughter" and see how McKinley's second crack at the tale fared. I expected a lot. I assumed McKinley would have matured as a writer and I was hoping to love it as much as I loved Beauty.

I was wrong.

The term 'florid prose' springs to mind. This novel is absolutely strangled by the egregiously wordy prose. You have to wade through painfully winding and ultimately pointless descriptions of everything, large and small. After slogging through a single run-on sentence that choked up the better part of an entire page, I threw the book away. This novel is a fine example of writing at its worst.

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).

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.

Spindle's End (Firebird)

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 143 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Renowned fantasy writer Robin McKinley, author of the lush "Beauty and the Beast" retellings Beauty and Rose Daughter, has produced another re-mastered fairy tale, this time about the dreamy Sleeping Beauty. Much like in the original story, the infant princess, here named Rosie, is cursed by an evil fairy to die on her 21st birthday by pricking her finger on a spindle. That same day, Rosie is whisked away into hiding by a peasant fairy who raises her and conceals her royal identity. From that point on, McKinley's plot and characterization become wildly inventive. She imagines Rosie growing up into a strapping young woman who despises her golden hair, prefers leather breeches to ball gowns, and can communicate with animals. And on that fateful birthday, with no help from a prince, Rosie saves herself and her entire sleeping village from destruction, although she pays a realistic price. In a final master stroke, McKinley cleverly takes creative license when the spell-breaking kiss (made famous in "Sleeping Beauty") comes from a surprising source and is bestowed upon the character least expected.

Although the entire novel is well written, McKinley's characterization of Rosie's animal friends is exceptionally fine. Observations such as "...foxes generally wanted to talk about butterflies and grasses and weather for a long time while they sized you up," will spark reader's imaginations. It won't be hard to persuade readers of any age to become lost in this marvelous tale; the difficult part will be convincing them to come back from McKinley's country, where "the magic... was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk dust...." Highly recommended. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

The Hero and the Crown

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 244 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Could have been much, much better 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

O.K. This is not going to be a popular review, I'm sure. However, in the spirit of honest reviewing . . .

I have been a fantasy genre enthusiast for years, enjoying Tolkien, Robin Hobb, Robert Jordan, and even M. Weiss and R.A. Salvatore. I've heard good things about the author, sat down, and looked forward to what I thought would be a savory short novel.

I was unpleasently surprised. This is a fantasy book for children. That is fine and was within my expectations. However, what was not in my expectations was the sporadic prose, sentence structure, and voice of the main character. The author sets a tone well and has a firm grip on a good story. That is true and is why this review has three stars to it.

But, to be honest, it seems like a very, VERY good author got strangled by her own doing. Sometimes very clever and adult humor pokes through a chopped-short plot. Glorious imagination gets dampened by terse sentence struchture and strangely abbreviated paragraph lengths. I don't expect a young adult novel to have the descriptive color of an 800 page adult fantasy, but it seems like the author gripped the plot and audience (young) in mind so hard she strangled her own greatest gifts: humor, charactorization, and epic story (rather than a condensed, stilted telling of a great story).

Yes, you feel for the Aerin, the slighted and coming of age daughter. But her difficult childhood feels forced and heavy-handed by the time it's done and when the plot begins to move, the sweep of the story becomes very clipped, with important plot points flying jiltingly past in single paragraphs each. If the author would allow herself 70 more pages of book and tried not to belabor the "poor teenage victim" so much at the beginning, the novel would sing.

As it is, the novel contents itself with a cramped, underdeveloped beauty.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits

Robin McKinley, Peter Dickinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Six short stories (3 by each author) 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

On the whole, I was drawn into RM's stories more quickly than PD's (my favourites are "The Sea King's Son" and "The Water Horse"), although after repeated exposure I've developed some liking for two of his three. McKinley's stories herein seem to me to have more detailed and polished world-building. None of the six, to my knowledge, have been published previously.

"Mermaid Song" (PD) Setting = very like Puritan New England. (I'd have enjoyed it more if PD had simply made it an alternate Puritan history.) While the mundane setting may be off-putting at first, the sea-people's introduction is well handled when it comes. In a way, this is two stories - a family tradition (handed down from mother to daughter) and the story of the protagonist, young Pitiable Nasmith, left with her maternal grandparents upon her mother's death in childbirth.

Near the end of her life, Pitiable's grandmother tells her the story behind the most unusual of her songs - how their ancestress Charity Goodrich really survived shipwreck upon arriving in the new world as a girl. Although the People's culture isn't fleshed out much, the first contact scene between Charity and her sea-children rescuers is realistically detailed. In a neat reversal of some sea-people stories, the air-breathing person was a pet, kept in an undersea cave with no way out.

The present-day story turns grim when the grandfather takes to drink after his wife's death, which seems to have quenched what little of his heart survived his daughter's passing. Eventually he takes to walking along the seashore, and finds something that only Pitiable has learned to recognize, shaping up to a possible reversal of the secret tradition.

"The Sea-King's Son" (RM) Jenny, only child of a well-off farming family, grew into shyness as she grew up, and never let on that she had fallen in love with Robert, a good-looking younger son of another farming family from a village on the far side of the harbour separating the small towns they live in - a harbour under a curse by the king of the sea people, to avenge an injustice inflicted by the land people in the days when the two races had dealings with one another (though only a trade in luxury items, never friendship, each race considering the other too alien to grow close to). But when Jenny's parents make plans to send her away to the city for a season, in the hope that she might shake off her shyness, and perhaps find a good husband, Robert finally makes a move - for love of Jenny's inheritance rather than for her. But late in their courtship, Jenny makes an unannounced visit alone to Robert's family home, and what she learns there is more terrible for her than any ancient tale of sea-curses, and drives her onto the shortest road home - the direct route across the harbour.

"Sea Serpent" (PD) I was disappointed with the initial scene-setting, although the wave-riders eventually won me over a bit. The conflict between the New religion's chief god and the Old's chief goddess comes to a head as the builder of a new temple seeks building stone taken from the goddess' shrine (which seemed unoriginal). The magic-working temple-builder forces the neutral wave-riders, worshippers of the Sea God, to help transport the stones. The details of the minutiae, practical politics, and ethics of the wave-riders' work make the latter portion of the story a decent read.

"Water Horse" (RM) "This island is a strange place...a threshold between land and water; and the boundary between us is striven for, and fought over, and it shifts sometimes this way, and sometimes that...it is over this one island that the war is fought, and if once we yielded, then all those lands behind us - farther from the boundary we protect - would immediately come under threat, and they have no Guardians. We are the Guardians; and here we hold the line." So says Western Mouth to her inland-born apprentice, Tamia, who began her training at fourteen as do all apprentices, and can't help worrying that she's not really suitable for the work. But Western Mouth was a very old woman by the time Tamia came along...When Western Mouth has a stroke five years into Tamia's apprenticeship, the defenses are torn open, allowing a creature of sea-magic to slip through that Tamia must face in her Guardian's stead.

"Kraken" (PD) Somewhat similar to "Mermaid Song", although the two humans swept into the water are saved by more supernatural means and for more complex reasons. The protagonist, a young sea-princess indulging in her last rule-breaking before coming of age, runs serious risks to try to return them to the upper air.

"A Pool in the Desert" (RM) The only Damar story herein - not surprising, for a country bordered by desert in the more recent ages of the world. The protagonist, a present-day Homelander (not unlike our own present), begins dreaming of a time so far in Damar's past that it has become legend, and finds it far more like home than her parents' household, with their stranglehold on their children.

Editorial Review:

What magical beings inhabit earth’s waters? Some are as almost-familiar as the mer- people; some as strange as the thing glimpsed only as a golden eye in a pool at the edge of Damar’s Great Desert Kalarsham, where the mad god Geljdreth rules; or as majestic as the unknowable, immense Kraken, dark beyond the darkness of the deepest ocean, who will one day rise and rule the world. These six tales from the remarkable storytellers Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson transform the simple element of water into something very powerful indeed.

The Stone Fey

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Maddy has lost her sheep and even her dog Aerlich doesn't know where to find him. "It would soon be too dark to see anything, but a succulent young lamb would not survive the night in the wild rocky scree beyond the farm; if a foltza didn't get him, a yerig would. Damn." Okay, so Newbery Medal winner Robin McKinley's magical story The Stone Fey is no Little Bo Peep tale, and Maddy, the conflicted, passionate shepherdess, is no Bo Peep. One wild night in the Hills of Damar, a stone fey--a magical creature of the wilds--greets Maddy with her lost lamb in his muscular arms--his skin was gray, with "a rose-quartz flush across his cheekbones." After that fateful night, she can't get him out of her head, despite her commitments to longtime sweetheart Damon, who is due to return from a year away. With all the mist and mystery of a Mary Stewart novel, The Stone Fey is sure to thrill young readers with wildness in their hearts. John Clapp's lovely watercolors perfectly capture the mood of this haunting, innocent exploration of the nature of romantic love. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustration from The Stone Fey by Robin McKinley, illustration © 1998 by John Clapp, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company.) (Ages 10 and older) --Karin Snelson