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hedyharper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
clevermird's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This is a book that I think I like a lot more than its actual quality deserves.
The Blue Sword follows Angharad "Harry" Crewe, an orphaned young woman staying at a remote desert military outpost. When Corlath, the king of a neighboring nation, arrives for a diplomatic conference, the magic inherent in his people tells him that she has a roll to play in the fate of his country. Willing or no, Harry finds herself in a strange land filled with danger and adventure in equal portions.
This story is a very classic "fantasy adventure" setup. There's the young audience-surrogate outsider with a destiny, the wise older mentor, the magic sword and the evil demon army bearing down. The worldbuilding is fairly basic, but enjoyably written, same with the characters. As is typical of a McKinley work, horses feature prominently (something my 11-year-old self appreciated greatly and still does to a lesser extent) and the book includes gorgeous, tactile descriptions that set the scene perfectly.
As is also typical, the book struggles a bit with pacing, taking a long time to get going and then rushing the finale. Harry adjusts to her new life and picks up warrior skills a bit too fast to suspend disbelief and the ending borders on deus ex machina.
But nonetheless, I just really like this book. Maybe it's the winsome writing style. Maybe it's the lack of pretentiousness, the willingness to embrace tropes without the need to snark at them that can sometimes permeate newer fantasy novels. Or maybe it's just nostalgia. In any case, the rating reflects my feelings about the book's actual quality, but I highly urge checking it out - like me, you might find more than the sum of its parts.
The Blue Sword follows Angharad "Harry" Crewe, an orphaned young woman staying at a remote desert military outpost. When Corlath, the king of a neighboring nation, arrives for a diplomatic conference, the magic inherent in his people tells him that she has a roll to play in the fate of his country. Willing or no, Harry finds herself in a strange land filled with danger and adventure in equal portions.
This story is a very classic "fantasy adventure" setup. There's the young audience-surrogate outsider with a destiny, the wise older mentor, the magic sword and the evil demon army bearing down. The worldbuilding is fairly basic, but enjoyably written, same with the characters. As is typical of a McKinley work, horses feature prominently (something my 11-year-old self appreciated greatly and still does to a lesser extent) and the book includes gorgeous, tactile descriptions that set the scene perfectly.
As is also typical, the book struggles a bit with pacing, taking a long time to get going and then rushing the finale. Harry adjusts to her new life and picks up warrior skills a bit too fast to suspend disbelief and the ending borders on deus ex machina.
But nonetheless, I just really like this book. Maybe it's the winsome writing style. Maybe it's the lack of pretentiousness, the willingness to embrace tropes without the need to snark at them that can sometimes permeate newer fantasy novels. Or maybe it's just nostalgia. In any case, the rating reflects my feelings about the book's actual quality, but I highly urge checking it out - like me, you might find more than the sum of its parts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Death, Drug use, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol
aconfundityofcrows's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is one of those early young adult fantasies that can be traced as a predecessor to current day well known ya fantasies and sf. I really enjoyed it. It reminds me of other fantasy books that would have been contemporaneous with it i.e. The Lioness Quartet by Tamara Pierce or Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede. The only thing that didn't work for me has a bit slower pacing than I prefer, but that is pretty common for books of this era.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, and Colonisation
Minor: Death and Death of parent
f18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury