Play Book Tag discussion

tagged 22 times for strong female lead.

This is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who becomes Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, which no woman had wielded since the legendary Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.

Finally, I got around to reading this beloved classic fantasy fairytale, thanks to a monthly challenge to pick something about strong women. And this young girl named Harry delivered the goods with wonderful panache, indeed a role model worthy of inspiring new generations of readers with her quiet determination, her skill, her modesty and her courage.
It would be easy to write a snarky review from my grumpy and cynical old man perspective, something about cheese and Rudolf Valentino pastiches of ‘Kidnapped by the Sheik,’ but Robin McKinley’s unapologetically romantic delivery and the classic fantasy plot made me feel again like 1982, still a teenager voraciously reading adventure stories and dreaming of slaying dragons with a magic sword. There is definitely something about Harry, something familiar.

She had always suffered from a vague restlessness, a longing for adventure that she told herself severely was the result of reading too many novels when she was a small child.

Since there is nothing really original about the plot, the appeal of the story must lay somewhere else. What we have here is the staple fantasy opening gambit of the orphan boy/girl from a modest background [forge, bakery, servant quarters, etc] who has some still undiscovered magical aptitudes and might even be the secret heir of a distant kingdom. Said kingdom must be under threat of annihilation from monstrous armies attacking its borders, and its salvation rest on a prophecy and/or on a special sword.
Yeah, sure, I’ve read it all before in some form or another, especially in the fantasy books written back in the 80s’.

Why then did I have a smile on my face all the time I was reading the novel? Probably because I am an unrepentant and closeted romantic myself, and because Harry is such a charming and valiant guide through the barren hill country of the Damarian people.
Also because my first book by McKinley surprised me in a good way with the clarity of the presentation, with the quality of the supporting cast of characters, the tightness of the plot and the fine tuning of emotional intensity.
Most of all I liked that Harry is not the simpering dizzy heroine swooning into the arms of her prince charming Corlath, he of the smouldering eyes and overpowering presence. An experienced reader will of course recognize the direction the relationship between the two leads is heading, but the author showed exemplary restraint by not building her story around the romance, but about the brave adventures of a born heroine.

I look forward ow to reading the second Damar book by the same author.
For a similar strong heroine with a Paladin RPG alignment, I think ‘The Deeds of Paksenarrion’ by Elizabeth Moon is a good alternative. And for something a little more romantic, but still with a skilled fighter and adventuress, the Tiger and Dell series by Jennifer Roberson might hit the spot.

First I want to tell you what a breath of fresh air it is to have someone reading and reviewing "old time fantasy". I have been on a mission for a few years now to dive into it, opened minded, and I am loving it.

I read this 2 years ago, just by chance. I volunteer at my library, sorting donations that come in. This one popped up, and it piqued my interest. What a great story!

From my review:

A great example of old school Young Adult, which IMO, puts new school YA to shame.

I had forgotten to get to book 2, which I will asap! Thanks for the reminder.

Here is the complete review if you are interested:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...