gives us the backstory of Aerin, the original wielder of the blue sword. Despite being the daughter of the king, she is unaccepted as the heiress of the throne and struggles to deal with the rumors of her mother's ignominous past - but is she prepared to save the people who don't want her as queen?
As the prequel to The Blue Sword, I was really excited to pick this up (The Blue Sword was actually published first and then she published this one). I was not disappointed. McKinley created another stunning heroine struggling with her own past and trying to understand her own future. I have to admit, though, that I did not like this one quite as much as The Blue Sword. But it is definitely worth picking up for another beautiful and exciting fantasy - one that gives us the background story of the legendary blue sword.
Read-alikes:
Of course The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Other books by McKinley, like Chalice
Also a bit like Crown Duel and Court Duel
by Sherwood Smith (review still in the works)RATINGS:
s-factor: !
Very few.
mrg-factor: X
One or two rather surprising scenes, without details.
v-factor: ->
Fighting, of course.
Overall rating: ****
