Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

Not too long ago, I reviewed Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley. I thoroughly enjoyed that book even though the story was very similar to The Beauty and the Beast I already knew, thanks to Disney.

Twenty years after Robin McKinley wrote Beauty, she was struck with inspiration and wrote another retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Rose Daughter begins much the same as Beauty, but then strays farther and farther from the original tale.

In Rose Daughter, Beauty and her family find themselves in financial ruin and move to Rose Cottage by the small town of Longchance. Beauty finds her life passion in gardening. She particularly loves roses.

But, as you know, Beauty’s fate lies in a mysterious castle with the Beast. The Beast’s roses are dying, so Beauty takes it upon herself to revive them. Will she save the roses and turn the Beast back into a prince? You might be surprised. I was.

Robin McKinley truly put a fresh twist on an old tale in Rose Daughter.

This is an adult novel but I believe it is appropriate for teens as well. Enjoy!

Review by me, Emily.

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The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Aerin may be a princess, but she has never been truly accepted as part of the royal family. Her mother, a witchwoman, died giving birth to Aerin. Although Aerin develops a relationship with her father, the King of Damar, she has basically been raised by a series of governesses. Anxious to prove she is an important part of the Kingdom, Aerin figures out how to kill dragons. She becomes a hero in the outskirts of the Kingdom but still struggles to gain acceptance in the royal family.

Then she discovers that she must fight a much darker power than dragons to save her beloved Damar.

This book truly has it all…adventure, betrayal, action, well-developed characters, intense plot, coming of age themes, romance, dragons, wizards, potions, war and family.

The beginning and end of this book dragged a bit for me, but the meat of the story was totally worth it. It won the Newbery in 1985, so it would fit into the “Oldie-but-goodie” category. I can see why it won. It is an excellent clean read.

Posted by me, Emily

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Beauty by Robin McKinley

I’ve always loved Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. We often listened to the soundtrack on Sunday mornings while preparing for church. I DIDN'T know how much I’d enjoy reading this story, since I am already familiar with it.



But let me tell you. Beauty by Robin McKinley completely took me by surprise, sweeping me to a land of enchantments. The story itself was, for the most part, as I expected it to be, but the layers to this book go so much deeper.

I loved so many aspects of this book; I don’t know where to begin.

The character, Beauty, is actually not the gorgeous girl you might expect. As a young girl, she didn’t like her given name (Honour) and told her father she’d rather be Beauty. He laughed, told everyone in the city, and the name stuck.

When Beauty is a teenager, her father finds himself in financial ruin. They move to a small town along with Beauty’s two older sisters who are truly beautiful inside and out. Their home is right next to a dense forest, and I bet you could guess who lives deep in that fascinating forest.

“Like all the other doors I had met in the castle, this one opened at my approach. The room it revealed was a large, warm, and gracious one. One wall to my left a fire was burning in a fireplace; two armchairs were drawn up before it. One chair was empty. In the other a massive shadow sat. I caught a gleam of dark-green velvet on what might have been a knee in the shadowed armchair.
‘Good evening, Beauty,’ said a great harsh voice. ‘I am the Beast.’”

I love the amount of description used in this novel. I found that I could completely picture the places but never skipped ahead. The action was always moving along with the descriptions. I also loved the characters and the relationships between them. Each character is well-built and has their own little story going on.

This is my first experience reading a book by Robin McKinley, but I can’t wait to read more!

Okay, I’m done gushing about this book. Really. If it sounds like something you might like, try it out.

Posted by me, Emily.

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