I honestly don't remember enough about The Blue Sword to know how they're similar or different.
But Hero... Hero is about painstakingly working out something difficult and the triumph when you've done it yourself through sheer grit and persistence. And then, much later, realizing that the obstacle you conquered is a mere pebble compared to the mountain you have to face next.
Hero is about the way Depression gets its teeth into you, and lies, and lies.
Hero is about the uncomfortable realization that you might just outlast everyone and everything you know, and the decision of how to live with that knowledge.
It's not a perfect book. It starts with a lazy, mean-girl sympathy-begging trick; also I think McKinley sometimes gets so attached to a scene that she doesn't know when to let go of it.
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momijizukamori and
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Date: 2016-03-07 01:01 pm (UTC)But Hero... Hero is about painstakingly working out something difficult and the triumph when you've done it yourself through sheer grit and persistence. And then, much later, realizing that the obstacle you conquered is a mere pebble compared to the mountain you have to face next.
Hero is about the way Depression gets its teeth into you, and lies, and lies.
Hero is about the uncomfortable realization that you might just outlast everyone and everything you know, and the decision of how to live with that knowledge.
It's not a perfect book. It starts with a lazy, mean-girl sympathy-begging trick; also I think McKinley sometimes gets so attached to a scene that she doesn't know when to let go of it.
But in places, Hero really shines.