Pegasus

Nov 16, 2010 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: dedicated McKinley fans

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, ya

UPDATE! 1/3 of A BOOK ALERT!

HALF A BOOK ALERT!!!

I thought I would get this out of the way first. Truly, there was not even an attempt to wrap up anything in this novel, not even temporarily. Pegasus ended mid-scene, mid-conflict, almost mid-sentence. It will be quite a laugh if McKinley never finishes this sequel.

Now onto the story itself. I was glad to be back to the old-school princess-fairy-tale McKinley, after the genre detour Sunshine was. If you ever read fantasy written by the author, y...more UPDATE! 1/3 of A BOOK ALERT!

HALF A BOOK ALERT!!!

I thought I would get this out of the way first. Truly, there was not even an attempt to wrap up anything in this novel, not even temporarily. Pegasus ended mid-scene, mid-conflict, almost mid-sentence. It will be quite a laugh if McKinley never finishes this sequel.

Now onto the story itself. I was glad to be back to the old-school princess-fairy-tale McKinley, after the genre detour Sunshine was. If you ever read fantasy written by the author, you already know the key elements of her stories: meticulous, imaginative world building, a young, strong heroine who has to come to terms with her own powers and grow into her responsibilities and attain self-confidence, friendships with animals, magic, all accompanied by the most gorgeous writing. All of this was in Pegasus.

The moment I opened the book, I was completely enchanted by the world McKinley had created and by the words she used to describe it. The centuries-old alliance between humans and pegasi, their complicated communications, binding rituals - all of it was so new, so unique, so detailed and well thought-through. And then the moment Ebon, the main character's Sylvi's bond-mate, entered the picture, I totally fell in love with this naughty, outspoken, mischievous pegasus. And the way MckKinley described Ebon tumbling into Sylvi's window, or spreading his wings, or a tiny pegasus playing with Sylvi, it made me grin in delight. McKinley just has such a genius way with words, I can't explain it.

But (of course there is a but), as much as I loved the world building and gorgeous writing, it just wasn't enough for me. It wasn't that the book was light on plot, but like in all McKinley books, the plot was driven by the main character's internal struggles and growth. And again, it's fine by me, generally. I loved Harry's personal journey in The Blue Sword, but that book was only 270 pages and Pegasus - 400 and only half of the story. I don't know about other readers, but I can enjoy luscious, descriptive and reflective writing for only so long, at about page 200 I want some action, and so happened here. By the middle of the book my attention started to waver and I began skimming a bit, trying to get to the end or at least some excitement faster. Basically, it seemed the narration got a little too indulgent. For what the plot was, the book was way too long. I could literally summarize the entire novel in one paragraph. I would have enjoyed it much more if the whole story only took one 300-page volume to tell.

I can see how Pegasus's reviews can be all over the place. Fans of McKinley's writing and those who enjoy leisurely, slow paced quality of it, will love the novel, and rightfully so. Those who prefer books with more action and despise being left with no resolutions, will hate it. I am somewhere in the middle. At this point I am moderately interested to know how it all works out, but will I still be in 2014(!), when the sequel comes out? (less)

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Feb 19, 2011 Cinnamon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: magicians, 2011, fantasy, young-adult, series, reviewed, 2-oh-so-unremarkable

This review may also be found on A Thousand Little Pages.

There is a horse-drawn carriage rolling through a scenic meadow. The sun is shining; there are delightful fragrances in the air. The only catch is the you are the sweaty and straining horse, and the carriage you were pulling happened to be occupied by three rather large sombrero-wearing rainbow-colored elephants.

I admit, the sombreros and colors were unnecessary, but you have a vivid mental image now, yes...?

OK, so you're struggling to hau...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: swords-and-sorcerors, young-adult, strong-girls

I just got done rereading this book, so I'm going to re-review it too.

I adore Robin McKinely's writing, so it's going to sound weird when I say that I don't think she writes a very good sentence. Admittedly I read this as an unfinished proof, so maybe it got some veryvery late editing, but it seems like dear Robin has a tendency to let her sentences meander about and include disconnected ideas until by the time you get to the end you've forgotten about where you began. The chronology of some of...more

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Nov 06, 2010 Paradoxical rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reading-list, books-otherwise

I liked this book, but that's not much of a surprise since it was written by McKinley and I tend to adore all of her books. The thing is, about Pegasus, is that if you're going in to read the story with an air of fast paced happenings and something very plot centered, then you're going to dislike this book. Reading Pegasus is more like the reader is being submerged into the world and the character's lives more than anything else. Oh, there is a plot, of course there is (and a wicked cliffhanger...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Krystle rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book I've read this year and it's a major disappointment. For all the gorgeousness of the cover, it does not in any way make up for the lack... of everything I find within this book.

If a book takes me longer than two or three days to read (considering my busy work schedule), than that's definitely not a good sign. The first seventy or so pages of this book are atrocious to read. There is so much background information thrown at us that your mind cannot wrap around it at all. No...more This is the first book I've read this year and it's a major disappointment. For all the gorgeousness of the cover, it does not in any way make up for the lack... of everything I find within this book.

If a book takes me longer than two or three days to read (considering my busy work schedule), than that's definitely not a good sign. The first seventy or so pages of this book are atrocious to read. There is so much background information thrown at us that your mind cannot wrap around it at all. Not to mention the prose is so dry it's akin to reading a textbook. In fact, there are even textbook passages in the beginning pages. Meh.

And as the story progresses, you find that there's not really... much of a plot. There's a lot of day to day stuff and then many sequences of events that don't seem all that major or important to the reader, so you're left wondering, "why am I reading this?" There's not even an inkling of one until maybe the last 70 or so pages. It doesn't help that the pacing of this book is very, very slow and her chapters are pretty hefty.

I think one of the major problems has to do with her writing style. It's very dense, filled with unusual names and fantasy words that your tongue will probably stumble over. And she tries to make it very elegant and long-winded and invoke a sort of epic fantasy type of feel, which fails. This is not a book you're going to zip through. After every 3-5 pages I had to take a break because my eyes were starting to cross and my head was beginning to swim.

But the one thing that pissed me off the most was the ending. I would have originally given this two stars but after that rage-inducing ending, I had to detract a star. There isn't even an actual climax to this story, there's this sudden build up in the last five pages and then it stops abruptly. There isn't even any semblance of a resolution. This was deliberate and it's a cheap way to end a book and get someone to read the sequel. It's disrespectful to the reader and makes me wanna gnash my teeth together. Once you get to the end the only emotion you'll have left is "I struggled and persevered through this book for that?!" Ugh.

Okay, now why would I keep reading something if I disliked it so much? Well, actually, there are many things that were great about this book. I loved the whole world she built, it's so intricately thought out and quite complex. I loved the whole bonding idea and the friendship between Sylvi and Eron (her pegasus). And I loved the culture and mannerisms the pegasi had in their lands. It was a different spin on an old mythical creature rather than just having them be pretty flying horses. Which, of course, they aren't in Robin McKinley's word because she states in her blog that they are more bird-like creatures than anything else. But I'm going to say sorry to her because I firmly envision them as flying horses.

If you're a fan of the author, then perhaps you'll enjoy this more than I did. My only exposure to her before this was Beauty and I thought that was a good read but Pegasus is definitely not. It left me numb and unable to care about the rest of the series. I'm sure I'll probably pick it up when it releases but for now I'm going to put a good distance away from this book and the author before I even think about reading her stuff again.(less)

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Nov 28, 2010 meeners rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

i first discovered robin mckinley in 4th grade. i discovered her along with patricia mckillip (right next to mckinley on the library shelves!), lloyd alexander, tolkien, le guin, diana wynne jones, susan cooper, and more. looking back, i can see it's no wonder i became such an incorrigible bookworm! these are the authors that taught me to love reading, to love books, to love everything that books promised - fantasy books in particular: escape, adventure, wisdom, growth, love. these are the autho...more

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Jun 30, 2010 MB rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-urban-fantasy-paranormals, read-in-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well, what can I say...?

I was lucky enough to borrow an ARC. I realize that that is a privilege and I really don't want to hurt sales for one of my favorite authors. BUT, I really didn't enjoy this book, largely because I took a strong dislike to the heroine.

This has been my least favorite book of McKinley's, topped only by Deerskin which I found too painful to re-read due to its subject matter. I was really looking forward to this one!

BTW, I knew going in that this was going to end on a cliff-...more

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Dec 04, 2010 CLM rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya, series, animals

Amusing that Amazon tells me fans of McKinley also bought books by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Marguerite Henry... that is taking in a lot of territory!

I am enjoying this as I enjoy everything Robin has written - wholeheartedly - but it seems to me she is telegraphing plot developments way in advance. Overall, however, there is much to like about this book (the descriptions of the pegasi culture and bonds with humans are rich and fascinating), although a page at the end with characters' names wo...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Eva Mitnick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like many a dragon tale, this is the story of a close mental and emotional bond between a human and a member of another species - in this case, the pegasi. The pegasi - a horse-like people with enormous, gorgeous wings - inhabit a remote land that a group of human explorers settled a thousand years before. At that time, a formal Alliance was struck that the humans would rid the land of the monsters who had been plaguing the pegasi, and in return the humans would get to found their own nation in...more Like many a dragon tale, this is the story of a close mental and emotional bond between a human and a member of another species - in this case, the pegasi. The pegasi - a horse-like people with enormous, gorgeous wings - inhabit a remote land that a group of human explorers settled a thousand years before. At that time, a formal Alliance was struck that the humans would rid the land of the monsters who had been plaguing the pegasi, and in return the humans would get to found their own nation in a prime part of the pegasus lands.

The Alliance still holds, and royal humans are bonded at age 12 to royal pegasi in an elaborate ceremony - but that bonding is just a ritual. Humans and pegasi can't really learn each other's language and must rely on rare human magicians to interpret for them, and the "bonding" seems to be a tradition only and not a true meeting of minds and souls.

That is, until 12-year-old Sylvi is bonded to a male pegasus named Ebon. During the ceremony, Sylvi and Ebon discover they can communicate directly with each other merely by thinking, something unheard of and startling to both kingdoms. The bond of the two is immediate and strong. Ebon flies Sylvi on his back (so taboo that they never tell a soul, human or pegasus), they talk for hours - and when Sylvi is 16 years old, she becomes the first human ever to visit the pegasi nation, where the pegasus king and queen hold court.

This is a tale of the struggle to bridge vast cultural divides and to be a trailblazer in a society that is mired in tradition and under threat from dangers within and without its walls. But more than that, this is a love story. Sylvi's intense feelings for Ebon (she can barely stand to be parted from him) sound just like any teen's first love - and yet, because they belong to utterly different species, there is no hint of any physical aspect to their love. The two young people are so close and connected that they can't imagine existing without the other.

One does have to wonder what will happen when either Ebon or Sylvi finds a love interest of their own species, as one assumes they will someday (although it's very hard to imagine, so intense is their relationship). What if they just cling to each other until old age? It does seem a bit weird - if I were either of their parents, I'd be a trifle concerned.

There isn't a lot of action or plot in the book, but McKinley is an able enough writer to make that work; Sylvi's perceptions of Ebon's people are fascinating. Also, Ebon is a breath of fresh air, irreverent and unselfconscious - the opposite of solemn Sylvi. However, we do get way too much of Sylvi's thoughts, and when she speaks, she often says things sadly or wistfully. This lack of energy causes a drag on the story that made me impatient more than once. Perk up, Sylvi! Sure, there could be a lot more understanding between your people and Ebon's - but your royal parents are super cool, so are Ebon's, and... you can talk to pegasi!!!!!!!!

The book ends abruptly and is rather a downer, but it's quite obvious that another volume must be on its way. Will Sylvi and Ebon, cruelly separated, ever be allowed to be together again? Will humans ever embrace pegasi for who they really are, not just what humans think they are? Will Sylvi find a human guy to love? Stay tuned!

Recommended for ages 12 and up. (less)

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Apr 25, 2013 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads

Pegasus was enchanting, as all of Robin McKinley's books are. However, it ends extraordinarily abruptly, because it is only Book One of Three, much like how the Lord of the Rings is one book split into three volumes. Unfortunately, nothing on the front or back cover indicates this, so I did not know it until I reached the end, freaked out wondering where the end of the story was, and was only assured through google that there were two more books yet to come.

The story was so engaging and the cli...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Molica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was so completely and utterly disappointed by this book - simply because it is NOT a complete book! I had no idea of this walking into this book, so I felt pretty blindsided and cheated by the time I got to the end. Usually, if I know that a book is part of a series, I'll wait until a few of the series have come out so I can avoid drastic and cheap cliff hangers. Unfortunately, I didn't get that option with this book.

To be fair, I became completely absorbed into the book. I really liked the fa...more I was so completely and utterly disappointed by this book - simply because it is NOT a complete book! I had no idea of this walking into this book, so I felt pretty blindsided and cheated by the time I got to the end. Usually, if I know that a book is part of a series, I'll wait until a few of the series have come out so I can avoid drastic and cheap cliff hangers. Unfortunately, I didn't get that option with this book.

To be fair, I became completely absorbed into the book. I really liked the fantasy world the author was painting and didn't mind the 300-page leisurely stroll through this world. It was relaxing, though, it did eventually get a little boring. I felt that the author repeated things in the book a little too much in some spots - and not enough in others. I got names confused for the first half of the book and I really didn't like that the author assumed that I knew what a norindour, roc, or ladon were - the names sounded familiar, but I still had to look them up. I would have liked the author to spend some time describing what she wanted these creatures to be, regardless of what they're supposed to be, especially since so much effort was put into describing the pegasi, which are arguably one of the best known mythological creatures. It just seemed lazy, and there certainly was enough room to squeeze it in.

The book spent 300 pages leading up to some really interesting conflict and intrigue in the last 10-or so pages, only to stop abruptly. There is absolutely no closure of any kind in this book - it comes to a very abrupt stop. I think this is a very cheap tactic that authors use and it is why I rated this book 2-stars. Many series are able to successfully create self-contained plots in each book that can be resolved, with little bread crumbs that intrigue the reader into reading more of the series. I think that takes more skill and effort and I respect it more, plus it makes me feel less like I totally wasted my time on a book without an ending.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and though I have read that she doesn't commonly do this sort of thing, I am very reluctant to read anything else of hers. This book makes me feel like I just got out of a bad relationship: it led me on with a beautiful fantasy and then crushed my hopes, made me feel like all my time and energy was wasted, and I don't know if I can put my heart back out there for another book to abuse so easily.(less)

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Mar 14, 2013 Christiana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-scifi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The ending! The heartbreak! It's unbearable, and I can't survive until the next book is out!

That is a testimony to the strength of the relationships built in this book. They are definitely idealized, with shockingly little conflict or character flaws, but somehow a lot of the personalities and interactions ring true and are very touching.

I go to Robin Mckinley for my escapist fantasy needs. It is usually beautiful, fascinating worlds, interesting characters and happy or at least not unhappy en...more The ending! The heartbreak! It's unbearable, and I can't survive until the next book is out!

That is a testimony to the strength of the relationships built in this book. They are definitely idealized, with shockingly little conflict or character flaws, but somehow a lot of the personalities and interactions ring true and are very touching.

I go to Robin Mckinley for my escapist fantasy needs. It is usually beautiful, fascinating worlds, interesting characters and happy or at least not unhappy endings. Her story lines, sentence structure and general visualizations are not very compelling to me, but I love how the worlds she creates tend to be respectful of life and so much more equal in terms of gender. That is what I want in escapist fantasy- I don't want to escape to another world of sexism and violence.

Anyways, Pegasus is one of her best worlds yet. It is intricate, fresh, totally other and vibrant. However, the long passages of description and history are not Mckinley's strength, and they are not very engaging. Even though I love the world and want to learn about it, her description is a tough pill to swallow for some reason. I found myself skipping some paragraphs, or wanting to.

There is no real plot line to draw me through the book. It is an immersion into a foreign land, and it feels like I am wandering aimlessly with the main character. Somehow it doesn't seem like that is right or fitting. I found myself extremely frustrated with Sylvi by the end of the book. She has a unique gift, unique knowledge and experience, and her country is in a time of crisis, yet she does nothing. There is literally 50 pages of her agonizing about what to do, and not doing anything. I felt like I wanted to throw the book every time she said "I don't know what to do" for the millionth time. I didn't care what she did at that point- just do something! So annoying.

I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight. This makes me wonder if this book is better than I'm giving it credit for. (less)

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Jan 28, 2013 Mimi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teenagers, favorites

Robin McKinley is becoming one of my favorite authors due to her descriptions and creative plot lines. I just finished this book, Pegasus, and it is a story that I usually would have devoured and read as quickly as possible to find out what would happen next, but McKinley forced me to slow down! The writing is just so gorgeous. Whenever I would get impatient to find out what was going to happen next, I would start speeding up, but then I'd have to go back and read it again, because I didn't want...more

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Nov 19, 2012 A.C. Fellows rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This feels very much like a part a book, which is perhaps excusable to a degree because it apparently is exactly that and will be continued across additional volumes. That said, I am not at all a fan of cliffhangers, and while I would find spreading a story over three separate books acceptable if they were released close together, spreading the releases out over a number of years seems like poor planning.

The world is nicely detailed and the characters have plenty of depth. I especially like the...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Truly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bagaimana rasanya jika disatukan atas nama persahabatan lalu dipisahkan secara paksa? Apakah seperti yang Ebon dan Putri Sylvi rasakan?

The Mythical Flying Horse
**Pegasus**

I dream of the glorious days of old, when legends were more than stories told.
Where once the mighty Pegasus flew, his wings of white, his eyes of blue.
From Medusa's blood he did spring, a graceful, wise and gentle being.
Raised by the Muses and pure of heart for him, the gates of Olympus would always part.
Tamed by man through...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Alexis rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, disappointing

I liked 99.9% of this book. The world building was beautiful, the pegasi were interesting, and Sylvi, while horribly naive and a bit useless, was all right. Ebon was a good character. The cultures were believable and intricate.

It was too slow for my tastes, though--far too slow. And it made me wonder, more than any book I've ever read, how so many words can go into describing so little? Apologies, but I would have loved to see a battle or two between some of the mentioned-in-passing monsters.

The...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Dorothea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pegasus was readable, to me, but I didn't come away very impressed.

I did like it better than (my memory of) Dragonhaven and Chalice. It's less rambling than Dragonhaven (which isn't saying very much, but everything McKinley writes is rambling to some degree and I think Pegasus is in the high, but tolerable range) and it's less ... vague? than Chalice.

Structurally, "vague" and "rambling" are still good words to characterize Pegasus with. McKinley does most of her exposition by interrupting hersel...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Word-Weary Reviews rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read full review here: http://wordwearyreviews.wordpress.com...

Here’s the issue I have with this book: when McKinley sat down to write Pegasus, she openly admits (via this blog post) that she “whacked it in half – well, in two-thirds, and one-third.” There’s not a single word about it on Pegasus’ cover, back cover, or inserts, but Pegasus is the first book of a trilogy. A second book titled Ebon is slated to be released in 2014, and no news yet on when the third book, currently titled The Golden...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Chris Donaldson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First of all, Robin McKinley is one of my favourite authors, so I don't like to write a review for a novel of hers that I've given fewer than four stars.

Why so few? It started off well (although a small part of my brain thought 'Oh no, not another novel written for horse-mad teenagers'). But I got over that. What I could not get over was the HUGE info dump at the start. I thought initially this was for youngish children, around 11-years old, and I thought they'd get lost in the detail even mor...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Jennifer H rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this story! I haven't been the biggest fan of McKinley's books - they've been average for the most part. But I think that I just so enjoyed the idea of this story, that I liked the book. I also thought that she did a good job of describing how things sound. I think that this was an important piece of the writing since not all of the characters can speak out loud to each other. And I'm not saying that she overly explained sounds, I think it was well done.

Although I'm not sure if s...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was pretty excited to read this book when I got it as a Christmas gift. Robin McKinley's been one of my longtime standby fantasy authors and I was looking forward to reading her latest work.

God, was I disappointed.

Another reviewer here commented that this book seems to end in mid-chapter and mid-sentence. They were not very far off. The book (all 300+ pages of it) feels like a long, extended and protracted prologue for another book down the line. We get tons (and tons and tons) of world-buildi...more I was pretty excited to read this book when I got it as a Christmas gift. Robin McKinley's been one of my longtime standby fantasy authors and I was looking forward to reading her latest work.

God, was I disappointed.

Another reviewer here commented that this book seems to end in mid-chapter and mid-sentence. They were not very far off. The book (all 300+ pages of it) feels like a long, extended and protracted prologue for another book down the line. We get tons (and tons and tons) of world-building descriptions of the world of the "heroine" (not that she does anything particularly heroic).

We get descriptions of the human castle, the history of their alliance with the pegasi, the pegasi's upper lands and infamous Caves. We get descriptions of Sylvi's childhood and lessons and sword drills. We get descripts of Sylvi feeling woefully inferior to her pegasus allies at least once per paragraph. We get a lot of Sylvi and her pegasus, Ebon, walking around and talking to people and flying on the secret during the night.

What we do not get is an actual plot.

I really don't know what happened to my beloved McKinley this time around, because I thought this book was frankly a boring load of suck. There are no major battles or fights--the closest we get to that is seeing Sylvi learn to use a sword, and frankly after seeing Aerin and Harry from the Damar universe to the same thing and continue on to win the freedom of an enire people, this looks like nothing. There are no major villians. Technically, the court magician Fthoom (and wtf kind of a name is that, anyway?) is the main antagonist, but he appears for perhaps a dozen pages and is never alluded to when out of the action. Oh, and his main act of villainy? Doing a bunch of research in a libary.

Seriously, McKinley? A villian that just stays quietly in the library and does the job he was assigned? And I'm supposed to think this guy is a threat?

I think my biggest complaint is that nothing happens. The main character and her pegasus are bound and they hang out together while she angsts about not being as cool as a pegasus. All they do is talk to people, visit each other and whine about not being human or a pegasus. The side references to other malicious magical creatures beginning to attack the land were more interesting than the main plot and I dearly wanted to read about that instead. C'mon, just let me have one battle sequence with a wyvern! Please??

Honestly, it was just a big, huge letdown. This isn't a book, it's just authorial self-indulgence.(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nobody

An avid fan of Robin McKinley, I picked this up at my library expecting good things. Frankly, after The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, Deerskin, Chalice, ETC., I looked past the silly title, expecting to delve into an excellent story. However, the book fell completely flat due to one huge problem: it lacks a plot. Detailing the irritatingly mundane life of Sylvi and her pegasus, Ebon, the book only establishes their relationship and builds a world.

Studying creative writing in college, it h...more An avid fan of Robin McKinley, I picked this up at my library expecting good things. Frankly, after The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, Deerskin, Chalice, ETC., I looked past the silly title, expecting to delve into an excellent story. However, the book fell completely flat due to one huge problem: it lacks a plot. Detailing the irritatingly mundane life of Sylvi and her pegasus, Ebon, the book only establishes their relationship and builds a world.

Studying creative writing in college, it has been emphasized to me time and time again that in a piece of fiction something must be at stake. Something must ride upon the outcome of the conflict to invest the reader. While McKinley scrabbles together a conflict in the last 30 pages, plodding through the 370 preceeding feels pointless - there is literally nothing in terms of plot to draw the reader on, no questions raised, no real conflict presented.

Sadly, this is not the only point where the writing fails. McKinley's gift for subtlety (to me, best exemplified in books such as Rose Daughter and Spindle's End), her talent for giving just the right amount of information and sometimes leaving the reader in the dark, is completely unapparent in Pegasus. Slyvi, engaging as a character overall, is placed in situations that make her seem idiotic when the reader knows her to be intelligent, as she catches on to clues the reader understood immediately twenty pages later, after it's been explicitly revealed.

This is thanks to McKinley over-writing and including far too much description. While some of the exposition is unavoidable (and almost intereseting), most of it is clunky and dull. McKinley spends the book telling - telling us what happened in the kindom 800 years ago, what is for dinner, how Sylvi feels (which fluctuates between well done and overworked and annoying), what a cloud looks like. And yet we never get a good description of the palace, of Sylvi (other than her height), of most human characters and most physical settings. For all the time telling the reader facts, little is actually shown aside from weather or other things so mundane it can be a struggle to get through the passage (another extremely basic writing rule violated!). This is very problematic in a book filled with rocs, taralins, norindors, etc. - non-typical creatures that after reading the book I still have no idea how to picture. Furthermroe, McKinley's (essential and actually well-written) description of the pegasi comes far too late in the book to dislodge the normal, horsey image most of us start off with.

So why two stars for a book with no plot and absolutely nothing at stake (until, perhaps, the last 30 pages)? Despite the extreme over-exposition, McKinley does have a talent for buliding worlds. Her characters were likeable enough to draw me in and interest me in the outcome. And those last 30 pages. Reading this, I just felt the book needing a great deal more editing and needed to be cut down to at least a third the size. That conflict brought up and truncated at the end is a hint of the book I want to be reading - i.e. one that would actually have a story, and a conflict with something at stake. Instead, the moment it gets interesting the book ends. So, while I am now drawn in and somewhat invested in these characters, I would strongly recommend that you don't put yourself in the same position. From such a talented author, there is no excuse for something so below her usual standard of beautiful and carefully constructed books. The fact that I, an amateur writer, can off the bat point out so many problems in the writing itself is ridiculous. (less)

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Jun 13, 2012 Kim McGee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just when you think that Rick Riordan has all the kids reading his wonderful multiple series involving Greek mythology comes a new author to pick up the classic baton. Pegasus breathes new life into the old myths and anyone who enjoys a good adventure involving mythological beings will whip through this new series faster than you can say take me away to Mercury's sandals. During a violent thunderstorm in New York City young Emily is alone and dealing with her fears when there is a horrific thump...more

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May 18, 2012 Denae rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy

Story idea= 4.5 stars.
Writing style = 3 stars.
I love the idea of sentient Pegasi bound to nobles of humans in an epic fantasy setting. I like the limited mind speaking and how special Sylvi and Ebon are, and I especially like the rumours of monsters, even though we see no firsthand fighting in the book. Sylvi, like most of RM's characters I've come across, doesn't talk much and seems moody and overly thoughtful because she's quiet. Sylvi's only confidante is Ebon.
I even like the idea that the hu...more

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May 06, 2012 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya-fiction

Robin McKinley’s novels are always received with great anticipation and expectation by her long-suffering fans, who have to put up with long delays, inconclusive endings, and the idiosyncrasies of the authoress. I can tell you upfront that this novel is no exception — it ends on a TERRIBLE cliffhanger, and almost makes me wish I hadn’t read it since the sequel is still a long way off.

The premise of this novel is that the native population of pegasi, under threat from predators, has made a treaty...more Robin McKinley’s novels are always received with great anticipation and expectation by her long-suffering fans, who have to put up with long delays, inconclusive endings, and the idiosyncrasies of the authoress. I can tell you upfront that this novel is no exception — it ends on a TERRIBLE cliffhanger, and almost makes me wish I hadn’t read it since the sequel is still a long way off.

The premise of this novel is that the native population of pegasi, under threat from predators, has made a treaty with a recently arrived band of humans, who agree to drive out the attacking creatures. McKinley provides historical context for the treaty between the humans and the pegasi, and though there are significant differences in the bonding relationship developed between individuals, many readers will instantly think of Mercedes Lackey’s “Companions.” All of this information is related through the studies of Sylvi, the young daughter of a diplomatic king, a soldier queen, and youngest sister to three princes. Sylvi is preparing to be bound to a pegasi on her thirteenth birthday, in a mysterious ceremony performed by the magicians, who are the only ones who can speak both to the pegasi and the humans. Sylvi finds this rather annoying, especially as she tries to learn the pegasi sign language in order to communicate with the other pegasi of the court. To Sylvi’s delight, she feels an immediate bond with her pegasi, Ebon, and is able to speak mind to mind with him; of course, the magicians are dismayed at this, since it threatens their prestige and position as mediator between the races. And as Sylvi and Ebon explore their new bond and its implications for their respective people, there are a number of people who are watching these developments closely and seeking ways to turn them to their own benefit.

Although I always look forward to McKinley’s novels, I have gotten to the point where I pick them up almost expecting to be disappointed. Her earlier works, especially “Beauty” and “Deerskin” are so well written that some of her more recent novels have been great disappointments. However, Sylvi is a curious, engaging character, and watching her relationship with Ebon develop is intriguing, especially as Sylvi begins to realize that the pegasi are people who have a history and culture and language, not just companions or subordinates to the humans. It is also fascinating to see the change in politics as power shifts amongst the pegasi, royalty, and the magicians. In particular, I also enjoyed seeing Sylvi’s change in thought as she experiences the foreign culture and begins to realize what it must be like for the pegasi to leave their homes and spend time in the human royal court.(less)

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Mar 30, 2012 kris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First things first: I had heard there ~~was a sequel~~ were sequels, but I didn't realize that ~~it was~~ they were going to be, literally, the second half of the story (or third, as it's now a trilogy?). I figured, adult adventures for the main duo or something. Not the entire ~~second~~ third portion of the story.

That being said: I enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the world, and how McKinley layers things until the society has all its own quirks and pieces that make it unique. I adored the relationship betw...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Barbara Simeles rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I usually love Robin McKinley, so I was excited to see that she had a new book. I even loved Sunshine, when she departed from her usual re-telling of old classics. But this book was awful. I mean... the descriptions were beautiful. She painted a great picture of the world. However, I couldn't help but think of this Onion article (http://www.theonion.com/articles/nove...) as I read. No, her book wasn't quite as bad. She did develop her characters and the world she painted seemed fairly nice.

But...more I usually love Robin McKinley, so I was excited to see that she had a new book. I even loved Sunshine, when she departed from her usual re-telling of old classics. But this book was awful. I mean... the descriptions were beautiful. She painted a great picture of the world. However, I couldn't help but think of this Onion article (http://www.theonion.com/articles/nove...) as I read. No, her book wasn't quite as bad. She did develop her characters and the world she painted seemed fairly nice.

But who cares? What was the point? She spends the entire book building up to nothing! She hints at a conspiracy, but there's no good reasoning behind it. I don't understand what the magicians gain from sustaining a conspiracy to keep the pegasi and humans from developing closer relationships. I also don't understand why she builds up the relationship between Sylvi and Ebon to be of soulmate proportions. I was thinking maybe the big twist will have something to do with their almost romantic relationship, but since nothing happens, I was again disappointed by details that led nowhere.

Plus, the pegasi are painted as being these perfect creatures, while humans are clumsy oafs. For some reason, it just seems superficial in this book. I think because the struggle Sylvi has with being human while surrounded by the pegasi feels so whiny.

Some of the characters spoke and acted like they're modern-day people that just happen to be in this medieval-like era in a world with pegasi. Incongruent. The names and development of the pegasi language felt really labored. Fthoom? Really? That's our scary antagonist? I can't seriously consider him to be a threat. The pegasi language had words like shashawa and rrriffifirrr, or something similar. Again, I can't take that seriously. It's like she just let typed random letters to make up a language.

NO plot is ever developed. Nothing happens in this book, ever. The worst part is that when the book ends, it almost feels as if it was cut off in the middle of a sentence. It just ends. After all that work getting through the boring details. No reward.(less)

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Mar 17, 2012 Rosanne Lortz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Because she was a princess she had a pegasus.” As I mentioned in my recent review of Chalice, I greatly enjoy the opening lines to Robin McKinley’s novels. Pegasus, her latest book, is another YA fantasy, and once again, McKinley does a fabulous job of world building. For nearly a thousand years, the humans and the pegasi have been joined together in an alliance against the evil dragon-like creatures known as norindours, wyverns, and rocs. But although they are allied, the societies of the two...more “Because she was a princess she had a pegasus.” As I mentioned in my recent review of Chalice, I greatly enjoy the opening lines to Robin McKinley’s novels. Pegasus, her latest book, is another YA fantasy, and once again, McKinley does a fabulous job of world building. For nearly a thousand years, the humans and the pegasi have been joined together in an alliance against the evil dragon-like creatures known as norindours, wyverns, and rocs. But although they are allied, the societies of the two peoples are very different and they can barely communicate with each other except through the human magicians and the pegasi shamans.

Princess Sylvi, almost twelve years old when the story begins, is about to be “bound” to her own pegasus. It is a ritual that all members of the royal families undergo in order to further the friendship between the two races. When the diminutive girl meets the giant black pegasus for the first time, she discovers something remarkable–she can hear Ebon talking inside her head and they can understand each other! This unique connection between the princess and her pegasus does not please everyone, the magicians least of all. Fthoom, the most powerful magician in the land, goes into a towering rage and works to separate the two. But Sylvi refuses to give up her new best friend Ebon.

The majority of the book is a description of how Sylvi and Ebon’s friendship grows and also of Sylvi’s growing understanding of the pegasi and their culture. McKinley beautifully contrasts the humans, able to make war with their strong hands, and the pegasi, able to make works of art beyond all human imagination. She slowly but steadily builds up the drama of the book until the very end…when the unsuspecting reader finds out that nothing has been concluded and she is planning to write a sequel. While writing the book, McKinley said this on her blog:

"About a month ago I decided I couldn’t do it in one book: so perforce I’m going to be writing a real sequel for the first time in my life . . . well, sort of. It’s going to be a sequel like THE RETURN OF THE KING is a sequel to THE TWO TOWERS. Remember the last line of TWO TOWERS? ‘Frodo was alive but taken by the Enemy’? Yes. You’re going to hate me for the ending of PEGASUS. Well, I hope you’ll hate me: you’ll hate me if you like the book."

It’s official: I hate Robin McKinley. When will Pegasus II be published? Not till 2014 if her blog banner speaks true.(less)

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Feb 29, 2012 Stephanie Jobe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Robin McKinley you are a cruel cruel hell goddess. A lifetime of stand alone books, Hero and Sword being the only ones truly tied, used to lull us into complacency to make the agony all the more bitter at the finish of Pegasus. I follow your blog; I knew that there was a sequel, a number 2 not yet out, and yet I somehow FORGOT and as was getting near the end was wondering “How is she going to finish… Oh Crap!” I nearly crumpled right there. So yes obviously I loved it. Okay the humans and the pe...more Robin McKinley you are a cruel cruel hell goddess. A lifetime of stand alone books, Hero and Sword being the only ones truly tied, used to lull us into complacency to make the agony all the more bitter at the finish of Pegasus. I follow your blog; I knew that there was a sequel, a number 2 not yet out, and yet I somehow FORGOT and as was getting near the end was wondering “How is she going to finish… Oh Crap!” I nearly crumpled right there. So yes obviously I loved it. Okay the humans and the pegasi have had an alliance for a very long time, and they become bound to each other especially in the royal family. One minor issue – they can’t talk to each other. Okay yes they have complicated hand signs which don’t work the same cross species and they have magician Speakers who don’t necessarily do their jobs well or even as well as they could but that is the only option until on Sylvi’s 12th birthday when she is to bound to Ebon, they can talk before the ceremony even happens. This should be an event for celebration except certain magicians are against it, violently so and they see her as the enemy. Four years pass and they still don’t know why the have this connection or why it scares the magicians… Once again you will be amazed by McKinley’s ability to drop you into a world and immerse you in such a way that you can easily catch onto not one but two cultures and begin to understand bits of a language nothing like our own. Once again McKinley shows us a beautiful relationship that crosses the expected borders. Just as Beauty realizes that Beast is just like her, thus Sylvi realizes that Ebon and the other pegasi are not so different as humans might think. Maybe I read into it to much, whenever I see conflict in the world I think about the fact that both sides are so similar but they pretend the others are demons except in this case they respect the pegasi but that is all. My suspicion is that book 2 will be more action, but McKinley does tend to surprise. Obviously I kept going with interruptions. Now to hop back to Sunshine and Dragonhaven and try to hold my life together…(less)

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Jan 21, 2012 Dara rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Dara by: a librarian

Shelves: books-that-made-me-emotional

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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