Pegasus

I’ve decided to change the format of my blog here at DemureConnoisseur, mostly because I feel like the composition so far has been very restrictive creative wise.  There really isn’t that much creativity that can go into reviewing things like books, recipes or other products, but before it was so..rigid.  So there it is.

I have this feeling that it wasn’t very fun to read.  I think that right now I’ll try something much more fluid and easy to change just to mix it up, though there may be a few elements that I keep.  I like to include the cover art of the book I’m reviewing.  I also like to search DeviantArt for fanart, this has been a recent addition to my reviews.  I enjoy it and since the blog is mostly for my own enjoyment that is probably the most important thing.

So, now that I’ve cleared the air with the winds of change, I think I’ll move onto the review for Pegasus by Robin McKinley that I finished just this past weekend.  My husband got up with our son this past weekend on Saturday so that I could sleep in, and while I did sleep in, I also laid in bed and finished the last 60 pages of Pegasus while snuggling in the covers.  It was great!

I will lead with – I love Robin McKinley.  I have listed her as one of my favorite authors for almost as long as Tamora Pierce has been on my list.  Since middle school, which is nearing on 15 years now.  My favorites of Ms. McKinley’s books are: The Blue Sword, Deerskin and The Hero and The Crown.  As long as I’m being forthcoming with my favorites, I would like to add that although I’ve loved most of her books, that doesn’t include all.  I have tried reading Sunshine at least three times.  Each time, I can’t get past the first couple of chapters.  I own the book, so sometime I may try again but so far it hasn’t gone well.

Pegasus started out the same way.  I picked it up to read earlier in the year as it was a Christmas present (if I remember correctly) from my Mom, she had picked it up from Borders with one of their famous coupons (in hardcover, of course as I am pretty sure it isn’t available in paperback yet).  I put it down after the first 3 pages.

by DeviantArtist: skellingt0n

I then read When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James.  I tried Pegasus again.  This time I was resilient, there was no surrendering.  I plowed on; page after page, until I reached about chapter 5, and then it was easier.  Her prose is always full of inner dialogue and elaborately, nay, immaculately written descriptions of scenery, of characters, expressions!  So, the plot isn’t at the forefront of the first few chapters, it is history, it is getting to know the characters, and the characters’ history, even. 

Here there may be spoilers.†  It’s not in my nature to talk about spoilers but I suppose this could be one.  It’s not an intricate plot.  It’s not a full story as it does have quite the cliffhanger at the end.  Pegasus II is due out in 2012 sometime.  A little long to wait between books when there is a huge, somewhat dissatisfying cliffhanger at the end of the first book in my opinion, but they don’t normally (read: ever) defer to me to judge these things.

It took me a few days after finishing Pegasus to decide if I liked it or not, mostly because of the ending and the not so exciting plot that I had figured out nearly before I was halfway finished with the book, and although that sounds mostly negative I have to say that overall it was actually a positive experience.  I enjoyed the narrative, the beauty of the subject material, I really envied Sylvie most of the time I was reading, and I hope that Pegasus II has a little bit more of an exciting plotline (it really has to), so I can’t wait to find out it’s release date!

Here’s the other important info for you:

Title:  Pegasus

Author: Robin McKinley

Pages: 404 Pages

Genre:  Fantasy

Blurb: A gorgeously-written fantasy about the friendship between a princess and her pegasus

Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pegasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially-trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.

But it’s different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close—so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo—and possibly to the future safety of their two nations.

My Rating: (★★★)

☆«·´`·.¸★☆★¸.·´`·»☆

My Rating System:

★ = didn’t like it

★★ = it was ok

★★★ = liked it

★★★★ = really liked it

★★★★★ = it was amazing

© demureconnoisseur/ Stacy Grey


† a play on the "Here they be dragons"