I don't know why I have such a hard time with Robin McKinley. It's always friends of my friends who like her books. I think McKinley deliberately avoids trying to make her books too exciting. Maybe she edits out the fun parts. 
 The part of _Hero_ that stands out most to me is when she spent tedious hours and weeks trying to invent an anti-fire potion. I admired her perseverance in the face of great boredom. Apparently the rest of the book was less memorable than that for me.