The Hero and the Crown is a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy read. I wonder how I missed this one when it was first published; I would have been at the right age to be interested. In any case, I've made up for the omission now, and I suggest that others do the same, if the omission is indeed there. The book is not as epic in scope as, for example, Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, and the protagonist perhaps not as memorable as others, but the children's fantasy genre is quite competitive! I also found the writing to be a bit odd at times -- interspersed here and there are sentences that just plain don't make sense. Overlooking those provisos, though, I do give the book 4 stars. Ms. McKinley does a solid job of introducing her readers to the land of Damar, of providing plenty of action. A good selection for any fantasy fan, though not groundbreaking.