I’m not exactly sure how I feel about Robin McKinley’s latest book, Chalice. On her blog, McKinley explains that, like Dragonhaven, Chalice started out as an attempt to write a Fire story for the second in the Elementals series that she co-writes with her husband and fellow writer, Peter Dickinson.
When I started Chalice, I had high hopes. I was unable to finish Dragonhaven–partly because I could not connect with the young male narrator’s non-stop whining, and partly because the dragon theme did not work for me in the way that The Hero and the Crown‘s dragon theme did.
I did not have such a problem with Chalice, Mirasol’s story is classic McKinley–the young heroine experiences a life-altering moment and finds a sense of empowerment that allows her to overcome a series of trials.
However, the story seems a little too familiar. At times, Chalice seems almost a less-developed version of Rose Daughter with beekeeping replacing the gardening motif. Mirasol struggles to adapt to the role that she must play as Chalice, but her development is not as satisfying as Beauty’s.
Or, perhaps I have just become too attached to Rose Daughter.
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