Crown of Earth (Shield, Sword & Crown) [Hardcover]

Hilari Bell (Author), Drew Willis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Shield, Sword & Crown

The moment Prince Edoran hears these words from Weasel's trusted friend Justice Holis, Edoran knows he has to fi nd a way to rescue Weasel, who has been kidnapped in Edoran's place.

Edoran's task is far from easy. Life-threatening challenges greet him at every step as he searches for Weasel, forced to hide his true identity from all he meets along the way. The journey is full of surprises and revelations, as Edoran learns for the fi rst time the real meaning of hard labor and the cost of a meal. The story builds to a stunning climax, where the true nature of the magical objects of Deorthas is at last revealed.

Fans of acclaimed fantasy author Hilari Bell will not be disappointed with this action-packed conclusion to the mesmerizing Shield, Sword, and Crown trilogy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—This book picks up where Sword of Waters (S & S, 2008) leaves off as Prince Edoran runs away from his palace in order to try to save the life of his only true friend, Weasel. Along the way, he joins forces with Arisa, whose mother, the Falcon, is threatening to take over the kingdom. Edoran allows himself to be captured by his former tutor, but escapes with the help of one of the Hidden of the old religion. He is spirited away to a fishing village where he learns that being a pampered prince is not the life he wants. Fate brings all three friends together again, and Edoran has the chance to save his friends and his kingdom, and truly embrace his destiny. This book stands on its own; by the end of the first chapter, the previous events are explained and the current story is satisfying enough to capture readers' attention. At first, the prince is portrayed as a selfish, spoiled brat but his character develops through the trials he encounters and he matures. The plot moves quickly, and though Arisa and Weasel are given little attention here, their personalities were fleshed out in the earlier titles. In the end, all major problems are solved, the prince is ready to accept his life, and plans for a better future for all are in the works.—Debra Banna, Sharon Public Library, MA END

From Booklist

Picking up just where the previous volume in The Shield, Sword and Crown series, Sword of Waters (2008), left off, this strong conclusion to the trilogy sends spoiled young prince Edoran (disguised as a commoner) and his sharp-tongued friend Arisa to the rescue of their kidnapped colleague, Weasel. Narrow escapes and sudden turns of fortune ensue as Edoran learns to be a leader, to make hard decisions, and also actually to pay for meals while his magical kingly abilities mature. Grades 5-8. --John Peters

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416905987
• ISBN-13: 978-1416905981
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Me the writer--a loose, not-really-biography of Hilari Bell.

A lot of writers will tell you that they've been writers from the time they were children--well, I'm not one of those people. I was always a reader. There's nothing better than falling into the world of a book and just living there till the story's over...and even then, it stays in your head and heart. At least, the best ones do. But writing came a lot later, in school assignments--which I enjoyed, but still, assignments. Homework no less.

I started writing seriously when I first got out of library school. I'd been reading picture books preparing to do storytimes, and I thought, "Picture books. They're short. They're for little kids. How hard could it be?" Several years and dozens of unsold--and unsalable--picture books later I'd found out how hard they could be! Picture books are harder to write (a good one, anyway) than anything except poetry. And they're harder to sell than anything but poetry, too.

One of the things I've learned about writing over the years is to never say never, because whenever I've said "I will never write XYZ" within a few years I end up writing it. Some true examples: I could never write a novel. I could never write a young adult novel. I could never write science fiction. I could never write an adult novel. I could never make those books a romance. (OK, so I haven't actually made them into a romance, but a lot more romantic elements are creeping into my writing.) I should probably say, I could never write a best seller, just to see what would happen... Hmm. I could never write a best seller!

OK, Murphy's Law being what it is, that probably won't work. If for no other reason than that, primarily, I write for me. This is something I probably shouldn't admit, but I don't really care that much about my audience. (Sorry, audience.) I write the books I want to read. I tell the stories that I want to tell. And I write to make the story the best it can be...because the story is what I care about it. I love it when other people care about my stories too, but that's not my primary motivation. Which is the other reason "I could never write a best seller."

(I know it probably won't work--but it doesn't hurt to try, now does it?)

--Hilari

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fantasy Trilogy, June 21, 2011

By 

Karen Keyte (Cumberland, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crown of Earth (Shield, Sword & Crown) (Paperback)

For young friends Weasel, Arisa and Prince Edoran, things are somehow worse than ever. Having already assisted in overthrowing the reign of a murderous Regent and recovered the lost ancient symbols of the King's right to rule, the Shield of Stars and the Sword of Waters, the three teens should have been relatively safe. But, as everything seems to do in Deorthas these days, things have gone horribly wrong. Arisa's mother, the Falcon, has turned traitor and made a bid to take over the rule of the Kingdom. Thwarted by Edoran and Arisa in her attempt to kidnap Edoran and steal the Shield and the Sword, the Falcon holds Weasel as a hostage. Determined to rescue his only true friend, Prince Edoran has fled the palace in pursuit of the Falcon. It takes only one day away from the luxuries and servants he has always known for the young Prince to realize that he is woefully unprepared for a life on the road. But help will come from unexpected places and, with that help, the gradual recognition that he need not be the stupid, ineffectual Prince that the evil Regent Pettibone raised him to be. As the days pass and Weasel's time surely grows short, Prince Edoran will discover the man he might yet become even as he learns the true purpose and significance of the Shield and the Sword.

Nobody buckles swashes quite like Hilari Bell does. Each of the books in this trilogy have been, on the one hand, a rip-roaring adventure filled with dangerous intrigues, escapes and sword-play, and on the other, wonderful, rich character-driven stories about three young people growing into the heroes and heroine they were always meant to be. Where Shield of Stars focused on Weasel and Sword of Waters centered on Arisa, Crown of Earth is Edoran's story. As the book begins, Edoran is as he always has been - quiet, lonely, aloof, a Prince mostly ignored by the adults who rule in his name. But through his quest to save Weasel,the truth of Edoran's life and character - the past that created him and the desire to be something different, something more that burns deeply within - are slowly revealed. I am honestly puzzled by the fact that Hilari Bell isn't one of the best known YA fantasy writers today. Her prose is strong and lively, her characters are incredibly well drawn and fully realized, and her world-building is second to none. The Shield, Sword and Crown is a fabulous trilogy, the kind of stories you will want to revisit time and time again. Each book is strong and complete, there are no weak moments. I loved all three of these novels from beginning to end.

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written., October 24, 2009

By 

Ulyyf "Connie" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crown of Earth (Shield, Sword & Crown) (Hardcover)

This is the third in a trilogy, so if you already know that you're probably planning to buy this already. And if you don't already know that - don't buy this book yet. It won't make any sense if you don't read the first two.

This is not the best book in the trilogy, but it is a mostly satisfying end to it, and I recommend it. I did find the major plot of "rich kid does real work and improves for it" to be a bit trying, but I don't think the author had a choice - that's kinda where the other two books led. It's just that there's just not much more to say on that subject that hasn't been said already a dozen times over. The intended audience may not have read it yet, though, so that's all right.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read all three in less than a week, November 24, 2010

By 

Tina Moss (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crown of Earth (Shield, Sword & Crown) (Kindle Edition)

I happened upon Shield of Stars while in the midst of a multi-hour amazon kindle scan searching for interesting books to sample and possibly buy. I had some credit from a gift card and figured, why not? The sample had been good. I accidentally purchased Sword of Waters when trying to get a sample, but kept it anyway, which was a good thing. I enjoyed Weasel's story so much I went right into Arisa's. I was hoping to show some self-control and not buy this one immediately, but just had to know what happened. I liked this story well enough, though the pampered prince turned hard worker was a tiny bit cliched and I actually liked Weasel much better...and he doesn't show until about 85% into the story. They are a bit predictable, but that just makes them even more enjoyable, and I really liked the tie-in with the Tarot cards for the three main characters. I have already read some of the Farsala trilogy and am now exercising that self control and forcing myself not to buy the Last Knight until I've read some of my other downloads first *sigh*.


please look for my book, The Snow Child by Tina Moss, in the next few months