Title: Talking to Dragons
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
What it's about: So, one day a wizard shows up at the cottage where Daystar and his mother live on the edge of the Enchanted Forest. Daystar's mother sends him into the forest with a sword and orders to not come back until he knows why he had to leave. Although his mother trained him well, Daystar's still pretty confused, but he gets help along the way from various allies, including a lizard named Suz and a witch named Morwen. He also makes some new friends, including a fire-witch named Shiara and a young dragon.
What I thought: This is my favorite of all the books in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I like Daystar as a protagonist. While he knows enough stuff about dealing with the world of the Enchanted Forest, like not making foolish promises and being polite, he's also not such a know-it-all that he's unlikeable or that there's no challenge. And while it's usually annoying when the protagonist is sent off on a quest without being told much, in this case we find that there's actually a good reason for it. Daystar's sensible without being annoying, virtuous but not to the point of stupidity. Overall, a realistic, likable character. Shiara's good, too, with her rudeness actually having negative effects, even annoying Daystar. So this isn't a case of rudeness masquerading as spunkiness and annoying the reader. This book, I think, is just the most solid as its own adventure without having to rely on fairy tale parody out of the four books in this series.
Overall: Definitely worth reading up to this point.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Calling on Dragons
Title: Calling on Dragons
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
What it's about: Wizards are causing trouble in the Enchanted Forest again, and Morwen the witch is right in the middle of things. She's the one whose cats discover the six-foot rabbit, and when it's found that the king's sword, the blade that's linked to the magic of the Enchanted Forest, has gone missing, Morwen is in the search party to retrieve it, along with Cimorene, the Queen of the Enchanted Forest, Kazul, King of the Dragons, Telemain, a magician and magical theorist, a couple of cats, and the aforementioned rabbit.
What I thought: Morwen's an interesting narrator, so this was an enjoyable read. The various fairy tale spoofs were, as always, funny and interesting, and the main conflict of the story worked out nicely and logically. I suppose my main beef with this book is that it seemed more like a setup for the fourth book.
Overall: Not bad, but I wouldn't say this stands out as the best book of the series or anything.
With the previous review, I hit my monthly quota of twenty-five books. I may yet get another title read tomorrow, while we're still in May, so once June rolls around, I'll see about doing a monthly wrap-up post, maybe with the best and worst of the month (possibly including April's books, too), stuff like that. Until next time!
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
What it's about: Wizards are causing trouble in the Enchanted Forest again, and Morwen the witch is right in the middle of things. She's the one whose cats discover the six-foot rabbit, and when it's found that the king's sword, the blade that's linked to the magic of the Enchanted Forest, has gone missing, Morwen is in the search party to retrieve it, along with Cimorene, the Queen of the Enchanted Forest, Kazul, King of the Dragons, Telemain, a magician and magical theorist, a couple of cats, and the aforementioned rabbit.
What I thought: Morwen's an interesting narrator, so this was an enjoyable read. The various fairy tale spoofs were, as always, funny and interesting, and the main conflict of the story worked out nicely and logically. I suppose my main beef with this book is that it seemed more like a setup for the fourth book.
Overall: Not bad, but I wouldn't say this stands out as the best book of the series or anything.
With the previous review, I hit my monthly quota of twenty-five books. I may yet get another title read tomorrow, while we're still in May, so once June rolls around, I'll see about doing a monthly wrap-up post, maybe with the best and worst of the month (possibly including April's books, too), stuff like that. Until next time!
The Little Prince
Title: The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint Exupéry
What it's about: An airman stranded in the desert meets a curious little person who claims to come from another planet. We learn, through the airman's narration, about the boy and his journeys from the little planet he'd lived on to various other planets and then to Earth, as well as about the lessons he'd learned, which he in turn imparted to the airman.
What I thought: I was puzzled about how to review this book because how do you really summarize and review the beauty of The Little Prince? This story about staying true to your inner child and learning the value of friendship imparts these lessons in a way that really can only be called beautiful. The illustrations only help augment the simple beauty of the text, the plain but profound language. Yes, I'm getting a little uncharacteristically poetic, but once you read this book, you'll understand why.
Overall: A must-read for all members of the human race.
Author: Antoine de Saint Exupéry
What it's about: An airman stranded in the desert meets a curious little person who claims to come from another planet. We learn, through the airman's narration, about the boy and his journeys from the little planet he'd lived on to various other planets and then to Earth, as well as about the lessons he'd learned, which he in turn imparted to the airman.
What I thought: I was puzzled about how to review this book because how do you really summarize and review the beauty of The Little Prince? This story about staying true to your inner child and learning the value of friendship imparts these lessons in a way that really can only be called beautiful. The illustrations only help augment the simple beauty of the text, the plain but profound language. Yes, I'm getting a little uncharacteristically poetic, but once you read this book, you'll understand why.
Overall: A must-read for all members of the human race.
Searching for Dragons
Title: Searching for Dragons
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
What it's about: Mendanbar is the king of the Enchanted Forest. While taking a walk through his domain, he comes across a patch of forest that's been turned into a wasteland. At first he suspects dragons, but a chat with Morwen, a sensible witch, sets him straight, and Mendanbar goes to visit the King of the Dragons. However, the Kazul, King of the Dragons has gone missing, so Mendanbar teams up with Cimorene, the King of the Dragon's princess, to go find Kazul and figure out what's been going on.
What I thought: Mendanbar is easier to identify with than Cimorene because he seems a bit more realistic, worry about stuff, getting things wrong, etc. Cimorene, too, isn't as perfect as she was in the previous book. Also, Searching seems to me to have a little more sense of danger to it than the first book, which was more of a funny fractured fairy tale. The supporting characters, like Willin, Telemain, Morwen, Jack, and the various other folks Mendanbar and Cimorene
meet on their journey are also interesting. This volume keeps the parodies of fairy tales going, but there's more to the story this time, which makes Searching for Dragons even more entertaining than its predecessor.
Overall: A fun read.
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
What it's about: Mendanbar is the king of the Enchanted Forest. While taking a walk through his domain, he comes across a patch of forest that's been turned into a wasteland. At first he suspects dragons, but a chat with Morwen, a sensible witch, sets him straight, and Mendanbar goes to visit the King of the Dragons. However, the Kazul, King of the Dragons has gone missing, so Mendanbar teams up with Cimorene, the King of the Dragon's princess, to go find Kazul and figure out what's been going on.
What I thought: Mendanbar is easier to identify with than Cimorene because he seems a bit more realistic, worry about stuff, getting things wrong, etc. Cimorene, too, isn't as perfect as she was in the previous book. Also, Searching seems to me to have a little more sense of danger to it than the first book, which was more of a funny fractured fairy tale. The supporting characters, like Willin, Telemain, Morwen, Jack, and the various other folks Mendanbar and Cimorene
meet on their journey are also interesting. This volume keeps the parodies of fairy tales going, but there's more to the story this time, which makes Searching for Dragons even more entertaining than its predecessor.
Overall: A fun read.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Dealing With Dragons
Title: Dealing With Dragons
Author: Patricia Wrede
What it's about: Cimorene isn't a traditional princess, and she doesn't like traditional princessy things. So she goes to live with a dragon, only instead of being kidnapped, she volunteers. Cimorene and the dragon, Kazul, get along just swimmingly, and they work to foil a plot by some evil wizards, poking fun at fairy tale and fantasy cliches along the way.
What I thought: Cimorene seems a little too on top of things, you know? I get that she's supposed to be different from the stereotypical damsel in distress, but I think this book has the flattest main character of any of Wrede's stories. Not that this book is by any means bad, however. It's delightful and funny, and it's really worth reading. At the least, give it a read so you can check out the next three books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.
Overall: Entertaining, but not a favorite.
Author: Patricia Wrede
What it's about: Cimorene isn't a traditional princess, and she doesn't like traditional princessy things. So she goes to live with a dragon, only instead of being kidnapped, she volunteers. Cimorene and the dragon, Kazul, get along just swimmingly, and they work to foil a plot by some evil wizards, poking fun at fairy tale and fantasy cliches along the way.
What I thought: Cimorene seems a little too on top of things, you know? I get that she's supposed to be different from the stereotypical damsel in distress, but I think this book has the flattest main character of any of Wrede's stories. Not that this book is by any means bad, however. It's delightful and funny, and it's really worth reading. At the least, give it a read so you can check out the next three books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.
Overall: Entertaining, but not a favorite.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Princess and the Pauper
Title: The Princess and the Pauper
Author: Kate Brian
What it's about: Princess Carina of Vineland hates being a princess. She wishes she had the freedom normal girls do. So when Carina has to go to Los Angeles as part of a goodwill tour, she and her friend Ingrid make plans to slip away from the delegation so Carina can meet her internet boyfriend and rock musician. Enter Julia Johnson. Julia's a normal girl who lives in LA with her mother. They're only barely able to make ends meet, and Julia can only afford to go to the classy high school she attends because of a scholarship. When Carina and Ingrid meet Julia, they notice Julia could pass for Carina with the right hair and makeup work. A plan is hatched for the two girls to switch places, and plenty of interesting stuff happens.
What I thought: Carina almost seems like she was written to be a cliche foil to Julia's more normal, realistic character. Not that Carina isn't interesting and doesn't get some development, but I think that Julia and Ingrid are much more dynamic. Um. The book's funny, and it doesn't seem unrealistic in the little ways which could make or break a story, and the bigger stuff doesn't seem too unrealistic, any more than a plot like this inherently is. Well, this is teen fiction for girls, definitely, but the romance stuff, while there, is definitely the B-plot of things. I also like how the mother-daughter relationships are played out.
Overall: Not everyone's gonna like this one, but it's not bad for its genre.
Author: Kate Brian
What it's about: Princess Carina of Vineland hates being a princess. She wishes she had the freedom normal girls do. So when Carina has to go to Los Angeles as part of a goodwill tour, she and her friend Ingrid make plans to slip away from the delegation so Carina can meet her internet boyfriend and rock musician. Enter Julia Johnson. Julia's a normal girl who lives in LA with her mother. They're only barely able to make ends meet, and Julia can only afford to go to the classy high school she attends because of a scholarship. When Carina and Ingrid meet Julia, they notice Julia could pass for Carina with the right hair and makeup work. A plan is hatched for the two girls to switch places, and plenty of interesting stuff happens.
What I thought: Carina almost seems like she was written to be a cliche foil to Julia's more normal, realistic character. Not that Carina isn't interesting and doesn't get some development, but I think that Julia and Ingrid are much more dynamic. Um. The book's funny, and it doesn't seem unrealistic in the little ways which could make or break a story, and the bigger stuff doesn't seem too unrealistic, any more than a plot like this inherently is. Well, this is teen fiction for girls, definitely, but the romance stuff, while there, is definitely the B-plot of things. I also like how the mother-daughter relationships are played out.
Overall: Not everyone's gonna like this one, but it's not bad for its genre.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Matilda
Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
What it's about: Matilda, though only five years old, is a genius. She's reading and doing math better than kids years older than her. However, will all her smarts keep her from being terrorized by the Trunchbull, the fearsome headmistress of her school? In order to help herself and her teacher Miss Honey, Matilda has to make use of her special talents to get rid of the Trunchbull once and for all.
What I thought: I have to admit, I'm having a hard time thinking of something to say other than that this is a really good book. I mean, all the characters are well-drawn, from the titular protagonist to Miss Honey to Miss Trunchbull. Dahl shows some great imagination in Miss Trunchbull's villainy, and he pokes scorching fun at dopey parents and other things with his wit. Look, Dahl's a literary genius, read his books, and that's really all I should need to say.
Overall: Great story.
Author: Roald Dahl
What it's about: Matilda, though only five years old, is a genius. She's reading and doing math better than kids years older than her. However, will all her smarts keep her from being terrorized by the Trunchbull, the fearsome headmistress of her school? In order to help herself and her teacher Miss Honey, Matilda has to make use of her special talents to get rid of the Trunchbull once and for all.
What I thought: I have to admit, I'm having a hard time thinking of something to say other than that this is a really good book. I mean, all the characters are well-drawn, from the titular protagonist to Miss Honey to Miss Trunchbull. Dahl shows some great imagination in Miss Trunchbull's villainy, and he pokes scorching fun at dopey parents and other things with his wit. Look, Dahl's a literary genius, read his books, and that's really all I should need to say.
Overall: Great story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
