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[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

The Boy Who Knew Everything

by Victoria Forester

Basic Info

Book 2 of Piper McCloud Year published: 2015 Page Length: 404 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 11/26/24-12/4/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 0

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

Piper McCloud and her gaggle of extraordinary kids are back! After growing bored of trying to be normal, Piper and her friends team up to become a group of young superheroes! But the evil they're fighting and their fellow gifted people may not be everything they seem . . . .

Overall Impression

Much like the first book in this series, I was expecting to not be super into this book. The first book was surprisingly good and had an interesting cliff hanger, but after waiting over a year to get my hands on the sequel, I wasn't exactly excited to read this one. However, I was pleasantly surprised! In my opinion, this book is even better than the first one! Despite not being very strong in the beginning, the story eventually begins to ramp up by exploring the lore and the inner workings of Piper's best friend, Conrad. This book was excellent conceptually and overall a fun read!

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Piper: - Bio: Piper is the titular character from The Girl Who Could Fly. Being the only girl with special powers in a conservative southern US town can be a struggle, but Piper never lets it get her down! Piper was the protagonist of the first book, but takes more of a backseat in this book. So the deuteragonist? - How I Feel About Her: Piper is pretty cute, she works alright as a main character. She's not my favorite character to follow around, but she's overall a good kid and a great friend. I suppose most of her arc was done in the first book.

Conrad: - Bio: Conrad is the titular character as The Boy Who Knew Everything. He's a super-genius 13 year old who was able to hack into government satellites by the age of 5, and was disowned by his politician father for doing so. After escaping the Institute with Piper and their friends, Conrad now lives on the farm with Piper's family. He is our protagonist for this book. - How I Feel About Him: I really like Conrad in this book. He's easily the most complex character in the whole series. I love listening to him talk, seeing his thought process as he problem solves, and I love seeing him struggle!

What I Liked/What Worked: I loved the concept and the execution of this book, mostly of the latter half. The plot is pretty complex with a lot of various points (I just had to write out a little timeline for myself so I don't forget all the stuff that went down in this book), but for me, that's what makes this book. Not to mention how naturally the story flows. It's just such a well written book, and I can feel how much time and thought and creativity was put into it! Conrad is also just a great character, and I'm glad that we're getting more of him in this book. He goes through an arc of his own. Conrad's father is a famous, popular senator who runs for president and wins. After becoming the president, Conrad's father publicly announces Conrad's death, even though both of them are well aware that Conrad is still alive. This sends Conrad into a depression, and he spends some time sickly and apathetic. I thought this was actually a great portrayal of depression. I also appreciated the way Piper's family treated him during this time, and I just thought, overall, that it was a good portrayal of a common mental health issue. Conrad is able to get himself out of this bout of depression after rediscovering his love of invention and helping people. But yeah, overall I just love Conrad's character. He's super smart and very kind, even if he can be a little closed off from others at times. And I love his friendship with Piper, they're super cute together and a great team. My other absolute favorite part of this book was the character (and big bad villain), Max. We meet Max for the first time in Xanthia, which is this magic village somewhere in the mountains where only people with gifts (like Piper and her friends) can live. Xanthia, on the surface, seems to be a paradise for Piper and Conrad after growing up in a world that did not accept them for their extraordinary powers. But Xanthia has their own problems. Max appears to be a regular teenager living in Xanthia. He kind of becomes a friend to Conrad for a little bit, until later we find out that he's been the mastermind behind everything that's been going bad throughout the story. So he's this vampire-like immortal creature who feeds off of the suffering of humanity. And his goal in life is to cause as much pain as possible because 1. He's seen everything after being alive for thousands of years and deals with constant boredom, 2. He needs it to survive, and 3. He's a total sadistic psychopath. Max's story is just so fascinating to me. And we also find out that he's the leader of Xanthia since he's the oldest. Anyways, Xanthia is almost completely corrupt. My favorite part was listening to their societal ideals and being able to draw perfect lines between Xanthia and cult behaviors. They're a relatively small group completely isolated from the outside world, they whole-heartedly believe that everything from the outside is evil and bad, and they're not allowed to have ideas that conflict with the status quo. It was pretty fascinating! I also just went through another one of my horror movie phases where I ended up watching a couple cult-centric horror movies (The Endless, Midsommar, Hereditary, and The Empty Man), and I've also watched quite a few hours of analysis videos talking about these movies and the cults that are discussed within them. So it was kind of cool for me to see that stuff portrayed in a kids book without being directly called out as being a cult. Yeah, overall the story of Max and Xanthia and the overarching conspiracy absolutely made this book for me, and Max is easily one of the most compelling antagonists I've seen in a book as of late. It's just spectacular.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: Alright, let's get into what didn't work for me (although there isn't much!) The biggest thing for me is just how boring the side kids are. I'm sitting here and for the life of me, I can't remember any of their names aside from the ones I saw just skimming back through the book to fact check myself. I really think this book suffers from what many other books and movies suffer from, which is having too many characters and not knowing how to juggle them all properly. I want to say there are 11 kids in the group? It's just too many for me to keep track of, and I think the author struggles as well. Each of them has a sort of one-note personality as well as their own special power (telekinesis, shrinking, super strength, x-ray vision, etc). I just feel that it would work much better if we just had fewer characters. Now, I will say that it does make sense in the context of the last book for there to be so many of them. If I remember the first book correctly, I thought that there being so many powered kids worked pretty well. In the first book, Piper goes to this institute for gifted kids where they try to get the kids to be normal, and it more or less functions as a regular boarding school (except with a little more torture). So there being an actual class worth of kids worked out, and I really liked how they were each able to pitch in and use their abilities to escape from the Institution. The whole thing worked out pretty well in that story. In this story, however, all the kids team up to be a super hero group, and personally, that was my least favorite plot line. A lot of people in reviews I've read compared this series to X-Men (my favorite was "the infant X-Men"). I haven't seen much in terms of the X-Men myself, but I get the gist. Anyhow, I just felt like that was the weakest part of the story for me. I usually try to think of how I would have done it differently if I was writing this book. I suppose at the end of the last book, everyone has gone off to live their own lives and more or less try to reassimilate back into society as normal kids. But then all of them decide that they dislike that and come to live with Piper's family on the farm. Maybe some of the kids would have decided that they like living on the outside? Maybe we could use that as an excuse to write a few of the original characters out? And then we can keep some of the more interesting ones around to stay with the main story? Overall it's not a huge complaint of mine, the story still works. And the super hero rescue scenes can be cool with how they all use their powers to save people from natural disasters and stuff. But still, it was kind of annoying that they'd just use a name and I'd scramble to remember who that was, what their power was, what they looked like, etc. It also might just be a bit of a pet peeve of mine by now. And they were gone anyways after the first third or so of the story so we could focus more on Piper and Conrad and Xanthia.

And then the last two points are just some nitpicks I wanted to mention. The first one kind of goes with my last point but I just thought that the beginning of this book was a little slow. It took about 150 pages before I started to get really into this story. So that turned me off from the book for a little bit. I'm definitely glad I stuck around, though! And then the other thing is also in the beginning and it just bothered me a lot personally. There's a scene where Conrad finds Piper's dad collapsing in one of the farm fields and discovers he's going into cardiac arrest. He calls for help and Piper and Piper's mother all stand by helplessly as Piper's dad dies right there, and the whole thing is pretty graphic and upsetting. This whole thing was pretty hard on me because my dad also died from heart problems (and coincidentally had the same name as Piper's dad), so hearing that without any warning really just. Wasn't fun. Anyways this event triggers something in Conrad (who was going through his depression) to sort of "snap out of it" and Conrad pretty much just invents time travel so that he can go back in time and save Piper's dad before it's too late, so really all of that traumatizing everyone was kind of for nothing? Like, I know it was supposed to have a major impact on Conrad since Joe McCloud is the only man who's served as a healthy father figure to him. But that was just too brutal for me. Is this a bad place to say I wish more books had trigger warnings?

Cover Art: I just wanted to put a little note here that for some reason, on the cover of the book I have, Conrad's hair looks brown, when it's repeatedly stated over and over again in the book that he's supposed to be blond. I know the lighting on the cover is a little funky because it's night time or something, but his hair looks like it's the same color as Piper's. Anyway, that was just kind of annoying for me because I keep having problems imagining Conrad as blond now since he's not on the literal cover of the book.

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: I loved the part where Conrad and Piper go to the White House to find Conrad's missing little sister. It was so sweet! And then my other favorite part was when Conrad's grandmother, Starr, tells him and Piper the story of Max. Man, that was a great explanation to everything that had been teased and happening in the background. I know I've complained about exposition dumps before, but this one was earned, okay? This one was well written and well placed. We had proper build up to it and it happened at the end of the story, rather than it just being pasted in the first few chapters. Ugh, it was just so good!!

Enjoyability: 9/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: Hmm, maybe? I kept my copy of the first book in this series, and I thought this book was super good. But I've read the third book already as well and it's . . . not the best. I think I would consider rereading it if it was with my kid (future hypothetical kid that I haven't made yet), but I kind of doubt I'd really reread it on my own within the next decade or so. But it was still a great experience!

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes, I think this is an excellent sequel to the first book. If you liked the first book, you might just like this book even more!

Who Would I Recommend This Book To? What Would I Like For Them To Take Away From It?: I'd say this book is another one for middle grade readers. It's not too intense (although there are some intense scenes), and I think it's just overall a great story. I think the take-aways would be a good time and just a great found-family story.

Overall Rating: 9/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Dragon City

by Katie & Kevin Tsang

Basic Info

Book 3 of The Dragon Realm Series Year published: 2021 Page Length: 216 Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi? Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 12/23/24-12/31/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 0

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

After being betrayed by his dragon, Billy and his friends are sent 5,000 years into the future where the Dragon of Death rules over the realms. Can Billy and his friends rescue their dragons and put an end to the evil dragon overlord's reign?

Overall Impression

I don't know what's going on anymore.

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Billy: - Bio: After his dragon, Spark, betrayed him in the last book, Billy is now an outcast in his group. Still the brave, compassionate boy he is, he continues to try and make things right. He is our protagonist. - How I Feel About Him: Man, I felt so bad for Billy in this book. If you've read my other reviews for this series, you know how much I like him. But yeah, he really goes through it in this one. He loses Spark like three times, his friends are totally awful to him and blow things way out of proportion, and everything about their situation just sucks. So yeah, justice for Billy.

Dylan: - Bio: Dylan is Billy's best friend out of the main group, but his trust in Billy has been shaken after Sparks' betrayal. Still, he tries to defend Billy here and there, and stays by his side. - How I Feel About Him: For the first time, I feel like Dylan wasn't all that interesting in this book. Like the girls, he was just kind of there while they ran around Dragon City. I don't think he was as mean to Billy as the girls were, but I think he still got on my nerves here and there.

Charlotte: - Bio: Charlotte is the brash girl who likes physical combat. - How I Feel About Her: Y'all should know by now that I don't really like Charlotte. And then to add to that, she was so rude to Billy throughout the book.

Ling-Fei: - Bio: Ling-Fei is the sweet, quiet girl who tries to get along with just about everybody. - How I Feel About Her: She's still the same as in the other two books. She was also pretty rude to Billy over the "betrayal" nonsense throughout the first portion of the book. I'm really not that big a fan of her.

What I Liked/What Worked: I suppose the idea of seeing a world where the villain wins is always pretty neat. Here, we get to see a society of humans and dragons living together but dragons are in charge and all of humanity is essentially in slavery. And they teased this idea in the first book where Spark sees a vision of the future where this happens, and this is the driving force to stop the Dragon of Death. So I feel like this could be super interesting, and I'm always a sucker for a villain that actually has a plan that could feasibly play out in some way. A lot of times reading these books, the antagonist wants to take over the world or something, but we never get to see what would happen after, if that makes sense? Or it just sounds like they want to do something bad but we don't really understand why they want to do it. So I think that's something that can be said for this book. Despite the Dragon of Death not being anywhere near to my favorite villain ever, she's still surprisingly solid. We get a couple new dragon characters in this book, including the dragonet, Midnight, and her father, Thunder (as well as the mother, Lightning). I was pretty on board when Midnight was introduced and I loved the twist that Thunder was also on the kid's side, but I felt like we could have maybe gotten a little more. Especially from Midnight, but at the same time, I thought Midnight was a little annoying with her constant mood swings and shouting. But yeah. I was pretty excited for there being more dragons in this story since we've only really gotten to spend time with the main four, a little bit with Dimitrius/Da Huo, and now the Dragon of Death. Speaking of, we actually get to see a lot more of the Dragon of Death in this book. We saw some of her in the previous book when she got hold of all eight pearls, but otherwise she's just kind of been the big bad lurking in the background. She's not the most interesting villain, but I thought that the concept of her greed beginning to backfire on her was really cool. She does this thing where she can steal the life force of any living thing, and that makes her more powerful each time. And it's gotten to the point where she's essentially swallowed both realms and everything around Dragon City is an uninhabitable wasteland. But she just can't stop taking life force, and now she's going after her own citizens. I also liked the part when she holds a fake trial to find the strongest humans under the guise of allowing them to bond with a dragon, except what she was actually planning to do was absorb them so she could get a ton of power. I just really liked thinking about how evil and corrupt she is that, one day, she'd just be the only thing left in the universe after she'd killed and absorbed everything. So that was a really cool thing overall.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: I hated the whole "liar revealed" thing going on with Billy and his friends. Like, I know honesty is good and everything, but, in the previous book, Spark opens up to Billy about something she's struggling with (an urge to use dark magic). She begs him not to tell the others as she wants to handle it on her own/with Billy, and Billy agrees. Ten seconds later, Spark totally betrays Billy and their friends for power. Now we're in this book, and everyone is acting like it's 100% Billy's fault. Stop. Like, I can't even begin to relay how frustrating this whole thing was. As soon as the last book ended, I thought to myself God, they better not stick all this on Billy and act like he's the problem when he literally did nothing wrong. And they proceed to do exactly that in this book. I think they kind of started to address it in the previous book. Like, Xing said that she should have been the first to know that something was off with Spark, and that all the pressure shouldn't have been put on Billy to tell everyone that Spark was struggling. Should Spark have shared this with her friends? Yes, absolutely. The twelve year old you just met probably isn't the best equipped to handle this. In the same vein, why are we blaming Billy??? Ugh, this drove me crazy. I get most of the blame game is done by the other twelve year olds at the start of the book, and it does get better as time goes on, but they just act like he massively betrayed their trust when he didn't do that!! He was trying to be a good friend!! And it just so happened to backfire because she reached out to him when it was too late but also didn't bother to tell him that it was as bad as it was and just downplayed it!! So aggravating. I liked the Spark betrayal, I think it could have been done really well, but this whole thing kind of ruins it for me.

And then I want to talk about Spark more because she brings up another issue I have with this book. You may have gathered this from reading my snippets of plot I've relayed in this book, but Spark's draw to dark magic after having used it at the end of the first book reminds me a lot of an addiction. To, like, drugs. And that could be an okay topic to explore, even in a kids book, but they totally vilify Spark for having this "addiction". Essentially, she used dark magic to defeat the bad dragon guys (Nox wings) in the first book. Using this dark magic sort of corrupted her soul, and now she craves dark magic and wants to use more. Essentially, once you use dark magic, it's almost like you can't go back. Dark magic makes you feel powerful and gives you sort of a power-high that eats at you until you use it again. Thus the cycle repeats. Rather than having compassion for Spark for literally sacrificing herself to save the group in the first book, they just kind of speak about her super poorly, have no empathy for what she was going through, and kind of treat her like a lost cause. Granted, in this book, Spark has been fully corrupted into a new persona, Death's Shadow, and is basically the Dragon of Death's right hand man/top assassin. Which is cool! But yeah, just the way they talk about Spark as a whole just made me think of potential people who may be struggling or know someone who is struggling, and it just. Hurting. I don't really know anyone in my personal life who's struggling with addiction or is a recovering addict, but hearing them speak like that just hurt my heart. Anyway, I'd love to do a much more in-depth analysis on this subtext and the way it's handled, but I really don't feel like I'm the right person to do so and I just don't have the time/energy to. I'll just leave you with a quote from Spark to prove my point a little more how this is literally what's going on: "I let my hunger for power, for greatness, overtake what is most important: Goodness. But you were never tainted. You stayed good. I am so proud to call you my human. Look what I have done. All because of my addiction to power, to dark magic. [...] I have turned into the villain." And then Spark dies and it's absolutely brutal. But she comes back to life, don't worry. And her soul has been cleansed and she's not allowed to be disabled.

Anyway, on to my next point, this book was super violent. Like, shockingly so. I don't have too much of an issue with fantasy violence, even in children's books, but I just feel like it's kind of out of place for this series. For me it's like you could get roped into this series with the first book, and the first book has very very little violence. Yes, there's the ripping out the teeth thing (that still scars me to this day) and there's a little battle at the end, but nothing crazy happens. Then, in the next book, there's a little bit of torture. And the river of blood thing (which I thought was cool but was still a little nauseating). Now, in this book, there's slavery, torture, murder, dismemberment, and all kinds of fun stuff that I was totally not expecting (or really wanting) from a series like this. There's literally a scene where the dragons take humans, pick them up, fly them really high up into the sky, and drop them so they plummet to their deaths. And this is a game the dragons play because if a dragon catches one of the people on the way down, it can essentially become the dragon's personal slave. If the dragon doesn't catch the person, the human literally just hits the ground and dies. Excuse me??? What--what?? Again, I've read some super violent books (I'm about to review Shadows soon, and that's something), but for a series like this, I just got complete tonal whiplash. I wasn't expecting it, and I just get annoyed thinking about kids who also weren't expecting it consuming this type of thing. I'm not going to sit here and say kids are all fragile little flowers who can't handle things, and I'm certainly not going to act like I wasn't reading shockingly violent books when I was nine. But it's still weird for me that they would just have all this all of a sudden in the third book. And then it's not addressed? It's super brushed off and glossed over? I don't know, man.

Now onto the more nitpicky things, I just want to say that some of the choices were a little weird for me. The big one being that the book takes place 5,000 years from the present, or something. Why 5,000 years? I know the dragons are immortal, but I feel like this is a long time. Especially because only the kids got transported and their dragons had to live without them. For 5,000 years. Like, that's brutal on it's own. And I feel like, overall, the concept of 5,000 years isn't totally understood by the authors? Human civilization has only been around for about 6,000 years. You expect me to believe it's been double that? Just because? The kids find a train that they say must have been from human society (probably from the 2000's) and it's still intact. After 5,000 years? I don't think that subway tunnel would still be there. And all the humans are pretty normal, I think? Like, we're still totally recognizable 5,000 years into the future? No interesting adaptations or anything? I guess I could be confused because maybe they traveled 5,000 years into the future while they were still back in time 2,000 years, so it would only be 3,000 years into the future from our present, but. What? Why are we dealing with such huge amounts of time? Why not just do a couple hundred years into the future? Why not just 1,000? I don't know, that like, really bothered me for some reason. (Wait and what happened to JJ....???)

The last thing that I wanted to talk about was another missed opportunity. In the last book, we got to see a lot more of JJ, who is Old Gold's grandson and grew up with Ling-Fei. He was left in the dragon realm after Old Gold's betrayal and traveled with the kids and their dragons until they got Dylan back from Old Gold and the Dragon of Death. There was an interesting plot line where Billy questions his friendship with JJ. JJ was super mean in the first book and continues to come off as rude and abrasive in the second. He's forced to travel on a dragon he's not bonded with, has no dragon of his own, has no powers, and is forced to watch these kids he hates have all this cool stuff he doesn't. And Billy struggles to accept him in the group. At the end of the second book, JJ has betrayed the group and gone off to follow Old Gold and the Dragon of Death. He bonds with Dimitrius the dragon (renamed to Da Huo), and gets a pearl and magic powers of his own (forgive me, I can't remember what pearl). And now, in this book, Billy has been betrayed by his dragon, is no longer in possession of a pearl (he still kind of has powers, though), and is an outsider in his group. I think it would have been super super cool if we'd maybe dived a little deeper into the parallels between Billy and JJ, especially if JJ had remained part of the main group. But yeah, we don't get to see that. Maybe I can still hold out hope as I haven't read book four yet, but given the severe lack of character development, I don't think I have much reason to.

Cover Art: I think the cover art looks okay, I just want to be annoying about it some more. Why is the Dragon of Death so big? It makes sense that she's the biggest dragon since she's absorbed so much life force, but the tower she's looming over kind of reminds me of the tower she supposedly lives in. So she's not fitting in that. Also, is this city supposed to even be Dragon City? Do dragons live in those buildings? Why do the dragons build exactly like humans do? Is this supposed to be Spark's vision of the Dragon of Death taking over the world? I'm just confused. I do like the color composition, though.

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: "Instead, the round, full moon opened one eye and winked at him. Billy was so startled that he fell backward, and then the dream shifted, as dreams do. The next thing he knew, he was falling through the sky and into a sea covered with pinpricks of starlight. In the middle of it all was the reflection of the round moon. As he fell closer to the sea, the tide began to wash out, and, as it did, Billy saw that there was a graveyard of dragon bones emerging from the waves. He pinwheeled his arms, trying to slow himself down so he wouldn't land in the thicket of broken bones. "And then a honeyed voice spoke close to his ear. "'I cry for them all,' the voice said. Enormous salty tears began to rain down from the sky, past a still falling Billy, before they landed on the uncovered dragon bones. More and more tears fell until the tide was high again. Billy looked toward where the voice had come from and saw nothing but the moon, faceless once more. And then he fell into the sea with a splash."

Enjoyability: 5/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: No. I'm okay.

Will I Continue This Series?: I will. Despite all my gripes and grievances with these books, I still want to finish it out and know how it ends. I am also highly curious about what direction the next book is going to take now that they've supposedly defeated the Dragon of Death and have essentially concluded the main plot line of the series thus far.

Do I Recommend This Book?: I'm not totally sure on this one, actually. I'm kind of leaning no. Generally I'd recommend books I wasn't that crazy about just because I can usually figure out what audience they're for, but this one kind of stumps me. It was fairly bad, and I'm not even sure if fans of this series would be on board for this installment. Granted I'm not in the Dragon Realm fandom, but yeah. I'm starting to wonder if I can recommend this series to anyone at all.

Overall Rating: 5/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Dragon Legend

by Katie & Kevin Tsang

Basic Info

Book 2 of The Dragon Realm Series Year published: 2021 Page Length: 213 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 12/12/24-12/17/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 0

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

Billy and his friends are on a journey through time and realms to rescue their kidnapped friend, Dylan, from the Dragon of Death and her minions. Will they be able to put an end to the evil dragon's plans?

Overall Impression

I felt about the same towards this book as I did the first one. My expectations for it, however, were more appropriate this time around. For what it's worth, I thought this book was okay. It was a pretty natural sequel to the first book, and I enjoyed that we got to spend more time with these characters. We also get to explore the Dragon Realm quite a bit more, and learning the lore of this story can be pretty fun! I also wanted to mention that this book is a little bit more violent than the last one. Not sure how to feel about that, but I'd like to put that out there.

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Billy: - Bio: Billy is a 12 year old boy from California. He is our protagonist. He is bonded with Spark the dragon and is in possession of the Lightning Pearl. He has the power of increased agility. - How I Feel About Him: I still really like Billy. He's a totally solid main character for this series. While not being particularly complex in any way (not a lot of hobbies, maybe two internal struggles that get introduced in this book (he actually stopped talking about surfing?? I think he mentioned it like once)), he's still just a nice kid who gets to go on an adventure with his friends.

Dylan: - Bio: Dylan is Irish and he's Billy's best friend. Dylan is brave and selfless at heart, but rather than being in all this danger and trying to save the world, he'd prefer to be in the comforts of his own home. He is bonded with Buttons the dragon and is in possession of the Granite Pearl. He has the power of persuasive speech. - How I Feel About Him: I still really like Dylan as well. He's not in the first bit of this book because he got kidnapped at the end of the previous one, but he's present for the rest of the story. The voice actor still does a great job with him, and his character is still a highlight of the series at large.

Charlotte: - Bio: Originally from Georgia, Charlotte is a tough girl who's not afraid to tell it like it is and kick serious butt if you mess with her or her friends. She is bonded with Tank the dragon and is in possession of the Gold Pearl. She has the power of increased strength. - How I Feel About Her: I still find Charlotte to be the most annoying of the main four characters. She's just . . . so dull for me, I guess? I feel like she's there to be a stronk female character and there isn't much else to her. So that's a bit disappointing. And I still hate the voice the narrator gave to her, so that's not really helping her case for me :(

Ling-Fei: - Bio: Ling-Fei was born and raised in China. She's a very soft girl who loves all things nature. Her thing is all about compassion for the life around her. She is bonded with Xing the dragon and is in possession of the Jade Pearl. She has the ability to sense life and commune with nature. - How I Feel About Her: I want to like Ling-Fei so bad, but I just feel like she's kind of boring. And that's it, there's like nothing to her for me to like or dislike really.

JJ: - Bio: JJ is sort of like Ling-Fei's cousin. He was abandoned in the Dragon Realm when his grandfather, Old Gold, revealed that he was evil and hoping to bring the Dragon of Death back to power. He didn't get along with the main group back at camp, and has a very prickly personality. - How I Feel About Him: Okay, until JJ betrayed the main squad within the first ten chapters, I thought he was a super interesting addition to the story. I was absolutely fascinated by the concept of another character being let in on the plot and the world while being barred from having things our main characters have (powers, a pet dragon, etc.). But. We don't really get a chance to explore this? I mean, Billy thinks about his relationship with JJ and how he wants to be friends, but we don't get much further than this before JJ decides he wants to go back to his grandfather. So. Anyway I thought it was a little bit funny how he just got left out of everything. I mean it was also sad and I'm sure it sucked for him (I remember being 13 and I would have thrown a fit if all my not-friends got their own dragons and kind of treated me like garbage) but yeah I couldn't stop thinking of this part from CentaurWorld every time Billy, Charlotte, and Ling-Fei ran off to do something without him:

The Dragons: - Bio: There are four dragons in this book that we care about, and that's Tank, Xing, Buttons, and Spark. They're all at least a couple hundred years old, and they were trapped in the Dragon Mountain after the war against the Dragon of Death. Anyway, they each have their own personalities (hardened warrior, haughty know-it-all, cute and cuddly, and quiet) and each is bonded with one of the four main children. - How I Feel About Them: How is it possible that they made the dragons so boring? Come on. They're dragons. They kind of remind me of parents or teachers in children's media, only slightly more involved. They know just about everything that's needed to be known, they hang out with the kids sometimes, but they're absent constantly and serve little to no purpose or help whatsoever. Sigh. It's just disappointing. The thing with Spark is kind of interesting, where she's battling with an urge to use dark magic. But it still just feels kind of flat to me? I was okay with Spark betraying everyone at the end, but I still feel like we could have gotten a much better set up if we could have just put a little bit more time and thought into it. Or, I don't know, maybe if the dragons actually spent more time with the kids? That they're supposedly bonded to? Permanently? I know we've only got 200 pages to work with here, but why is there such a need to write them out of the story? In the first book, they split up. In this book, they split up. Sure, this book had a better reasoning for it, but like. It's not a huge change? I'm just so frustrated that these dragons are supposed to be bonded with these kids and we just get nothing from them. They don't share much dialogue with each other, there isn't much interaction between the kids and the dragons outside of their bonds, and they just feel so . . . detached. Maybe I've been spoiled with Eragon and The Inheritance Cycle (not a book series for kids, mind you), but I really feel like I've been told that these characters are all supposed to like each other, and I haven't really been shown it. Granted, they've only known each other for like a month or something, but still.

What I Liked/What Worked: Now that I'm mad from writing the previous section, let's talk about the positives of this book. What really hit me is how whimsical this book can be. There's a scene where the kids and the dragons are flying over the Forgotten Sea (sick name) and it's basically an ocean made out of lemonade instead of salt water?? How cool is that?? And there are like, magic lemon trees that grow on the bottom of the ocean (and sometimes sick out above the surface) and that's what flavors the water???? That's so freaking cool!! I love that so much. And the part with the Frozen Wasteland? I know I hate the kids splitting up from the dragons, but it's still really cool how they get there. They have to cross a river of blood by riding inside the mouth of a giant fish. So gnarly. And I love the set up for how Billy and Spark saved the dragon egg, got the soul coin, and then were able to use it as payment for the fish. It's got such good worldbuilding here and there, and I'd love to see what more the authors can do with it. Taking a time travel route was . . . A Choice, but it didn't bother me as much as I was worried it would. Billy and Dylan really are standout characters to me. I think my investment in them is what's keeping me reading this series. And, again, I love the voice actor for this series. He really brings these characters to life. I'm really sad I wasn't able to get audio copies for the fourth and fifth books, but hey, maybe this means I'll start liking Charlotte more. Overall, I think these books had a lot of great potential and a lot of cool ideas, I just feel like it might be in some trap of being a "kids book" and it's just way too simple. Oh, I also thought it was kind of cool that their pearls are getting stronger and that they're unlocking new variations of their base power. It doesn't really feel earned or anything, but honestly that's the least of my problems with this book. Anyhow, I love when authors give powered characters chances to do more with their powers rather than allowing them to become one-trick ponies. That's why I like My Hero Academia so much haha.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: Okay back to being angry meanie pants over here. I've already subjected y'all to my rant about the dragons, so I'll spare you more. Just know that they disappoint me. Anyhow, I wanted to talk about the girl characters just being so bad for me. They're not offensive, and they're not horrible, but Charlotte and Ling-Fei are just so . . . bland. I really don't want to blame sexism for both of them being this bad, but like. Come on. By the way, I should preface by saying that "boring" and "forgettable" are the worst media sins to me. I should either like, love, or hate your primary characters, whether you intend my feelings to be one way or another. That at least gives me something to think and talk about and root for or against. But boring and forgettable? Nope. Anyway, I can understand this book being written in Billy's perspective, and maybe he's not as interested in the girls as much as he's interested in Dylan since Dylan is the only other (human) guy in the group. But I still feel like that's not an excuse. Again, we are told that these kids are best friends. Billy says explicitly that he's never had any friends he's been as close to as these other three (which made me laugh since they've only known each other for like a month. I know they've been trauma bonded and whatnot but the way it was worded sounded like "screw those other posers in California, these people rock!"). But again. The interpersonal relationships with these core characters is borderline non-existent. Have Billy and Charlotte taken time to have an actual conversation? Not on page. Has he done that with Ling-Fei? Has Dylan actually ever spoken to Charlotte other than some one-liners and quips? I just really feel like these girls are just there to be girl characters so that girls reading this can say "oh look it's a girl" and that's it. They have a solid base. They have stand-out traits from the other characters. But we don't explore that. Does Charlotte still feel like she has to win at everything all the time? Will she ever get a more nuanced perspective on teamwork and making mistakes? Will Ling-Fei ever talk with her friends about how it feels to have learned that her surrogate grandfather killed her real grandparents in cold blood in the pursuit of power? And how JJ, a kid she probably grew up with, followed in his footsteps? Will there ever come a time where her compassion will backfire, and maybe she'll be forced to grapple with some of her naivety (probably not because she's weirdly overpowered and can pretty much read minds but whatever)? We get to see a little bit of Dylan coming to terms with his cowardice and choosing over and over again to protect the greater good and be there for his friends. We see Billy struggle with keeping Spark's secret about her craving for dark magic. That stuff is interesting. But the girl characters are just there, and it really bothers me.

Listening Experience: I've already gushed enough about Kevin Shen, so I'll just have you know that this is just an awesomely narrated and voice acted book. It's truly an experience.

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: I already listed some of my favorite parts in the "stuff I liked" section since I was having a hard time coming up with something to actually put there, so have this Dylan quote I found that made me chuckle: "I am moderately alarmed by the implication that things up to now haven't been tricky." -Dylan

Enjoyability: 7/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: Probably not, no. I'm not really interested in rereading the first book either, so, yeah, I think I'll leave this one.

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes! Per my last review, I can acknowledge that this book really is not for me and I very much appreciate that a lot of kids (and maybe adults) probably love this series. So yeah, if you liked the first book, go for it! It's a good sequel.

Overall Rating: 6/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl

by Rachel Renee Russell

Basic Info

Book 2 of the Dork Diaries Series Year published: 2010 Page Length: 279 Genre: Realistic Fiction, Comedy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 7/24/24-8/6/24 Read or Listened to?: Read How many times have I read this book before?: 1

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

Nikki Maxwell is back for October! She's still trying to make her way through eighth grade, and this month, she's excited to go to the annual Halloween dance! Maybe her crush, Brandon, will ask her to go with him?

Overall Impression

I liked this book! I think this was a great follow up for the first book, and we really get a chance to expand on the world and characters of Dork Diaries. MacKenzie is as mean and conniving as always, and you can expect a ton of drama in this installation. While it's not my favorite Dork Diary, this one still has a lot to offer!

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Nikki: - Bio: Nikki is an awkward, self proclaimed "dork" just trying to make her way through middle school. She loves art and writing in her diary, and would prefer to just keep her head down. She is our main character and we are reading from her diary. - How I Feel About Her: I like Nikki! I love her zany, drama-filled life and I love that we get to hear about everything through her voice.

Chloe & Zoey: - Bio: Chloe and Zoey are Nikki's best friends. They're also dorks in their own ways, and the three of them make a pretty good team! - How I Feel About Them: Chloe and Zoey are good supporting characters. They're both pretty silly and don't have a ton of depth or anything to their characters, but they still work pretty well for this kind of story.

Brandon: - Bio: Brandon is Nikki's crush. He's a sweet, handsome guy who likes photography and working for the school newspaper. MacKenzie also has a crush on him, but he doesn't return feelings for her. - How I Feel About Him: I also really like Brandon! He's just a totally sweet guy, and I can totally see why Nikki likes him. At the end, where he's comforting Nikki, is so cute! Usually I'm against shipping kids, but I do really like the idea of them having a cutesy little flirty, blushy relationship or something! I'm also totally here to watch their relationship develop!

MacKenzie: - Bio: MacKenzie is the most popular girl in school and also Nikki's chronic bully and sworn enemy. She's a stereotypical stuck-up blonde rich girl who delights in making Nikki's life miserable. She's the main antagonist of the series. - How I Feel About Her: I love to hate MacKenzie. The stuff she comes up with to thwart Nikki is always absolutely diabolical.

What I Liked/What Worked: I really liked that they didn't drag out the whole Brandon-asking-Nikki-to-the-dance thing. I was prepared for it to be a "will they won't they" kind of thing where Nikki is just totally oblivious to Brandon's attempts to ask her out and continue to find ways to stop him from actually doing it until the last minute. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that he does ask her out! And it's before the halfway mark, even! I can understand it from a narrative perspective, though, as Nikki needs a motivation to plan the Halloween party and go through with it. But yeah, it's just one of those tropes that I've seen so many times where the main character is oblivious to the love interest liking them back and the writer drags it all out for as long as possible. So I was more than happy for this change of pace! I also loved the way how the story flowed. I'd like to restate what I said in my review of the first book; "The story was paced incredibly well with a great mix of comedic slice-of-life scenes as well as holding a genuine plot." We're introduced to a bunch of ideas and they all come together naturally to form the climax of the story. It's really a very well written story! I also really like the comic on the back of the book, where MacKenzie steals Nikki's "lip gloss" only for it to be super glue! It has nothing to do with the story but it's always been my favorite mini strip of the series.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: The only issue I really took with this book was just how stressful the finale was. Nikki had to run to the ballet class for a few minutes, come up with an excuse, run to the dance and change costumes, hang out with her friends, run back to the bathroom and change again so she could hang out with Brandon, and then run back off again, the cycle repeats. I was genuinely so stressed reading that part, I was like, physically struggling. And the worst thing is that I kind of know how that feels? I mean, I've never literally been in a situation like that, but I have been noticing lately that I've been trying to bite off more than I can chew and just saying yes to everything even when I can't realistically do everything. So yeah. I know Nikki should have communicated better with everyone, but I also can kind of understand how she felt. Well, I can totally understand how she felt because we're literally reading her thoughts and feelings as she writes them down in her diary. But yeah, it did get to a point where I just felt like something had to give. And then MacKenzie stole Nikki's clothes?! Ack. Yeah, this one was just perhaps a bit too much for me. I just hope that Nikki actually learns her lesson and never does this kind of thing again.

Reading Experience: I love reading these books. They're very easy to just kind of breeze through, and when I actually sit down to read them (I take long gaps between reading bc I get busy with school and stuff), I can suddenly find myself having read a hundred pages. But I remember reading these in 5th grade when I had nothing else better to do than read. I was pounding out some of these books within a matter of a day or two. They're very gripping story-wise, and the font is very easy on the eyes. My short attention span also likes the way the text is broken up as much as it is. Overall it's easy to get sucked into these stories, and they're a pretty quick read if you set aside time for it.

Illustrations: Okay, I'll come out and say it. I'm not a huge fan of the original art style for this book. I love the take that it's Nikki's development as an artist, and that we could see her grow and change with her art style. It really does kind of look like this book was illustrated by a middle schooler. But reading these books with sort of random editions (I get 90% of my books from resale shops and the library) can be pretty jarring. I think I'm also very much used to the newer art style. I did the OMG All About Me Diary for a few years, and all of the art in there is in the newer style. Also I got into this series for the first time in 2015-16 when it had already been out for a while, so I'm sure I was seeing a lot of the updated art around that time. All that to say, I remember the newer stuff the best, so this art in this edition was a little weird for me. I just prefer the more streamlined, consistent style of the newer stuff. Still, I think it's pretty cool that I got my hands on an original copy!

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: The Fairy Repellent scene was pretty funny, and I like the ending when Nikki's plan kind of comes crashing down around her but her friends are still there to support her. It was a nice breath of fresh air after all that stress and drama.

Enjoyability: 8/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: Yeah, I think so! It's a nice nostalgia fest as well as being a genuinely good story!

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes! I recommend this whole series!

Who Would I Recommend This Book To? What Would I Like For Them To Take Away From It?: I'd recommend this series to just about anyone, tbh. I mean, some of the pop culture references may age the book in a way that makes it more difficult to get through with newer audiences (although to be fair I lived under a rock my whole childhood, didn't get hardly any of the pop culture references in these books, and still loved them), but I still think it's worth it. This book (and the series as a whole) is wildly entertaining for all kinds of audiences, and it even offers a few morals as well.

Overall Rating: 8/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Dragon Realm Reviews

Dragon Mountain

Dragon Legend

Dragon City

Dragon Rising

Dragon Destiny

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Dragon Mountain

by Katie & Kevin Tsang

Basic Info

Book 1 of The Dragon Realm Series Year published: 2020 Page Length: 233 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 12/4/24-12/6/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 0

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

Billy Chan, a teenager from California, is sent to a culture summer camp in China. With his new group of friends, he discovers that not all is what it seems. Dragons are real, and they need his help!

Overall Impression

I went through such an emotional roller coaster listening to this book. I just recently bought this book at a resale store. I wasn't sure if I'd like it based on the premise, but the cover art was absolutely stunning and I'd seen it around a lot lately. When I first started listening to this book, I was instantly hooked. I really liked Billy's character, and his first friend was utterly spectacular (made ten times better by the narrator reading the audiobook). I was ready for absolutely everything this book had to offer, and I was loving it. Until I got about halfway through the story, and it started to go downhill from there. Overall I'd say this is a really good book . . . if you're a lot younger than 20 years old. I read a lot of "children's" books on this blog (and in general), but for the most part, I can still enjoy them just as much as I did when I was younger, or even just in general. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't read this book when I was younger (I would have been about 15 when this came out), but it just didn't land for me. Either way, this is a good enough book and I will continue to read the next installments within this series.

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Billy: - Bio: Billy is a White/Chinese boy who grew up in San Francisco, California. He's good at surfing, and it's his favorite hobby. Billy is kind, and considerate of others. It's suggested that he's somewhat popular at school, although being in a foreign environment with other kids he doesn't know brings out a more shy, cautious side to him. Overall, he is also described as being "Loyal, strong, brave, and true." He is our main protagonist through this story. - How I Feel About Him: I really like Billy! He's a very realistic character for me. I was hoping that him being mixed White/Chinese would come up more with him going to a Chinese summer camp (I'm mixed race myself (White/Latina)), but sadly, it really didn't. I'll expand on this a lot more in my later sections, but overall, I was fine with this decision. Also Billy is totally obsessed with surfing in this book. I started joking about making it a sort of drinking game (reminder to drink water!) where I'd take a sip of my water every time he mentioned surfing out of nowhere. It was funny after a bit, but then it started to just get kind of weird? And of course he used his surfing skills/knowledge to save the day at the end, I totally saw that coming. Anyway, Billy is an excellent main character for this book and I really like his perspective.

Dylan: - Bio: Dylan is a teenage boy from Galway, Ireland. He's the kind of kid that would rather stay at home and avoid danger and adventures, but won't refuse the call when it comes. He's pretty smart and decided to learn some Chinese for fun, which is what brought him to this camp. He ends up being Billy's best friend. - How I Feel About Him: I love Dylan so much in this book. As I've said, the narrator really makes this character for me. If I were just reading this book, I'd probably feel a lot more neutral towards Dylan, but Kevin Shen does such a great accent/performance for him. I'm going to absolutely gush over this narrator soon, he does such an amazing job!

Charlotte: - Bio: Charlotte is from Georgia, I think Atlanta. I believe she's fully white. She is incredibly competitive and loves to win. She knows jujitsu and is pretty strong. She's very blunt, and not afraid to tell it like it is. She's one of our four main characters. - How I Feel About Her: Charlotte is easily my least favorite character out of the main four. I find her somewhat abrasive personality to be kind of annoying. They presented an interesting opportunity to expand upon her competitive nature where she "never loses ever" and then immediately loses her first day at camp. But I feel like we just kind of forget about that plot line? I just think we could have gotten a little more. I think another big thing for me was (surprisingly) the voice acting for her character. I know I was just talking about how much I liked the narrator, but the way he voices her in particular just didn't work for me. That's the only complaint I have against Shen, but I do feel like I wouldn't have disliked her as much if I'd just been able to make a voice for her in my head while reading this book.

Ling-Fei: - Bio: Ling-Fei is from China. I don't believe they specify where. She's more of a quiet girl, but she's very kind to everyone and everything. Since her grandparents died, Old Gold has been a grandfather figure to her. She is the last of our main four. - How I Feel About Her: Ling-Fei is alright. She's a very me-coded character but she never really stuck with me. Yeah, I suppose I really don't have a lot to say about her. She, like Charlotte, is a pretty simple, kind of one-note character. Dylan can suffer from this as well, I suppose, but I feel like we spend more time with him.

The Dragons: - Bio: There are four main dragons in this book. The kids name them Spark, Xing, Buttons, and Tank. Tank is large and battle-hardened with a soft heart, Buttons is a sweet dragon with a love of all things human, Xing is a sassy dragon with a slightly abrasive personality (dragonality?), and Spark is a quiet, reserved dragon. Each dragon is matched with a human in a "heart bond". They've been imprisoned in Dragon Mountain for centuries, waiting for the perfect people to come along and rescue them, as well as to help them save their world. - How I Feel About Them: What disappointed me the most about this book was how little I connected with the dragons. When we first met the dragons, I was obsessed with Buttons. I thought it was so adorable that the big, beefy dragon had a huge passion for button collecting. I loved it! I literally remember screeching in my car in the parking lot at Goodwill while I was listening to the part where we're introduced to him and his horde. But otherwise, things went kind of downhill. I think what turned me off most was how little I liked their names. Xing is my favorite name of the bunch (meaning Star), but the rest of them . . . . I think I was just kind of disappointed with how juvenile they were? Tank? And Buttons? Like, I get it, but, come on. And as for Spark, they mention how "Small sparks flickered [on her wings] like tiny fireflies," and I thought they were going to name her Firefly, which I thought would actually be very pretty, but they name her Spark?? And I think that devastated me way more than it should have, so that's really on me. But yeah. I just kind of felt like they didn't take naming the dragons seriously enough, and that kind of made me feel like the whole story wasn't taken very seriously, and that maybe I shouldn't take the story seriously either. The dragons also are really into exposition dumping? I'm not sure how much I should really rant here, but just know that as soon as we met the dragons, I stopped really liking this book.

Old Gold: - Bio: Old Gold is the owner of the Chinese cultural summer camp known as Camp Dragon (this book and no one else in it is subtle). He is the grandfather to JJ and the grandfather figure to Ling-Fei. We find out later that he is a bit of a twist villain. - How I Feel About Him: You know what, I liked Old Gold being a villain more than I thought I would. I pretty much knew from the start that he was involved with the dragons somehow at the beginning of the story. He sent the kids to find a dragon fruit, the camp is called Camp Dragon, he told the kids the legend of the Dragon's Heart star. So yeah, I figured he somehow knew about the dragons trapped in Dragon Mountain and he was trying to find kids that would release them. But I thought he was doing it for good. Nah, this old dude wants power and is actually secretly evil?? I know people hate the oversaturation of twist villains that come out of nowhere (he was so sweet in the beginning of this book) but I was kind of here for it. I just hope that we get more of him in the later books. He was pretty evil at the end (he literally murdered Ling-Fei's grandparents for a dragon pearl and contemplated murdering Ling-Fei too) so I hope we get more of an explanation for that, I suppose? But yeah, I think we can have fun with this guy here.

JJ: - Bio: JJ is a sort of bully at Camp Dragon. He's within the age range of our main four characters (he's 13, Billy is 12, and I don't think they specify for the others), but he likes to act like he's better than everyone else. Probably because his grandfather owns the camp, or maybe because he's more well-versed in Chinese and Chinese culture compared to the campers, but I digress. We don't see a lot of JJ in this book, but he does get stranded in the Dragon Realm with the other kids at the end of the book, so he'll be in the sequel. - How I Feel About Him: JJ is alright. I'm here for a mini JJ redemption arc where he maybe learns to be more of a team player and becomes friends with the main four. Otherwise he was just a rude character to be a rude character. He sort of reminded me of Malfoy from Harry Potter.

What I Liked/What Worked: I liked bits and pieces of this book. The beginning was so strong for me. We had excellent introductions to these characters (the human characters), Billy was a strong choice for our main character, the camp was interesting, the first little adventure (with the scavenger hunt and the tiger) was fun, and overall, I liked how the team was starting to bond together. Then we met the dragons, and I was disappointed. As I've said, I loved Buttons, I thought he was really cute and fun. The powers the kids got were kind of interesting, albeit not super creative for the most part. The adventures they went on in the Dragon Realm were alright. There was a fight with a bad-guy dragon, a crab fight, a troll they had to outsmart, and evil plants. Actually, I hated the troll scene, that viscerally upset me. Anyway, yeah, the first third or so of this book was the best for me.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: Alright, I think I'm going to start with my expectations for this book. When I first picked it up, I thought it was going to be a sort of Percy Jackson clone where, instead of Greek mythology, we'd get to explore Chinese mythology. I love mythology and learning about other cultures, so I decided to go with it. I think there being western style dragons on the front cover of the book should have been my first clue that this is not what the book was about, but hey, I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I know what every rule is for what Chinese dragons can look like. When I learned that Billy was mixed race, I was also excited for the potential to explore what it would be like to go to a summer camp in China where maybe he'd be an outcast. Maybe he'd be like a fish out of water where he only kind of knows the culture and language but lags behind everyone else. I thought that would have been an interesting thing to see. But no, Billy is actually more Chinese than most of the other campers, aside from Ling-Fei. Like, I'm all for representation, but southern US girl? Irish boy? We also had some side characters from Mumbai and Ghana. So I guess I was just really hoping for a cast of Chinese characters here, and that's not what the authors went for.

Now let's talk about the dragons. The dragons themselves were okay, but I just didn't really vibe with the way they were handled. So the kids meet the dragons, and pretty quickly we get a huge exposition dump about the dragon war against the Dragon of Death, and dragon heart bonds, and magic pearls, and this and that, and I just . . . it was a lot. It also just felt very generic to me? Like, a bunch of kids stumble upon some magic thing, and then some magic beings say, "Hey, kids, you want some powers? If you come with us, you can save the world!" And they're like, "Okay!" And I just ??? I know this is a kids' book and I know that just about every idea has already been done but. This is what they went with? And I'm not saying that just because the authors are Chinese (sorry, I thought they were siblings, apparently they're husband and wife and Kevin is Chinese), they have to write a Chinese story about Chinese people but. I don't know, I just wanted something more diverse than what I've been reading. It's fine that they did their own "original" idea, but again, I think I was just looking for something else. Like, even the pearls really weren't like how I've seen them in other books. They could have been dragon pearls or something, and that's what made them so special. But nah, they're just regular magic pearls. Anyway, I just wanted to put somewhere that, if you're looking for a book that's a little more Chinese focused, I recommend Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Dragon Keeper. It's been a long time since I've read these books but I was heavily comparing this book to these two. Or at least, I wanted to if it had been more Chinese centric. Idk.

Nitpicks: Okay I really only have one here but. Why does Dimitrius have a name? They make such a big deal about how dragons can only be named by humans but this dragon has a name? I guess it makes sense that dragons have their own names, especially since they haven't had anything to do with humans in hundreds of years. Also I suppose the main bad guy dragon is kind of a dragon supremacist (all of the dragons are kind of dragon supremacists though) and it would make sense that they would want to name themselves? But yeah that kind of bothered me. Oh, also I hated the scene with the troll. Billy let that guy puLL HIS TEETH OUT OF HIS SKULL JUST LIKE THAT. Dude, I felt that physically, I was cringing so hard listening to that part. And then they just brush it off lmao. I can't even imagine how much Billy's parents are going to have to pay for dentures so he can have his teeth again. I thought maybe Buttons would heal Billy at the end or something and make his teeth grow back. But no, it's just not addressed. Maybe I'd be able to let it slide a little more if it had been Billy's baby teeth or something, but he's twelve, so all of those should be gone. I don't have anything against people with missing teeth, but man. Dental stuff is so expensive in the states and I just couldn't get it out of my head how stupid that was. Ugh. Bro ripped out his teeth with his weird little rock hands eww eww eww eww I can't. Oh and the surfing thing. This was more of a "funny bad" thing though, so that's what makes it not a huge dealbreaker for me. But I need to talk about it. Bro needs a second hobby. I got so tired of him randomly talking about surfing and comparing everything to surfing. I want to say he brought it up in his internal monologue at least ten times in this book. I get it. And it's even funnier (spoiler alert, I've already read the next two books by the time I'm writing this) that it doesn't come up like at all in the next couple books. It's like some rude individual like me complained about it and they just deleted it entirely from books two and three. Anyway it also totally cracked me up that they genuinely used his surfing ability in the final battle. It was very minor but I just knew they had to do it at some point. Maybe instead of ripping out his teeth he could have surfed his way out of the whole rock troll thing--

Listening Experience: Alright, let's talk about something nicer now. I hate being mean and complaining, believe it or not, haha. I've already said this, but the narrator for this story, Kevin Shen, really made this book for me. He's so good with the accents (except maybe the southern accent for Charlotte). I liked hearing him speak the little bits of Chinese sprinkled throughout the story, especially with his dedication to pronounce Xing correctly every time (my best friend is Chinese and we were just having a conversation about how important pronunciation is when speaking Chinese). His Irish accent was amazing as well, and I absolutely adored the voice he gave Dylan. It absolutely brought him to life for me. I think the issue I had with Charlotte's voice was just that he was trying maybe a little too hard to do her accent while also kind of trying to sound like a girl? I've known other audiobooks narrated by men where there's a southern female character and listening to them trying to do the falsetto southern accent just kills me. And not in a good way. So I don't think that it's his fault is what I'm getting at. Anyway, yeah, I just wanted to give massive props to this guy because I really appreciated his performance :)

Cover Art: The cover art for this book is phenomenal. I think it's part of what made this book so memorable for me after seeing it around a few years back, probably at a Barnes and Noble and/or on Goodreads or something. The colors are probably my favorite part. The blue on the red is so stunning, and the complimentary yellows are absolutely striking. I love the composition, I love the design for Spark, and I also wanted to mention that Billy's silhouette looks exactly like one of my friends from high school (who also happens to be White/Asian). Man, I love this art.

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: I liked the scene where Buttons showed everyone his horde before Dylan named him Buttons. It was so cute, and it reminded me of Harry Potter again where Ron's dad really likes muggle stuff. I thought it was such an adorable little addition that he likes something as specific and niche as buttons, and it was a nice change to the other dragons who like jewels and gold. I should mention that Spark didn't have jewels or gold as her horde, she had more of a fish keeping thing going on? (Same, girl, I love my betta and shrimp tanks 😔✊) I thought that was cute too, but Buttons was so much cuter, I was screaming. So yeah.

Enjoyability: 8/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: Probably not. I bought this book, but I'm going to try and resell it to another used book store. I'd recommend it to my kids, but I think I'd be more than fine going the rest of my life without reading this book again. That sounds super mean and harsh, wow. But yeah, I've already experienced this book, and it's just not for me.

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes, actually, very much so. That is, I recommend it for a very specific audience.

Who Would I Recommend This Book To? What Would I Like For Them To Take Away From It?: I'd recommend this book to primary and middle grade readers. The reason why I'm rating this book so high is because I know this book isn't really intended for me. I can recognize that, while I don't like it personally, I think this is a great book for children. I think this would be a wonderful introduction to fantasy for new readers and young kids who have a thing for dragons. I think if this had been one of the first dragon books I'd read, I would have liked it way more. The simplistic storyline would have also been nice for my elementary/middle school brain, and the pacing of this book would have kept my attention spectacularly. Unfortunately, I've read books like the Inheritance Cycle and. Man those are so good. They're very much not for kids, though. But say as I do and not as I say, because I did read those books in sixth grade. Probably shouldn't have but man they were good. I also just reread them a few months ago, and I'm planning to read Murtagh real soon. Anyway I got off topic.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Talking to Dragons

by Patricia C. Wrede

Basic Info

Book 4 of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Year published: 1992 Page Length: 255 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 10/15/24-11/20/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 0

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

Daystar has been sent by his mother to go off alone into the Enchanted Forest, and he is not to return home until he has completed his quest. The only problem is, he has no idea what this quest is. Accompanied by a mysterious magical sword, an impolite fire witch, and a baby dragon, Daystar must save the Enchanted Forest before its too late.

Overall Impression

You know what, I liked this book a lot more than I was expecting to. Between being disappointed with the third installment in this series as well as seeing a couple negative reviews, my expectations were running a little low. While this book is not without its faults, I'd put it as probably my second favorite installment of this series, right after the first one and a little above the second. It's written in first person, which is different from the other books. I found it a bit odd, but it didn't bother me. Overall I didn't find it to be the most satisfying conclusion to the story at large, but it does match the formatting of the other two adventure-centric books (2 and 3). But this one introduces new characters as well as tying in old favorites! It's a must read for fans of this series for sure, and I'm glad I was finally able to experience it!

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Daystar: - Bio: Daystar is the son of Cimorene. He is unaware of his father and his true identity at the beginning of the book, and lives a humble, isolated life. His mother has raised him to be kind, polite, and thoughtful. Daystar is the protagonist of this story. - How I Feel About Him: I don't have any particular feelings for or against Daystar. He's a pretty cookie-cutter male protagonist, and most of his conflicts are external. He just kind of moves us through the story, as, like the other books in this series, it's more plot-driven rather than character driven. One thing I will add that's kind of minor, is that I don't really like his name. I just feel like it doesn't fit well with the other names of the characters and it stands out to me. What is he, Daystar, like the sun? The son of the King? I don't know. Anyway, I think that's part of why I didn't mind this book being written in first person, since I don't have to hear his name too often.

Shiara: - Bio: Shiara is a fire witch who isn't very skilled in using her magic. She's a temperamental person who struggles with being polite to others. Her favorite word is "stupid". - How I Feel About Her: While Shiara is a more interesting character for me than Daystar is, I also don't feel a lot for or against her. Sometimes she was fun to have in a scene, and other times she just didn't really do it for me. Otherwise, I liked her as a companion to Daystar and it was kind of sweet to see him help her learn to be more polite.

Dragon: - Bio: Dragon is a baby dragon who has not yet chosen its sex/gender or name yet. It has little experience being a dragon, and wants to prove itself to its family by running away and going on an adventure. We find out later that Dragon is one of the grandchildren of King Kazul. - How I Feel About It: This character was also okay. Dragon was probably my least favorite of the main characters, but some of that could have to do with the fact that I wasn't crazy about the voice the voice actor gave to it. It also just doesn't do much after the scene where it's introduced. But I was happy that this series finally got an installment where a dragon has a prominent role in the main quest. I've felt that the dragons haven't gotten a lot of time to shine in this series after the first book. I just wish the baby dragon had been more enjoyable for me. But that might be rectified if I were to just read the book instead of listen to it.

What I Liked/What Worked: I liked that this book really felt like it kept the magic of the series. The formatting of these adventures works very well for me, where the main characters meet other quirky characters and get each other into and out of sticky situations. My favorite was easily when they meet princess Isabelle and she goes on and on about how wonderful her knight boyfriend is, and then we find out he's basically just some guy. It reminded me a lot of how I talk about my boyfriend sometimes, and then dialed up to eleven 😅. I liked how the characters from the other books, such as Morwen, Telemain, and Kazul, were able to come into this story and play their own part. And I also appreciated that they weren't in here too much and allowed Daystar and Shiara their own room to explore. Speaking of, I actually liked how the romance between Daystar and Shiara was handled much better than the Cimorene/Mendenbar romance. Granted, it wasn't exactly perfect or even all that swoon-worthy, but I felt like it had a much better build up. There's a scene where Shiara gets turned to stone by an evil sorceress, and it's suggested that Daystar tries kissing her to free her from being a statue. And he gets all blushy and flustered and it's so cute! I also like how they didn't immediately get married or engaged at the end of the book, but it's implied that they definitely get involved together somehow. Oh, also, "The Sword of the Sleeping King" is so metal. I love that so much, it's so cool. I know that that's literally what it is, but as a title, it's just so neat to me.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: One thing I'm a little conflicted on with this book is how convenient everything seemed. I think it mostly happened toward the end, when they just happen to find the exact key they need to free Mendenbar in the cave, and Daystar just kind of picks it up and holds onto it on a whim. Now, they do explain some of this away with it being the work of destiny and fate and worthiness and stuff, as well as some Enchanted Forest magic, but it still left me feeling a little off. In a similar vein, I wasn't crazy about how everything had to be a mystery to Daystar. Again, this was explained pretty well with how the wizards would only be notified where the sword of the Enchanted Forest was if it was being wielded by someone who knew what it was. And that was pretty cool. But it was still kind of frustrating as a reader who already knows Daystar's identity, and knows the connections these characters have to his mother, and knows why things are happening and all that. Now I guess this is where it stands to mention that this series was only supposed to be two books. Dealing with Dragons and Talking to Dragons. Both were written first, and then Wrede went in and wrote Searching and Calling. Anyhow, I feel like I'm in a bit of a conundrum because I think this book might have been a little better if we had known the same amount of information Daystar did, and came to each revelation with him. But that's also to say that I loved this series and it would suck if so much story had been cut out. So I personally feel, to fix this, we should have gotten either this story as its own book with its own characters (ie, not Cimorene), or just let Daystar know what was going on and let it not matter that he more or less knows what he's doing. I don't know, it was a very very minor issue for me.

The biggest problem I had with this book, though, is how Mendenbar was handled. I liked that Daystar figured out on his own that the King is his father, but after that . . . . Everyone seemed very casual about how Mendenbar had been gone for literally seventeen years. He greets his almost fully grown son as if it was nothing. He acts like he cares so little, it's kind of infuriating. I literally don't feel like they acknowledge at all that Mendenbar is suddenly going to be a figure in Daystar's life, and they don't sit down and have a one-on-one conversation with each other to introduce themselves or anything. It's just very disappointing for me, especially since having Daystar reunite with his father is kind of the whole point of this book.

And, as usual, my last few nitpicks are some other minor things. Morwen and Telemain get engaged in this book? What? Okay, I can't say I didn't see that coming at all, but I also didn't really get a romantic vibe with them? I always felt like they were both such loners that they just had a really nice male/female friendship. But I guess they're getting married now. Alright. And then the other thing was that I felt like the word "stupid" was weirdly overused in this book. I thought it was funny at first but then it got kind of annoying. Especially with how much some of the voice actors would accentuate the word. But yeah, that's whatever.

Listening Experience: Full-cast audio did pretty good again. I wasn't a huge fan of the voice for the baby dragon, and the voice for Suz the lizard kind of made me want to claw my eyes out, but otherwise everyone did well.

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: "If you're going to be rude, do it for a reason and get something from it." -Cimorene

Enjoyability: 8/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: Yes, actually! With how much the third book disappointed me, I was worried about if I'd end up liking the rest of the series as a whole. But this book really knocked it out of the park for me, and I'd be more than happy to reread it just to revisit these new characters.

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes! But read the others first!

Overall Rating: 8/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

The Familiars Reviews

The Familiars

Secrets of the Crown

Circle of Heroes

Palace of Dreams

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Secrets of the Crown

by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson

Basic Info

Book 2 of The Familiars Year published: 2012 Page Length: 374 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 7/20/24-9/1/24 Read or Listened to?: Read How many times have I read this book before?: 2

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

The three Familiars, Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert, continue their journey to stop the queen's evil hare. When Paksahara curses the land to rid all humans of their magic powers, it is up to a cat, a blue jay, and a tree frog to find the Crown of the Snow Leopard in order to stop her and restore peace upon Vastia.

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Overall Look

Why I Chose to Read This Book: (Starting to wonder if I should keep this question for sequels . . . .) Well, my goal is to finish this series. Unlike some, The Familiars is a series that I've fully read and finished before. Unfortunately, it's been a long time, and in order for me to keep books on my shelf for a long time, I like to reread them periodically to decide if I still like them well enough to keep. And (spoiler alert), this book still passes!

Overall Impression: In many ways, I like this book even better than the first! The story starts off fairly quickly, and it keeps its fast pace throughout the book. We get to expand on concepts and ideas introduced in the first story, and even have new ones added. The world building in these books is really spectacular (although the maps in the front of the books could use a little continuity work). The plot only ramps up as it goes, and while I was slow to get started on this book, I ate the last half up in a matter of a few days (I'm really slow with reading 😓). Overall this is a great entry in The Familiars series that serves as both an immensely satisfying sequel as well as leaving me plenty excited for the next enstallment!

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Aldwyn: - Bio: Aldwyn is a former street cat who grew up away from magic. After being adopted by a boy wizard, he discovers a whole new world of magic, as well as a brand new family. Aldwyn also discovers that he has hidden magic talents of his own, and in this book, he seeks out his long lost father on his quest to save Vastia. He is the protagonist of the series and has telekinetic powers. - How I Feel About Him: Aldwyn is a very likeable main character. His street smarts serve as an interesting addition to this team, and he's a perfect, neutral backdrop to his friends' more eccentric characteristics. It's wonderful watching his character grow as he experiences the world of magic and goes on adventures with his friends. He's just a solid, solid protag.

Gilbert: - Bio: Gilbert is a tree frog who's sort of Aldwyn's best friend. He's a little dimwitted and has more of a passion for food and safety over adventure, but he's got a good heart and will do anything for his friends. Gilbert has the ability to see into the past, present, and future by looking into pools of water, although sometimes it works better than others. - How I Feel About Him: Gilbert is also a solid character. Despite occasionally being a little bit too over-the-top for me with his comedic relief traits, he's a great friend to Aldwyn and does add a lot of heart to the team. And he does make me laugh, even if most of his humor is either about him being afraid, clumsy, or hungry all the time, and not much else.

Skylar: - Bio: Skylar is an incredibly intelligent blue jay. She knows just about everything about everything, and isn't too afraid to let you know as much. She's a strong female character with her own beliefs and opinions, and has her own mysterious, even tragic, backstory. Skylar has the ability to cast powerful illusions, and sometimes, as a side hobby, practices raising the dead. - How I Feel About Her: To be honest, Skylar is my least favorite of the three. Her intelligence often comes across as arrogance for me, and she has a very haughty nature about her. She's not always the best team player, as she often gets worked up in her own ideas of how things should be done. Still, she's a good friend to Aldwyn and Gilbert, and a crucial part of the team. She serves as a sort of leader and, for the audience, gives us a great deal of exposition. She's not a bad character at all, but she's not my favorite.

What I Liked/What Worked: I have so many things that I love about this series! I think my absolute favorite thing overall is how each species of animal has their own unique powers. Granted, this doesn't quite ring true in all cases. For instance, in this story we go to the aviary where Skylar was raised, where just about every type of bird is skilled in casting illusions. However, if I'm not mistaken, only a certain color type of cats has telekinetic powers, while another color type has mind control powers. It's not explained in depth, but it is strange to me that all species of bird have the same power while different colors of cats can vary so much. Either way, I digress. The powers of the animals are so interesting and creative! My favorite is probably Gilbert's puddle viewing abilities. I love how it fits with him being a frog. And there are all kinds of other powers animals possess, such as shapeshifting, freezing creatures in place, pausing time, and more. The story was also fun, with the familiars using a nursery rhyme to solve clues in order to find the Crown of the Snow Leopard. I also liked how Aldwyn was literally traveling in his father's footsteps as he tried to solve the mystery of what really happened to his family, it was so intriguing! I forgot a lot of what happens in this book as it's been such a long time, so I was genuinely gripped by what was going to happen next. The twists and turns, though somewhat obvious, were still so enjoyable. Also, I liked how the familiars didn't really win in the end of this book. Rather than perfectly stopping Paksahara just in the nick of time, their whole journey almost ended up being for naught when she raises her dead army. Ugh, this book is just so good, y'all.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: I was going to say that I couldn't come up with anything that bothered me enough to put here, but then I remembered what happened with Aldwyn's dad. Man, that was heartbreaking. I have this feeling that something else happens later in the series with Aldwyn's family (I know he has to find his sister at some point), but I just hate that Aldwyn's father is just gone like that. I genuinely thought the whole book that Aldwyn was going to find his father frozen in Necro's Maze and free him, but nah. I'm like, actually bumming myself out right now just thinking about it. These books are shockingly brutal and they're not afraid to straight up kill characters and people (cough, Kalstaff, cough). But man. Yeah, no, I just don't like it because it's so sad. I don't like sad things. Why is my comfort children's book making me upset >:(

The Theme(s) or Message(s) of This Book: Not all families have to be forged by blood; found families can be just as meaningful.

The Feelings This Book Evoked In Me: Intrigue, excitement, joy, suspense, sadness

Illustrations: I love the art in this book! It's well done and it really adds to the story!

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: I loved the Time Stream section, and I loved watching Aldwyn piece together his uncle's betrayal. Despite the tragedy at the end, I loved Necro's Maze as well as the battle with the vitrecore. The scramble at the end to get all of the names of the First Phylum was thrilling and the ending line gets me every time. "The uprising had begun." Ugh, so simple yet so effective. Chills, every time.

Enjoyability: 9/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: Yes! I think I'm good for the next couple of years, but I'm definitely forcing my future kids to read this one.

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes yes yes!! But read the first book first!

Who Would I Recommend This Book To? What Would I Like For Them To Take Away From It?: I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers, especially those who love animals and Harry Potter. While the first book falls into a bit of the post-Harry Potter children's fantasy book trap with a trio of magic characters, the story really takes off in its own direction and is 100% worth a read to those who love the genre. And despite being aimed toward elementary-middle schoolers, as a twenty year old adult, I fully enjoyed myself :)! As for takeaways, this book is really just a good time!

Overall Rating: 10/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

The Quest Begins

by Erin Hunter

Basic Info

Book 1 of Seekers Year published: 2008 Page Length: 293 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 7/27/24-7/29/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 1

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

Three bears, three stories. One black, one brown and one polar, each cub finds themselves on their own journey after being separated from their families. This quest will ultimately bring them together so they can fulfill their true destinies.

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Overall Look

Why I Chose to Read This Book: Well, I've read this book--and a few of its sequels--some years ago, and I remember quite enjoying them. Like many series I've started in the past, I simply began reading this series, and dropped it for no particular reason. I'd like to rectify this, and finish the story once and for all. Otherwise, I am a sucker for animal stories. I'm not the biggest fan of bears, but from what I can remember, the Warriors series by the Erin Hunter team was a little to overwhelming for little ten-year-old me. And Seekers only had around eight books or so out at the time, and I thought it would be an easier portal into the Erin Hunter books. Years later, I still remember it fondly, and chose to revisit it.

Overall Impression: I quite liked this book! It's one of those books that is broken up into the perspectives of each main character. The three bears really don't meet in this book (aside from Lusa finally finding Toklo at the very end). Each cub goes on his or her own journey, and the three perspectives change every three chapters. We start with Kallik the polar bear, go to Lusa the black bear, and finish with Toklo the grizzly bear, until we start over again and the cycle repeats. I have to say that I liked Kallik's story the least, but I was absolutely captivated by Lusa's adorable, loveable character. The story left me excited for more, and eager to see more of these characters!

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Kallik: - Bio: Kallik is a polar bear living with her mother and brother in the frozen Hudson Bay. When Kallik's mother is suddenly killed by an orca, she is separated from her brother and forced to survive on her own. - How I Feel About Her: I'll be blunt, Kallik falls a little flat for me. I couldn't really get a sense of her personality, especially in this book. She's generally kind, and she's very driven to find her brother, but other than that, there isn't much more to her. I'll give her some grace since, for the entirety of the story, she is absolutely fighting for survival and almost utterly isolated, but I still wish we could have gotten a little more.

Lusa: - Bio: Lusa is a black bear living in the Vancouver Zoo in what is known as "The Bear Bowl". She lives with her mother, father, and a few other black bears in the exhibit with her. Intrigued by the idea of The Wild, Lusa escapes from the zoo after promising a mysterious grizzly bear that she would find her son. - How I Feel About Her: I love Lusa, she's hands down my favorite character. She's sweet, smart, compassionate, a little naive, and just all around a great character.

Toklo: - Bio: Toklo is a grizzly bear traveling the forests of southwestern Canada with his mother and sickly brother. After his brother dies, Toklo's mother disowns him, and abandons him to survive by himself. Haunted by his mother and brother, Toklo makes his way through the wilderness, where he discovers a strange, magical, slightly annoying, orphaned brown bear cub. - How I Feel About Him: I'm a little conflicted on Toklo. On one hand, I love how he's a little morally gray. He resents his sick and disabled brother for all the attention his mother gives him. And it's totally believable and heartbreaking to see this child character take out his frustrations about his mentally ill mother's neglect on his younger brother. His character fascinates me, and, even though I've read this book before, I was utterly not expecting to find something like him in this story. Yet, Toklo's signature bristly-ness can make him genuinely hard to actually like. He lashes out at other bears and is continuously rude to his only friend, Ujurak. I'm sure he'll get more development as the series goes on, but sometimes his ableist thoughts and fractious nature just irks me. But I love it?

Ujurak: - Bio: Ujurak is a shapeshifter who prefers to live as a bear. He is able to transform into any animal (even human) and learn more about them. He is on an important, mystical journey to a mysterious place of legend, and convinces Toklo to come along with him. - How I Feel About Him: Ujurak is a very intriguing character. Shrouded in mystery, Ujurak doesn't join the story until the last third, which surprised me. He's a sweet bear cub, and a great companion for Toklo, even if he does end up receiving the brunt of Toklo's verbal abuse. I actually forgot that he was a shapeshifter until it happened. I vaguely remembered his character, but what I remembered the most was me fighting with my friend over how to pronounce his name 😅. I'm very interested in what's to come with him!

What I Liked/What Worked: This is a great introduction to the story at large. The author(s) take their time building up the backstories of these bears and don't rush to throw them together. Each story had its own pace, although I will say that I enjoyed some a little more than others. Lusa and Toklo are standout characters for me, and I enjoyed many of the scenes they were involved in. The story ended with an excellent cliff hanger that had me itching for the sequel.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: This is a very solid story, although I will say that split-perspective books are generally not my favorites. My main issue with them is that one story is usually way more interesting to me than the other, and I'm forced to read the less interesting story(ies) so I can get to the story(ies) that I'm actually here for. Unfortunately, this book falls into that same trap.

Kallik's story was certainly the weakest for me. I think what set it back is that she had so little direction, and she's just too similar to Lusa. For Kallik, early on, she loses her mother and brother and vows to herself to find her brother. The problem is that she has no idea where her brother is, and she doesn't even know if he's alive or not. Therefore, she spends the entirety of her story in this book wandering northern Canada aimlessly, constantly on the brink of starving to death. Sure, she additionally has a vague notion of finding the legendary place of everlasting ice, as well as going on small side adventures. But it's just feels like a lot of nothing for me.

For Lusa, we spend a lot of time with her at the Bear Bowl and getting acquainted with her family. After meeting Toklo's mother, Oka, she decides to go off by herself into the wild (Canada), wandering somewhat aimlessly, on the hunt for Toklo, who, by the way, she has no idea where he is. And yet, with Lusa's character and the slow, steady build up of her story, it ends up being so much better for me than Kallik's. I genuinely think Kallik started her journey to find her brother/the land of everlasting ice way too early in the story with way too little direction. Her chapters felt like a drag to get through, with the same reports over and over. One thing I will say, though, is that I recently read Kathryn Lasky's Bears of the Ice series (the first three books that are out currently). That story also includes two polar bear cubs getting separated from their mother and going on a quest to find and save her. So a small part of my dislike for this story likely stems from the fact that it's very similar to me when compared with Bears of the Ice, even though this book came out long before those books did. Unfortunately, I did read Lasky's books before my reread of this one, but suffice to say, I'm just a little tired of the plotline.

The most notable thing that happens to Kallik, for me, is when she gets captured by humans and meets Nanuk. Now, I really liked the idea of Nanuk. Kallik is a poor, bedraggled orphan doomed to her own solitiude. Nanuk is a motherly bear who immediately takes Kallik under her wing and comforts her. I would have loved to have seen multiple chapters with Kallik and Nanuk traveling together. Kallik can serve as a daughter figure to Nanuk while Nanuk plays as a mother figure to Kallik, and this way, Nanuk can teach Kallik how to hunt (the constantly starving baby bear details were a little much for me as well, by the way), they can help each other to heal a little bit, and generally Nanuk could have just provided way more opportunities for Kallik to display her personality and character traits, while growing as a character. I would have loved Nanuk way more than that fox that followed Kallik for some time. But no, sadly we only get Nanuk for about two or three chapters, when she suddenly dies in a helicopter crash. Yeah. I'm not making this up. I could go on about the wasted potential Nanuk's character is, and how much more meaningful her death could have been if she'd just stuck around for a couple more chapters, but I don't want this to get too long.

A bit more of a lighthearted note here, I just wanted to say that when I read this book for the first time, I was absolutely stumped for the longest time about what the "Black Paths" and "firebeasts" were. I just could not get what they were supposed to be, and it drove me crazy for the longest time. I understood eventually, but I got embarrassingly far into the story before I realized that BlackPaths are roads and firebeasts are cars. I felt so stupid! I was so baffled as to what they were talking about, I actually thought they might be talking about either canon balls being fired or maybe that dragons were the firebeasts. And I thought to myself, "Why, if there are dragons in this book, are we focusing on bears??" Anyway, all this to say, sometimes the code-speak in these books aggravate me. Like, I can appreciate coming up with different terms for human things that animals don't understand. I love when they're clever work-arounds for bears or wolves or whatever-have-you who don't comprehend human creations. It makes sense that "car" might not be a word in the language of bears. But I don't know, sometimes I think the authors just assume we know what they're talking about and forget that some people (me) are kinda dumb sometimes. I remember it really taking me out of the story lol. So yeah, I wish we could have gotten more of a description, at least. You don't even need to say the word "car", just describe a car in a way that the goofy kids in the back can figure out. Anyway, I'm probably alone in this and I'm just outing myself for being dumb. I'll stop talking now.

The Theme(s) or Message(s) of This Book: People/humans are abusing our planet and make it hard for wildlife to live like they're meant to. We need to take a step back as a species and stop being so selfish by pursuing our own desires and disregarding the natural world that hurts as a result.

The Feelings This Book Evoked In Me: Intrigue and nostalgia. I loved the set up for the mysteries and journeys ahead. And being able to come back to this series is a great hit to my middle school memories, mindset, and interests.

Listening Experience: No real notes here, I thought the narrator did her job well. Sometimes her deep voice for big bears sounded a little silly to me, which made it hard for me to take them seriously, but otherwise, she did a good job! I especially loved the voice she gave Lusa, it's so cute!

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: I think my favorite part was when Toklo meets Ujurak for the first time. It caught me so off guard! I genuinely forgot that there was magic in this book, and Ujurak's introduction to this story upped my interest and enjoyment in this book tenfold. I also really liked the part when Lusa escapes from the zoo. It was like a mini heist story!

Enjoyability: 7/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: Maybe. I'm not planning to any time soon, but I'm not wholly against it. I'm mostly just excited to continue reading the series and seeing how this story ends, as well as taking the journey to get there.

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes! If it sounds like something you'd like, totally give it a read!

Who Would I Recommend This Book To? What Would I Like For Them To Take Away From It?: I would recommend this book to middle grade readers who like animal fantasy stories. Those who like Warriors, Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Wings of Fire, etc. All I'd like for these people to take away from this story is enjoyment. I ate this subgenre up as a middle school wolf girl, and while I'm not sure if that's still an ongoing phenomenon, those who are like little me would love this story. Also the themes of environmentalism and respect for the wild are obviously important as well.

Overall Rating: 6/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Seekers Reviews

The Quest Begins

Great Bear Lake

Smoke Mountain

The Last Wilderness

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Calling on Dragons

by Patricia C. Wrede

Basic Info

Book 3 of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Year published: 1993 Page Length: 244 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 8/18/24-9/5/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 1

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

King Mendenbar's enchanted sword gets stolen by wizards. It's up to Morwen the witch, Queen Cimorene, the King of the dragons, and a magician to get it back.

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Overall Look

Why I Chose to Read This Book: Like book two, I read this book primarily because it's the next book in this series. This is the last of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles books that I've read before, so I'm excited to be starting the fourth book, which I've never gotten to read! I also bought the Book of Enchantments, which is an anthology piece with stories from the Enchanted Forest universe. Not sure when I'll get to that one, but it's on my shelf!

Overall Impression: When I first started listening to this book, I was very pleased to discover that this story is told from Morwen's perspective. Morwen has been a bit of a favorite side character for me, and I was very happy to see that she got her own story. But then the shenanigans started. Early on, we meet an eight (?) foot tall talking rabbit named Killer. I'll discuss him extensively in my designated "complain about the book section", but for now I'll leave it at "I hate this character and he almost entirely ruins this book for me." The central quest for this book was a bit dull for me, and overall, I feel like very little happens in this book. I'll say I thought this book was okay, purely based on the fact that all of my favorite characters get to go on this quest. Still, a lot of it fell flat for me.

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Morwen: - Bio: Morwen is a witch who lives in the Enchanted Forest with her nine cats. She is considered an "improper" witch by her fellow witches, but doesn't allow that to deter her from going about her business as she sees fit. I suppose she's the protagonist of this story, but only because it's told from her perspective and thus we spend the most amount of time with her. - How I Feel About Her: I love Morwen. Despite my complaints for this installment, I really feel like it rounded out my love for her character. Or at least, the idea of her character. We know almost nothing of her backstory, and she doesn't have any particular character flaws. She just sort of is. And I suppose that's good enough for me, but I wish we could have gotten a little more.

Cimorene: - Bio: Cimorene is the new queen of the Enchanted Forest. She's pregnant in this book, but she doesn't let that stop her from going on a dangerous quest. She's the same as she was in the last book. - How I Feel About Her: Honestly, I keep forgetting she was even in this book. I think she was primarily slapped into this story to make the book more appealing to fans of the others. I still like her well enough in this story, but there are a lot of characters that go on this quest and I feel like she gets a little lost again amongst our bigger players. I also feel so bad for her. She really ends up being a sort of tragic character in this book, I think. Mostly just because of what happens to Mendenbar. I haven't gotten very far in Talking to Dragons, so I still have hope for her, but thinking about how this story ends for her always makes me so sad.

Telemain: - Bio: Telemain is a magician with a huge interest in all things magic. Not only does he study magic, he also performs magic. He helps our band of heroes teleport throughout the land in an attempt to get to the King's Sword before it's too late. - How I Feel About Him: I really like Telemain, actually. His voice actor is the same as last time, and he does the same vocal quirks and inflections. Only this time, it's throughout the whole book. I still don't know whether I love it or hate it, but it certainly adds to his character. But everyone is still super mean to him :( Let this man infodump about magic.

Killer: - Bio: Killer is a regular rabbit who ate some enchanted clover and grew to be eight feet tall. And then he ate something else (I cannot be fucked to look up what it is) and turned into a donkey. And he's hungry all the time, and he keeps eating the wrong things to make him more and more enchanted. His top personality traits are hungry, cowardly, and annoying. This does not change at any point in the book. - How I Feel About Him: I hate this character so much. I think the fact that I listened to the audiobook made this worse, but I'm sure he would have been my least favorite character regardless. The voice actor understood the assignment that this character was annoying as hell, and proceeded to make him more annoying. No hate to the voice actor, but oh my god. The donkey voice actually killed me--like, in a bad way. It jumpscared me every time, and I frequently had thoughts of turning the story off and just reading the book silently in an attempt to escape that voice. I'm having traumatic flashbacks just writing this. Killer is not only completely useless to the story, he inhibits the progress of the team and acts like a whiny idiot the entire time. I think the only useful thing he does in this book is eat the invisible strangling vines to save Cimorene, but even then he bothers the hell out of me. Also he gets a fakeout death? I was cheering when he got stabbed or shot or whatever, but I also figured he wouldn't die anyways since I know this isn't that kind of book. Still, Wrede would have been so goated for killing him right then and there, I might have given this book five stars if she'd had the balls to do that. But no, he gets his own happy ending or whatever. Rant over.

Kazul: - Bio: Kazul is the King of the dragons. She's capable of eating anyone who gets in her way, and will not hesitate to (unless one of her friends politely suggests otherwise). She's very cordial, although sometimes a bit grumpy. She briefly accompanies the group on their quest. - How I Feel About Her: Honestly, I feel like Kazul is underutilized in this series. She's such a cool character to me! She's what this whole series is supposed to be about! She's one of the dragons Cimorene has to "deal" with, she's the dragon Cimorene goes searching for, she's the dragon Cimorene calls upon. In the next book, Cimorene will probably, at some point, talk to Kazul as well. But, just like almost everyone else, we don't really know anything about her. Just a few (entertaining) personality traits. I really want to love Kazul, but I just feel like she's so brushed to the side.

Zemenar: - Bio: Zemenar is the head of the Society of Wizards. He is sort of a co-villain in this book. - How I Feel About Him: Same as always. I guess I liked that he teams up with Vamist rather than just having a generic gang of wizards and/or his annoying son (which I've never even brought up in one of these reviews before because he's so useless (he's supposed to be useless and it is funny, but not that funny)). He also dies in this book, which I wouldn't even really care about either way whatsoever except it sets up the "tragedy" at the end of the book and it's just frustrating to me.

The Cats: - Bio: Morwen has nine cats, each with their own unique personalities and gimmicks. Two of these cats, Trouble and Scorn, go on the quest with Morwen and friends. - How I Feel About Them: I like the addition of the cats in this book, as well as the fact that Morwen (and us, the readers, by extension) can understand them. I actually appreciated the way the cats were portrayed (I am a cat person, for context). I feel like in most media, cats and cat characters are automatically portrayed as aloof, haughty, arrogant, and vain. While some of these are based in truth, my cats are generally very loving and cuddly. Cats are independent creatures, but I feel they get a bad wrap by dog people and general perpetuated cultural/social ideas. All this to say, Wrede keeps from doing this with these cats. Sure, they all have their personalities (obnoxious, rude, southern, fat, sleepy), and they all do have a slight tendency to act haughty, but they all have a deep love and respect for Morwen. I honestly would have had a much better time if, rather than having Killer and two of her cats come on the quest, maybe five of Morwen's cats could have come and Killer could have just not existed. I don't know, the cats were fun for me. I liked most of the scenes with the cats.

Mendenbar: - Bio: Mendenbar is the King of the Enchanted Forest and Cimorene's husband. - How I Feel About Him: He's really not in this book. I liked him well enough in the last book, though, and he seems to be a good husband to Cimorene. Sucks what happened to him, though.

Arona Michaelear Grinogion Vamist: - Bio: Vamist is a petty guy (I think he's literally just some guy) who likes to go after people for not being traditional. He goes after Morwen for being an unconventional witch, as well as a few other minor characters. It also turns out that he's hiding King Mendenbar's sword at his house. - How I Feel About Him: Nothing, really. He's just annoying to be annoying, and a villain to be a villain (and perhaps an attempt to switch up the villain plots a little bit so it's not just wizards all the time). Anyway, I mostly put him on here because I think his name is funny and I wanted to type that out. Also it was funny that they put all of Killer's spells onto him at the end as punishment for being bigoted.

What I Liked/What Worked: I really liked that we got to see more of Morwen in this story. I like her character and I was happy to see more of things from her perspective and learn a little more about her day to day life. I also liked her cats. Telemain is in this book a lot more than the last one, where he was introduced. And I like Telemain.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: I'm just not a huge fan of this book. So far, it's my least favorite installment. I just feel like so little actually happens in this book. And that would be okay if we got to spend more time with our characters, but most of it is just back and forth or going from point A to point B to point C. I know this book was mostly intended to set up the next and final book, but I still feel like this one just misses the mark. I think what I would have liked to have seen with this book is maybe having Morwen, Cimorene, and Kazul all go together on this quest, and no one else. No annoying donkey, no Telemain (sorry, my guy), just the three gal pals this series started us off with. I think that would have been a much more streamlined story with plenty of time for Cimorene and Kazul as well as expanding upon the relationships between each of these characters. The other glaring issue I have with this book is the character, Killer. I've already whined about this enough so I'll spare you, but I really want to stress how much I hate him. I guess I can also talk about the ending. Mendenbar being frozen in the castle for the next sixteen years is really sad to me. Cimorene is such a good character, it pains me that she didn't get her happy ending. Mendenbar won't get to be a father, and Daystar will have to grow up without him. As someone who lost my father at a young age, this kind of story always upsets me. It's an interesting set up for the next book, but I was really upset that it had to happen to Cimorene and Mendenbar.

The Theme(s) or Message(s) of This Book: Kind of a rehash of the first book; don't let anyone else tell you how to live your life.

The Feelings This Book Evoked In Me: Joy, annoyance, sadness, frustration.

Listening Experience: Eh. The full cast audio is as good as always, aside from the (perhaps overacted) performance from the guy who played Killer. He really was very loud and annoying, which, again, was the point, but my point still stands. Also Telemain had those vocal quirks again. It's fine every once and a while, but I feel like his voice actor maybe overdoes it. I love the idea, it fits his character, just maybe tone it down sometimes.

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: I loved the first chapter where we're introduced to Morwen and her cats, as well as her little chat with the other witch. I also liked the part where they transfer all of Killer's enchantments and curses onto Vamist.

Enjoyability: 4/10

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: No, probably not. Not unless I'm reading these books to my future kids. Unless the fourth book is good, I'd probably just rather reread the first book and maybe the second if I'm feeling extra spicy. This one just feels sort of skippable to me. Cimorene is pregnant, Mendenbar gets frozen, their son has to be the one to save him once he comes of age; that's all you really need to know. Oh, also Morwen is cool.

Do I Recommend This Book?: Sure. I think if you're wanting to read the whole series, it's worth it, but if you just want to read books one and two, you'd probably be just as well off. Again, still have to finish book four to see if all of this was worth it. Oh, and maybe don't listen to the audiobook. Try to read it if you can.

Overall Rating: 6/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Searching for Dragons

by Patricia C. Wrede

Basic Info

Book 2 of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Year published: 1991 Page Length: 242 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 8/15/24-8/18/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 1

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

King Mendenbar of the Enchanted Forest discovers his kingdom is in peril via a plot of the evil wizards. After discovering the King of the dragons has gone missing, he sets off on a quest with the dragon's princess--or, Chief Cook and Librarian, Princess Cimorene--to save his kingdom.

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Overall Look

Why I Chose to Read This Book:  Well, I suppose the simple answer is that it’s the next book in the series. This is my second time having read this book and I remembered enjoying it the first time. Overall, my goal is to reread this whole series, as I never got around to reading the fourth and final book the first time I read these books.

Overall Impression: I quite like this book! I felt that the beginning was a bit slow (maybe the first two chapters), but once the journey gets started and all of our characters start interacting, I really enjoyed myself. The adventure itself was my favorite part, with Cimorene and Mendenbar traveling together and meeting a whole new cast of quirky characters along the way. I loved the creative solutions to each new side character’s problems, and they all tied together by the end very well. I wasn’t all that crazy about the ending, but overall it was a fun read and a good sequel to the first book.

Plot Notes:

Character Notes: Mendenbar: - Bio: King Mendenbar is the young King of the Enchanted Forest. He's a bit of a recluse and dislikes extravagant meetings and parties. He's also upset that he'll soon have to marry a princess in order to produce an heir. He does not like princesses due to their shallow tendencies. Mendenbar is intelligent, independent, and kind. He is our protagonist. - How I Feel About Him: I like Mendenbar well enough. I don't have a lot to say about him, but I like how he and Cimorene get along. He's also generally a good person, and I find it hard to dislike good people. There isn't much more to him than that, though.

Cimorene: - Bio: Princess Cimorene is King Kazul's Chief Cook and Librarian. She takes her job very seriously and refuses to have her work interrupted by pesky knights trying to rescue her from the dragons. She is headstrong, intelligent, and practical. She was the protagonist in the first book, but takes more of a back seat in this book. - How I Feel About Her: Cimorene remains an entertaining and compelling character. However, I feel like we lose her a little in this book.

Kazul: - Bio: Kazul is the King of the dragons. She is the missing dragon that Princess Cimorene and King Mendenbar go on a quest to find. Cimorene and Kazul have a very close relationship. - How I Feel About Her: Since much of this book's plot is about Kazul having gone missing, she isn't in much of the actual story. But I still enjoy the scenes she's in and I'm glad she returned for this sequel. Also, her being a grandma just makes sense.

Morwen: - Bio: Morwen is a witch who lives in the Enchanted Forest. She helps defend Kazul in Mendenbar's investigation and sends him to find Cimorene. Her and her cats also assist in the final fight. - How I Feel About Her: I love Morwen. She too isn't in this book that much, but I still love her interactions with Mendenbar and Cimorene as well as her witty quips and idealistic lifestyle.

Zemenar: - Bio: Zemenar is the head of the Society of Wizards. He is the primary villain in this book. - How I Feel About Him: I don't like this antagonist. I talked about him in my previous review of Dealing with Dragons. He appears very little and receives no further development. He mostly just does evil stuff to do evil stuff and the good guys have to stop him.

Telemain: - Bio: Telemain is a quirky magician (not a wizard) who wants to learn everything he can about magic of all kinds. He frequently gets caught up in explaining how magic works, often talking in ways others can't understand. He's also obsessed with conducting magical experiments, which isn't always practical in the middle of a time-constrained quest. - How I Feel About Him: I like him, I like this autistic man. Telemain has a certain charm to him that makes some of his more eccentric traits melt away into endearment. I have some comments about his voice actor in the audiobook, but overall I enjoy his presence.

What I Liked/What Worked: I liked the more quest-based format of this book. The quest has a good build up and remains entertaining throughout its entirety, mostly through the addition of various side quests. I enjoyed the new fairy tale subversions, which worked well after enjoying the ones in the last book so much. I think they may have even worked better in this book than Dealing with Dragons. I love the humor in this book, and the characters are fun, quirky, and clever. Cimorene and Mendenbar work well together, and I loved following along on their quest to find Kazul. This book doesn't take itself too seriously, which I think is perfect for a light-hearted addition to a series like this. You can easily go into this series looking for a good time and coming out more than satisfied.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: There were two big disappointments for me regarding this book. The first one I took notice of was that this story changes the "main" character. Rather than being told from Cimorene's perspective like the last story, this is told from Mendenbar's. Don't get me wrong, I like Mendenbar, but I wish we could have maybe gotten to see more of Cimorene. I complained in my previous review for Dealing with Dragons that we don't really get to go inside of characters' heads. This time I really noticed it due to the fact that we couldn't hear much of Cimorene's point of view, especially what wasn't stated verbally. It wasn't a huge issue for me, but I was disappointed that our beloved main character had been reduced to a more supportive role. The second issue I have with this book, which is probably a bigger deal for me than for others, is the insta-love between Cimorene and Mendenbar. The two of them had perhaps the most perfect set-up possible. They meet each other, they're prejudiced against each other, they realize that the other isn't as bad as they initially assumed, they go on a quest together and become closer as they solve problems and travel. This could have been perfect!! But rather than throwing in occasional hints that they're growing closer and beginning to see each other having romantic potential, they immediately get married at the end of the book. Nothing actually romantic happens between them until Mendenbar literally proposes to Cimorene out of nowhere. What?? Coming right after a book that hammered home how important it was to be your own woman and made fun of the fantasy trope of "knight rescues princess, they're wed in the morning"? It was very disappointing to me. I'm not expecting a grand romance in my children's fantasy sequel novel, but I think we could have had so much more fun with the two of them. Wrede does an excellent job of giving those two chemistry/potential for chemistry, but she just doesn't do anything with it! I kid you not, they treat each other like good friends until the very end when they get married. If I hadn't read this book before and remembered that they got married at the end, I wouldn't have thought they would get married in this book at all. I know people don't like hearing other people say this, but it does feel out of character to me to have Cimorene, the queen (princess?) of doing things "improperly", marry a man she essentially just met without flirting with him or even courting or kissing him. Mendenbar's proposal could so easily be turned into a courtship proposal as well, and we could easily have had an epilogue/time skip to their wedding to make them married by the end of this book. Sorry for the rant, but as a sucker for romance and a hater of needless, effort-less, ill-thought-out romantic side plots, I just had to speak my peace. The wizards suck in this book too, I already complained about them in the last review. It's the same complaints for me, they just feel too cartoony and shallow, in my opinion. And they're really not even in this book, they mostly show up for the final fight. Oh, also they were being too mean to Telemain. Sometimes I was actually interested in what he was saying but the other characters kept interrupting him because they thought he was being too confusing or using words that were too big. I see you, Telemain, I love you.

The Theme(s) or Message(s) of This Book: Don't judge a book by its cover. Think outside the box.

The Feelings This Book Evoked In Me: Again, joy. This book is lighthearted and fun, and was a great way to pass the time doing mundane tasks at my job. The characters were fun as usual, and easily made me laugh and smile. Until we got to the way Mendenbar proposed to Cimorene. That annoyed me. The wedding was adorable, though. Dream wedding, if you ask me (aside from the lack of a romantic relationship beforehand).

Listening Experience: I had a good time listening to this book! The full cast audio was fun, and everyone was well-cast. The only minor complaint I have is of Telemain's voice actor. I'm still on the fence where I'm not sure if it was annoying or endearing. But to be fair, I think that kind of sums up Telemain's character in general. All the "EEEEHHHH"s and the "UM TEcHniCaLLy"s had me both cringing and busting out laughing in the middle of my shifts, so I guess they get a pass for making me laugh.

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: I really liked the scene with Herman, the great-grandson of Rumplestiltskin. I loved how Mendenbar and Cimorene helped him solve his problem of having too many first-born children because no one can guess his name, and they suggested he open a boarding school to help take care of all his kids. Herman was sweet, I liked that it turned out that he loves all the children people dumped on him. I also liked that they sent Prince Jorillam to him at the end of the story so that his uncle could be evil and stay in his Right Honorable Wicked Stepmothers' Traveling, Drinking, and Debating Society. That whole subplot had me cackling. I also liked the chapter where Mendenbar meets Morwen. It really made me feel like the story was beginning to progress, and scenes with her (especially at her house) are always a treat.

Enjoyability: 9/10

Did Reading This Book Change Me in Any Way?: Not really. I still had a lot of fun, though! And that's just as important to me.

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: On its own? No. I feel like I would be more likely to just reread Dealing with Dragons and leave it at that. But this is a series I would love to share with any future children I might have, and I'd love to read the full series to them, if they'll let me.

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes. If you liked the first book in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, I think you'd still enjoy this one. It's not the best sequel that's been written, but I really have only minor complaints about it overall.

Who Would I Recommend This Book To? What Would I Like For Them To Take Away From It?: I'd recommend this book to people who read and loved the first book, and want to see more of these characters and this world. And for those who do give it a read, I hope they have a wonderful time with it.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Reviews

Dealing with Dragons

Searching for Dragons

Calling on Dragons

Talking to Dragons

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

Dealing with Dragons

by Patricia C. Wrede

Basic Info

Book 1 of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Page Length: 212 Year Published: 1990 Genre: Fantasy Goodreads Link

Personal Info

Dates Read: 8/6/24-8/7/24 Read or Listened to?: Listened to How many times have I read this book before?: 1

Plot Summary (Spoiler Free)

Cimorene is not like the other princesses. Rather than sit idly by and learn etiquette and embroidery, she wants to be practical and intelligent. After becoming frustrated with her parents for betrothing her to a man she’s never met, Princess Cimorene decides to run away. But she is quickly met by dragons! Only, these dragons aren’t interested in eating her. They offer her a job.

Full spoiler review under the cut!

Overall Look

Why I Chose to Read This Book:  Since this is the second time I’ve read this book, I chose to reread it since I loved reading it so much the first time! I remember reading it for the first time in fifth grade. It was a book that was on my teacher’s personal bookshelf. Just like today, I was a simple creature. I saw a book about dragons and princesses and I read it. And it’s held a special place in my heart ever since.

Overall Impression: While I have read this book before, it’s been almost ten years, so I’d forgotten many details from the story. It’s a great read with a fast pace, including a colorful cast of characters that are easy to like immediately. Its quirky personality with great humor and almost Shrek-like satire on classic fairy tales had me grinning the whole way through. The sheer cleverness in the writing also took me by pleasant surprise. Overall it’s a wonderful book for all ages and a must for fantasy lovers.

Plot Notes

Character Notes: Cimorene: - Bio: Princess Cimorene (pronounced Sim-or-een if anyone is wondering) is a headstrong, intelligent, practical princess who takes no nonsense from presumptuous knights or wizards. She is determined to live her life how she wants to live it, even if it defies "tradition". She is our protagonist. - How I Feel About Her: I like Cimorene! She's a compelling character. She works well as a badass female main character without coming off as shallow and maintaining her femininity. I appreciate that she is intelligent and assertive, while still remaining incredibly kind to those around her. She's probably my favorite character in this book (though it's a hard choice!)

Kazul: -Bio: Kazul is the dragon who takes Cimorene as her princess. Unlike most princesses, Cimorene is with the dragons not against her will. Cimorene and Kazul quickly form a wonderful, respecting friendship with one another. Kazul is very proper and polite, like most dragons in this story. - How I Feel About Her: I also like Kazul! I love her relationship with Cimorene. She's a wise and benevolent dragon, and she was an easy pick for becoming the new King of the dragons.

Morwen: -Bio: Morwen is a witch who lives in the Enchanted Forest. She's a friend of Kazul who also becomes fast friends with Cimorene. -How I Feel About Her: She's not in this book too much, but I still appreciate her character. She reminds me of many other good-witch characters in books I've read in the past. Also the scene where Princess Cimorene, Morwen the witch, and Kazul the dragon all have tea in Morwen's hut lives in my brain 24/7, I need to paint that or something.

Zemenar: - Bio: Zemenar is the head of the Society of Wizards. He is the primary villain in this book. - How I Feel About Him: Honestly, Zemenar is a bit boring as far as villains go. He's not the least interesting villain character in this book, but we know very little about him. And his overall motive to expand knowledge about magic no matter the cost is interesting, but it never feels very expanded upon.

Alianora: - Bio: Another of Cimorene's friends. Alianora is a princess belonging to the dragon Woraug. She provides mostly emotional and physical support to Cimorene throughout the story. -How I Feel About Her: I unironically love this character. I think she should get a book of her own. Her backstory is chock-full of subverted fairy tale unpon subverted fairy tale, and I wish there was more! She's just a big ball of sweetness, and I'm glad she got the happy ending she deserved.

Woraug: - Bio: A dragon living in a neighboring cave to Kazul. He serves as a villain in the story as a dragon who decided to ally with the wizards. - How I Feel About Him: Even more of a boring villain than Zemenar. To be fair, these books don't really need ultra-compelling villains, but I still felt that there could have been just a tiny amount more effort put into him.

What I Liked/What Worked: I just love the overall idea of this book. It's fun, it's silly, and it's got heart. The humor is fantastic and the characters drive the story well. There are so many fun ideas that the author was able to weave into the story that all come together into the masterpiece that is this book. I also feel that this a wonderful piece of feminist literature that has aged well and deserves to be discussed more.

What I Didn't Like/What Didn't Work: I have only two gripes about this book, and they're in the same vein. The biggest issue I take is that the way this story is told feels very detached. I never really feel like I get to go inside of a character's mind. And I feel like it does do a disservice to the excellent personalities these characters possess. Not all characters have to be fully fleshed out with complex, tragic backstories, but these characters still felt almost flat to me. Which brings me to my second point, which is the villains (or antagonists) in this story. They felt a little contrived to me. While it gave the story direction, I felt like their motives could have been workshopped a little bit, and maybe we could have spent more time with them.

The Theme(s) or Message(s) of This Book: Live your most authentic life and don't settle for something just because everyone else tells you it's what's right. You have to choose what kind of life is right for you.

The Feelings This Book Evoked In Me: Joy, mostly. Being able to reread this book brought a lot of nostalgia for when I first read it. As I've said already, I really enjoy this book's sense of humor. I also really enjoy the relationships between the characters, and hearing them interact was always a treat. I honestly think this book would work just as well if it didn't have any wizard plot and just was about Cimorene making friends with dragons, princesses, witches, and stone princes. I think that would work really well as a manga, actually.

Listening Experience: The audiobook for this story happens to be a full-cast audio presentation. I enjoyed the voice acting and casting for each of the characters.

Cover Art: I have the "Mass Market Paperback" edition of this book. The drawing of the dragon on the cover (who is likely Kazul) is probably my least favorite aspect of it. I think her overall look is unappealing and does a poor job of showcasing her character. It actually made me hesitant to read this book at first (as a 10 year old dragon lover). I feel that she is portrayed as an ugly, leering monster towering over Cimorene, and it does not represent the story well at all. But otherwise, the color palette and art style is appealing, and I like the way Princess Cimorene is portrayed (even though it looks like she's squaring up with Kazul, lol).

Final Notes

Favorite Parts/Quotes/Passages: I love the chapter titles. Even though I know this book came out first, they remind me a lot of the original Percy Jackson chapter titles. "'It's because I'm not a very satisfactory princess,' Alianora said. ‘I tried, I really did, but . . . it started when the wicked fairy came to my christening.’ / ‘She put a curse on you?’ / ‘No. She ate cake and ice cream until she nearly burst and danced with my Uncle Arthur until two in the morning and had a wonderful time. So she went home without cursing me, and Aunt Ermintrude says that that's where the whole problem started.’” (I wanted to include more of this bit but I don't want this thing to be crazy long)

Main Takeaways: I've decided that this is easily one of my comfort books. It's a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone interested.

Enjoyability: 10/10

Did Reading This Book Change Me in Any Way?: The sheer amount of fun I had reading this book made me want to start writing again.

Would I Ever Reread This Book?: Yes! Especially if/when I have children, I'd like to read it to them.

Do I Recommend This Book?: Yes!

Who Would I Recommend This Book To? What Would I Like For Them To Take Away From It?: I'd recommend this book to middle grade kids with an interest in fantasy. That being said, it's plenty suited for adults to read as well. I think for kids reading this, it's a good introduction to fantasy and feminism. For adults, it's a light hearted, humorous, low-stakes read that is sure to delight those with a soft spot for fairy tale subversion.

Overall Rating: 10/10

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

To Be Reviewed

Great Bear Lake Dork Diaries 3 Smoke Mountain The Last Wilderness Dork Diaries 4 Dork Diaries 5 Dork Diaries 6 The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky Circle of Heroes Shadows Wild Life Palace of Dreams

[cloudyskies-starryheavens]

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