| Title | : | Searching for Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0152045651 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780152045654 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 242 |
| Publication | : | First published October 15, 1991 |
How stupid
Cimorene, the princess who refuses to be proper, is back--but where is Kazul the dragon? That's what Cimorene is determined to find out.
Luckily--or perhaps not-so-luckily--she's got help: Mendenbar, the not-very-kingly King of the Enchanted Forest, has joined her in her quest. So with the aid of a broken-down magic carpet, a leaky magical sword, and a few buckets of soapy lemon water, they set off across the Enchanted Forest to tackle the dragon-napping and save the King of the Dragons.
Searching for Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #2) Reviews
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I haven't ever properly reviewed this series, but just let it be known that it's the greatest series about dragons of all time, and I mean better than my books, better than anything. I think more than anyone else, Wrede's writing in this series is my biggest influence.
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Searching For Dragons, really?
I think in the whole book there was only one dragon.
MY FEELINGS
I was burning with excitement after reading its first book. BUT ugh! This book extinguished every flare of excitement and left me damped. As you know wet things don't catch fire rapidly. Hehehe... I think that was the worst comparison ever made. I don't know how it came in my mind.
Back to the point, this was not the book I was expecting from the author of Dealing With Dragons. beginning was almost similar to first book's beginning with different circumstances..
Be alert! Don't open any spoiler if you are looking forward to read this book or if you don't want any revelation. Otherwise, you can read this review.
MAJOR CHARACTERS
Mendanber
Bio
--- He is the king of Enchanted Forest.
My feelings
--- He was very appealing for me. I love this character BUT
Cimorene
Bio
Chief Cook and Librarian to Kazul (King of Dragons).
My feelings
I adore this character
Telemain
Bio
He is a magician. He loves to study different methods or types of magic.
My Feelings
He was a good character. I liked him but he was over curious I think.
OVERVIEW
One day, Mendanber go for a walk in Enchanted Forest and he runs across a part of Forest which has become dead. There is no magic in its air(as Enchanted Forest is full of magic which float through its air). He finds some dragon's scales in that part. He consults this problem with Morwen (a witch who lives in the Forest) who suggests him to visit Kazul because she can tell him whose dragon those scales are. When he gets to the Kazul's cave he comes to know that Kazul is missing. So Cimorene and Mendaber find her.
THINGS I LIKED
Indeed, this book didn't satisfy me but there were some things I liked:
Enchanted Forest
I liked this very much. We came to know very much about this forest in this book Like:
Mendanber
I liked how he casted spells in the Forest. I also liked his magical sword except for one thing (see next section).
Writing Style & Dialogues = Awesome! Just as in its first book.
Wizards
I liked them as villains except for one thing (see next section).
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
To be honest, I didn't like how they saved Kazul.
According to facts I mentioned above I would give:
* 3.2 Dull Stars *
I think its first book was far better than this. This book hadn't something which could grip me except for MAGIC! I loved it. That's why I gave this slightly above 3 stars. Excluding magic my rating is 2.5 stars because this book wasn't that bad to give 2 stars.
I really hope its 3rd book will be better than this. It should be!
Please point out my mistakes and my misunderstandings about this book. I would be happy to see that!
Thanks for your attention! -
2022 Review
I mean, Mendanbar. While I love the independence and girl power of the first book, this is the one I re-read most frequently.
2017 Review
Slow re-read over the past few weeks. A charming story with the ever un-traditional and amazing Cimorene, the wise Morwen, intellectual Telemain, and sweet Mendanbar. I really love them all.
Am I officially getting old? Mendanbar is practically a baby, just 20! -
Lord, I love these books so much. Searching for Dragons follows the adventures of Cimorene, but is told from the point of view of Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest. Mendanbar is as unconventional as Cimorene, and just as subject to being nagged about the proper way to do things. The change of perspective is nice, and also enables the reader to see exactly how charming Cimorene is from the outside.
One of the things I appreciate about Wrede is the fact that, while her characters bemoan the silliness of princesses, they cast aspersions on the silliness of princes just as often. Additionally, Wrede makes sure to throw in some allusions to the social circumstances that make princesses act silly. Silly princesses are a common trope, but books that give comparable time to silly princes and discuss the impact of societal expectations on the way women act are rare. Honestly, especially considering the fact that these are children’s books, Wrede does an excellent job with delving into social constructs of gender.
My favourite witch, Morwen, also makes an appearance in this book (along with her horde of cats). Seriously, one day I hope to become Morwen. She is fantastic. Ballimore and Dobbilan the giants are completely charming, bickering domestically about the necessity of grinding to bones of Englishmen into bread. The cast of characters in this book is larger than in Dealing with Dragons, but each new character is completely captivating in his or her own right. No one seems superfluous or out of place.
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Rating: 5 Dragons.
Favourite Quote (Erm, really Favourite Scene for this one. Sorry.): “Just inside the door, the giant stopped and sniffed the air. Then he sneezed once, scowled ferociously, and said in a voice that shook the torches in their brackets:
‘Fee, fie, foe, fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman.
Be he alive or be he dead,
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.’
Ballimore shook her head. “Nonsense, dear. It’s just Princess Cimorene and the King of the Enchanted Forest.’
‘And neither of us is English,’ Cimorene added.
The giant squinted down at her. ‘Are you sure about that?’
‘Positive,’ Mendanbar said.
‘Well—’ the giant sniffed again, experimentally, then lowered his club with a sigh. ‘That’s all right, then. I wasn’t in the mood for more work tonight, anyway. Sorry about the mistake. It must be this cold in my head.’”
Recommend: Yes, of course. I don’t think it even needs to be said at this point. -
Enjoying rereading this series. I didn't like this one as much as the first but I still found it a lot of fun.
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Not quite as good as the first, but still a fast and entertaining read. I'm likely to read on in the series, but not right away. 3.5 stars, rounded up. And the book entertained this far-from-young adult!
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4.5-ish. Really enjoyed this a lot - even more than the first one!
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Not quite as fun or interesting as the first book. This had fun characters but the story itself was less so. The final part of the book seemed to go on far too long.
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How can I even begin to describe my love for this book and the whole series? This book is about The King of the Enchanted Forest, Mendanbar, who hates princesses. When he's out for a walk he runs into a burnt a magic-stripped section of the Enchanted Forest. Worried that it might be dragons burning down his forest he goes to visit the King of the Dragons, Kazul. To his dismay he discovers that she has a princess. Princess Cimorene to be exact. But Kazul is missing. Together Mendanbar and Cimorene set out on a quest to try and find her.
This book is full of dozens of mentions of fairytales. Mostly fairytales that have been turned on their heads. Such as all the boys who show up "every three months, regular as clockwork" at the giant's castle and "they're always named Jack". Or the dwarf who spins gold into straw but can never get anyone to guess his name so he always has to keep their children even though he doesn't want them. He even legally changed his name so it would be easier for people to guess it.
The king's and princess's adventure is full of danger, surprises and hilarity. This book also introduces some of my favorite characters from the series. Such as a technical magician and a grouchy gargoyle. The characters from this book are memorable and usually bring a new twist on a well loved fairytale.
I first discovered this book when I was 11. I had already read and loved the first book in the series. And then not having found this book I picked up the fourth book. Needless to say, when I found out that there were two more books in between the two that I had read, I was overcome with joy. I got this book on hold on the at my library. And I loved it. I wasn't disappointed at all. This book fits perfectly into the rest of the series. Since the first time I found this book I loved it. Since then I have read this book at least 20 times. And I will continue to read it (along with the rest of the books in the series) every year.
When I was 12 I made a deal with my brother that if he read some of my books that I would read some of his. He read the whole series and afterwards he told me that this was he favorite one.
The writing sucks me in every time. It is a quick read. But it's worth it. I would recommend this book to people who love and know fairytales.
This book got, gets, and will continue to get 5/5 stars from me.
Side Notes: This is my third favorite book from The Enchanted Forest Chronicles.
This book wasn't written second. It was written (along with books 1 and 3) as a prequel to book 4, Talking to Dragons.
This book is written in 3rd person but through Mendanbar's eyes. The only thoughts you see in the book are Mendanbars's and you only see what he sees. But it still refers to Mendanbar as "he". Having this book from his perspective is something that I love about this book. This way you can see his reactions to Cimorene and the way he changes towards her. It's very cute. -
Searching for Dragons introduces a new character, Mendenbar, who is the king of the Enchanted Forest. Mendenbar stumbles across burnt spots in his forest and a bunch of dragon scales in the area. On the way to figuring out the story behind everything, he meets Morwen and Cimorene. This installment had Cimorene taking a back seat so we didn't get to see much of her witty and clever side which was a shame. Mendenbar was definitely the 'main' character in this one. I didn't find him all that likeable but he had a lot to discover about his kingdom and magic and he expanded the plot outside Kazul's cave, which I guess is a plus. The book continues to break stereotypes (who said a magic carpet ride had to be glamorous?) and quite a few buckets of soapy lemon water make appearances in this fun sequel to Dealing with Dragons.
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Continuing in the same style of a fairy tale that turns fairy tale tropes on their head, Searching for Dragons is the second book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. This sequel does exactly what I was hoping for. It takes what we already know of the Enchanted Forest and builds upon it. Only this time the story is told entirely from Mendanbar's point of view.
Dead zones have started appearing in the Enchanted Forrest and Kazul, King of the Dragons, has gone missing. Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, and Cimorene are determined to figure out what's going on.
Mendanbar is a decent protagonist. He's young and feeling a tad overwhelmed with running a kingdom so jumps at the chance to start his investigation if only so he can relax a little from his other kingly duties. The journey Mendanbar and Cimorene go on is rather convoluted and they meet some interesting characters along the way. I found it funny how they pointed out common sense solutions to some typical fairy tale problems, like the giant who is fed up with "Jacks" always stealing from him on a regular schedule.
"They always do the same thing - come in, ask for a meal, hide, and then run off with a harp or a bag full of money the minute I fall asleep," Dobbilan said. "And they're always named Jack. Always. We've lived in this castle for twenty years, and every three months, regular as clockwork, one of those boys shows up, and there's never been a Tom, Dick, or Harry among 'em. Just Jacks. The English have no imagination."
Their solution to his problem is quite practical. Mendenbar and Cimorene end up working well together.
While just as charming and fun as Dealing with Dragons, I found myself missing Cimorene as the main pov character. This, of course, sets a trend. I wonder whose point of view the third book will be from. -
There are many things I like about Enchanted Forest Chronicles and obviously the characters are the main reason, but having read this series 4 times now I still really love the magic system of the forest.
It's nothing new really, it's just so cool to me - the way King does his spells. When I read this book for the first time I thought that all of those threads and knots of magic were the coolest thing ever. Still do.
“I'm sorry. I'm used to people objecting to things because they think I can't do them or shouldn't do them. It didn't occur to me that you might have a real reason.”
Cimorene is still one of my all time favorite female characters. In my eyes she is the original "not like other girls" girl, or in this case - princess. But in her case she is actually different without being pretentious or weird about it.
And as far as male characters go, Mendabar is awesome - he's grouchy, he's intelligent, he's a gentleman and he's easy going. He's also impishly awkward. How's that for a King?
My
WEBSITE
My
INSTAGRAM
My
WORDPRESS BLOG -
After loving 'Dealing with Dragons' for so long, I was really disappointed with myself for not finishing the series. I decided to remedy the situation. Unfortunately, I was not NEARLY as pleased with the 2nd book in the series as I was the 1st.
Searching for Dragons is a follow-up of Cimorene, and the Dragon King Kazul. However, Kazul has been missing for days and no one has any leads. Suspecting the ever sneaky wizards, Cimorene decides to take matters into her own hands and find Kazul. However, she is met with more than she expects when Mendenbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest shows up on her doorstep to help. The story follows their adventure as they search for Kazul and encounter helpful, and un-helpful, characters along the way.
Here's the problem. It's boring. There's none of the humor or silliness of the first book. The 1st book was so unique and intriguing, while this is just, well, there. And also, Mendenbar is badly written. He is introduced at the very beginning of the book, but I thought he was a jerk the whole time. It wasn't until 5 or 6 chapters in did I realize he's the hero of the story, and we're supposed to be a fan of his. D'oh.
I'll keep reading the series, just to see how it all ends, and if it gets better. And I'll even read these stories to my kids. But this no where touches the original. -
The Society of Wizards are stirring up trouble again in this second book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. This time, they are trying to start a war between the King of the Enchanted Forest, (Mendanbar) and the King of the Dragons (Kazul), by burning a section of his forest, leaving dragon scales as evidence. Mendanbar decides a state visit to King Kazul is long overdue and sets out for such a visit, only to find a distraught Princess Cimorene, who is concerned that Kazul has disappeared and not sent word. Together, they set out on a quest to find and rescue Kazul. The banter between Mendanbar and Cimorene is wonderful, Morwen and Telemain were very helpful along the way, and some of their challenges were worrying, including magic carpets, meddling giants, and Jack the peddler. I liked this book much better than the first one in this series.
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http://bookslifewine.com/r-searching-...
4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars
Yet another adorable submission to the Enchanted Forest Chronicles! I simply adored Searching for Dragons and I’ve decided I really need to finish the entire series.
In Searching for Dragons the reader gets to meet up with Cimorene (Dealing with Dragons) again. This time, Kazul (King of the Dragons) is missing and it’s up to Cimorene to find her.
Read the rest here:
http://bookslifewine.com/r-searching-... -
I loved this sequel as much as its predecessor! In fact, perhaps a little more, but only because I'm a sucker for journeys to complete quests and I really liked the whole host of new characters we get to meet too. It's a very enchanting little tale, and once again, a lot of fairytale tropes turned on their heads!
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Why is it that reviews on the back of books never do the book justice? Mendanbar is hot and awesome and awkward. And Finally there is a man cool enough for tough Cimerene. Plus, several scenes with wizards make me so... happy.
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Mendanbar, king of the Enchanted Forest, Cimorene, princess of dragon Kazul, a sword that leaks magic, and a faulty magic carpet must travel to find the missing King of the Dragons. They must find her before her dragon-nappers do something devastating to Cimorene's friend.
Plot
Searching for Dragons should actually be called “Searching for Dragon” (singular) because it’s Kazul, King of the Dragons, who is missing. Mendanbar, the king of the Enchanted Forest that was never mentioned in the first book, teams up with Cimorene, our “unconventional” princess to find and rescue Kazul. All in all, it’s a pretty dull plot.
Mendanbar and Cimorene spend the majority of the book bumbling around and meeting seemingly irrelevant characters who gain a purpose near the end. Mendanbar has a deus-ex-machina sword that literally magics him and Cimorene out of any problem they stumble across, and this leads to a story that lacks any tension, which further extends to a climax that fizzles out.
There are so many unsubtle attempts at foreshadowing it makes my teeth hurt. Searching for Dragons is so much more predictable than Dealing with Dragons was, and that’s saying something. What little plot is there is extremely boring and lacks any excitement.
I haven’t read the other two books in the series yet, but I’ll bet money that this book could easily be skipped.
Writing
Despite what should have been a more action-y book, Wrede writes the exact same way she did in the first one. There’s no tension, excitement, sense of adventure, or anything like that. This books is also a lot less funny than the first one, which probably has to deal with the lack of Kazul for the majority of the book. She was the only funny thing in Dealing with Dragons.
It seems like Wrede was trying to use repetition as humor this time around, but it was only annoying. Especially the “joke” where Mendanbar would translate Telemain’s technical talk into layman’s terms. That “joke” got real old, real fast. There are more “jokes” similar to that, and they are all just as unfunny.
Characters
Mendanbar is the main character this time around. He’s dull, boring, and more than a bit unlikeable. He spends the first half of the book talking down on princesses for being silly and stupid, then after meeting Cimorene, he bashes them some more to elevate her. Newsflash to authors, tearing down one group of women to uplift another does not make that second group seem better in the slightest. There was nothing interesting about Mendanbar, and this especially goes for his magic. He has no struggles and breezes through everything because he’s king of the Enchanted Forest.
And, oh, Cimorene. What has this book done to you? Even though I didn’t think Cimorene was anything special in Dealing with Dragons, she was still an alright character. Searching for Dragons took her character and sucked all of the good parts of her out. That previously smart princess? Well, now she’s a moron that constantly has to be told by Mendanbar what something means. That level-headed princess? Is now irrational enough to not consider the consequences of just waltzing into the Enchanted Forest. Cimorene��s character was nerfed to make Mendanbar seem like a better character.
Everybody else are background tools used purely to further the plot. They are barely characters on their own.
Things I Liked
The only thing I liked was when there was an actual explanation on the differences between magicians and wizards. There are a lot of books that have different groups of magic-users, and yet never bother to explain what makes one group differ from another.
Things I Didn't Like
I disliked a whole lot of things, as evidenced by my one-star rating. Where to start?
First off, the “romance” between Mendanbar and Cimorene. When Mendanbar first mentioned not wanting to marry some vapid princess, I knew he and Cimorene would get together because she was “different”. If Mendanbar wasn’t such an unobservant jerk, he’d realize a lot of princesses put on an airheaded act because that’s what society dictates. Besides that, there is no actual romance between these two. They are acquaintances at best for the majority of the book. There is no romantic tension, or any tension at all. I can’t even see these two as being friends! And all of a sudden, in the last two chapters, the book passively tells us Mendanbar wants to put his arm around Cimorene while walking. Romance of the century, y’all. In the last chapter Mendanbar says he loves her and Cimorene reciprocates his feelings based off of two days of knowing each other and no real chemistry, I suppose. Very bad romance.
The second thing I disliked was how the book, and Mendanbar, felt the constant need to talk down about other princesses in comparison to Cimorene. Dealing with Dragons did this as well, but it wasn’t as bad as in this book. When I say the first third of the book did this, I mean it was constant. Saying other princesses are stupid and silly and scatterbrained does not make Cimorene look better in comparison. It makes Mendanbar, and anybody who agrees with him, look like nitwits and misogynists. Girl-on-girl hate is bad enough, but the same attitude coming from a man is worse.
The third thing I disliked was the convenient-only-when-the-plot-calls-for-it stuff. In the first book, it was Cimorene’s fight with that bird with the teleportation feathers and Alianora’s lemony soap water. In this book, it’s Mendanbar’s magic sword. Mendanbar never really touches the sword until it’s time to save the day. That’s literally the only other time the sword is used; when the characters are in some sort of peril or difficult situation. As mentioned earlier, this absolutely kills any tension that might have been there in the first place.
I have more things I disliked, but one thing that really bothered me was what could have been. Cimorene is apparently a sorceress and the reader is denied being allowed to see her progress as she discovered her magic. I would have much rather preferred Cimorene’s magical awakening to this drag of a book.
Diversity
Everybody is white. The female characters are either dumbed down to make the men seem smarter, or irrelevant. There’s an anti-Rromani slur and yet no Rromani characters, at the very least. Terrible diversity.
Overall
I honestly hated getting through Searching for Dragons. It started off boring, the climax was boring, and the ending was boring. Nothing exciting happened at all. There was not real adventure because the characters bumbled through their search mission and happened upon their answers, there was no action because everything was either solved by a convenient stranger Cimorene and Mendanbar just met or Mendanbar’s deus-ex-machina sword, there was absolutely no romance (and you cannot convince me otherwise), and all together there was no interesting story.
I dread having to read the two remaining books in this series.
Here is a link to my notes. -
“Living with dragons doesn’t sound boring to me,” Mendanbar said.
“That’s because you’ve never done it,” Kazul replied. “Being Queen of the Enchanted Forest will give Cimorene more scope for her talents.”
“Then you really don’t object?” Mendanbar asked.
“Why should I?” Kazul said. “You’re a nice enough person, as humans go, and you’ve been very polite about the whole thing. That doesn’t happen often. Normally, knights and princes just grab a princess and run. And most of the princesses don’t even bother to say good-bye, much less give proper notice.” She looked at Cimorene and sighed. “I’ll miss your cooking, though.” -
Absolutely beautiful.
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The second book in The Enchanted Forest Chroniclesis, in my opinion, a worthy follow up to the first. While it focuses on Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest, rather than Cimorene the plot is still extremely engaging and as humorous as the first. Indeed, Morwen and Kazul are both present as well, and plenty of time is taken up expanding the Enchanted Forest and adding to its unlikely - and charming - lore.
King Mendanbar discovers that the Enchanted Forest is losing some of its land, as well as the magic therein. When nothing but burnt ground and discarded dragon scales offer up an explanation, he's resigned to bring such evidence to Kazul, the new King of the Dragons. Only Kazul is missing. What follows is an adventure with Mendanbar and Cimorene, complete with bumbling giants, a faulty magic carpet, and conniving wizards. Can they rescue Kazul in time and unravel the mystery?
I praised the previous book for just how positive a role model Cimorene is, and that carries through strongly in this book. Mendanbar is proof enough that men tend to like more independent women, and even as they both dismiss most princes and princesses as silly they acknowledge there isn't really anything wrong with the fact. You'd be silly, too, if you lacked the proper opportunities to grow yourself. The book is full of clever characters, humor, cats, and delicious cider. It's a quick read and one I plan on getting for some of the younger girls in my life once they're old enough to love it as I did. -
I've done reading the whole series, so will copy these comments to 3rd and 4th book, too.
Love the humor. Love the breezy adventure and endearing characters. Each book focuses on different folks, but the sequence events counts, and I do not recommend trying to read them as stand-alones. The ending of #2 is a bit worrisome, and the ending of #3 is a cliff-hanger, and #4 does have some intensity not necessarily suitable for the youngest readers. On the whole, they're clean and fun, I'd say fine for ages 9 up but if your younger child wants to read them you should also.
Um, they're also not really memorable - they're probably best suited for people who like to reread books because there's a lot going on, but nothing heavy enough to make an impact on the reader's worldview. I know it's partly my fault because I read them so fast - but then, they were fast reads, and I couldn't help it. -
My 11 year old son gave this 5 stars. It was fun!
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4.5
Me encanta esta saga! Supongo que se la cataloga como "infantil" porque está ambientada en un mundo de cuento de hadas (aunque con otros criterios muy simpáticos), pero la verdad es que la encuentro perfectamente entretenida y apta para "grandes".
Cambiar de protagonista a veces es riesgoso, pero en este caso Mendanbar, el rey de la Enchanted Forest, fue un agregado impecable. Además no se deja de lado a Cimorenne (aunque sí me hubiera gustado que tenga un poquititito más de protagonismo), solamente tarda más en aparecer. Y mientras pasaba el tiempo no podía esperar a que finalmente ocurra el encuentro.
Lo que me sorprendió fue pero la verdad no me puedo quejar, me divertí mucho leyéndolo.
Creo que éste es todavía más entretenido que el anterior. Tiene definitivamente más historia y más personajes. Me intriga qué es lo que va a hacer en el próximo, pero si sigue en esta línea, lo que venga va a ser buenísimo. -
Continues to be a charming re read.
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A childhood favorite that I’ve reread and enjoyed as an adult, and have now read to my children. One usage of the g slur. This book shows Cimerone on another magical adventure, but also getting married, and moving on to the next chapter of her story.
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Wrede's writing reminds me of Diana Wynne Jones sometimes, except less quirky and much more simplistic. But simple isn't always a bad thing. Her plots are basic and her characters are caricatures, but that's an intentional parody of classic fairy tales. Her books are fairy tales playfully spun around and turned on their heads. Wrede knows she's being cheesy, but she embraces the cliche with cheeky charm.
With that said, I have a bone to pick with this book. Dealing with Dragons (the first book in the series) is all about how Cimorene defies the princessly stereotype of frivolous bimbo waiting to be rescued and married. She runs off, willingly enters the employ of a dragon, and is a general badass. Great, right? So of course I was like YOU GO CIMORENE.
In this second book, we're focused on Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest, rather than Cimorene. Which is fine. Then I sniff the tell-tale signs of romance in the air--which is fine. I still expect the trademark Wrede twist where Cimorene is all unconventional and independent. Yet at the end,
Also, was anyone else bothered by the fact that none of the female characters understand what Telemain says when he speaks "technically" about magic? Mendanbar always has to translate so that Cimorene and Kazul can understand. I assumed that Morwen, being a knowledgeable witch of at least equal magical prowess, would be able to communicate on his level, but when Telemain finally says something in very simple terms: "'You're slipping,' she said. 'I actually understood that.'" WHAT. That was meant to be a joke, but it still bothered me. It stinks of "men are the engineers and women don't understand." That combined with the whole thing, left a bad taste in my mouth that killed the fun vibe of the book a bit.
Overall, I preferred the first book in the series, but this is still a cute, lighthearted read. Morwen's cats stole the show. -
Oh man, I remembered nothing about this book other than 'the wizards did it', which is basically the answer to every magical mystery in this series. Genuinely, I couldn't have told you Mendanbar's name before I went looking for fandom content (there isn't much, and a particularly tragic dearth of Morwen/Cimorene in my humble gay opinion.)
This book, while not quite as Iconic (tm) to me as the first one, is still good fun. Wacky fairy tale world shenanigans mixed with a jot of modern humor, plus interesting magic mechanics and some fun new characters. Telemain reminds me of Numair, so of course I enjoy him. Mendanbar is... nice? But I feel like his character gets hamstrung by the extremely rapid romance subplot.
The one thing I didn't like (other than the aforementioned speed of romance) is that Cimorene is the one who doesn't understand Telemain's academic jargon. She seems like exactly the kind of person who would be following along, nodding, and asking probing questions, and I feel it does her a disservice to have her say "What?" every time he speaks. -
Our characters are charmingly casual about being magical and living in an Enchanted Forests – everything is approached with a down-to-earth feeling and the fantastic becomes the ordinary. Everyone in this world is bursting with personality – including the Forest itself.
There is a darling randomness to this book – here we bump into a lion guardian a magical pool, here we have breakfast with giants, and here we ride a magic carpet. A sweet and unexpected romp. As we embark, we have no idea what will happen – we bump into Dragon Queens, or we just might encounter Rumplestiltskin, and apparently, he has a far different motivation than we are lead to believe! A cute little fairy tale with fun world building and an enraging and smooth narrative.
