Searching for Dragons
In the second book of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Kazul, king of the dragons, has been kidnapped by the evil wizards who have a new scheme to steal magic. It's up to Cimorene, Morwen, and a few new friends to rescue her and thwart the wizards' latest plan.
For some reason I was expecting this whole series to about Cimorene, but this one's told from the point of view of Mendenbar, who she eventually marries. In the beginning I was a little sad about this perspective switch. But it doesn't take long for Mendenbar to seek out Morwen who sends him to Cimorene. This is a fairly short children's book, after all. There isn't that much time to waste.
Mandenbar and Cimorene become fast friends. They're both practical and curious, and I was glad that the book made a note of all the long, wandering conversations they had on their quest. Especially because it was obvious pretty early on that these two were going to fall in love and get married. And if that falling in love felt a bit rushed at the end...well, this is a kid's book.
The fun part about this book (and series) is the awareness the characters have of the fairy tale tropes around them. Even better is the way Mandenbar and Cimorene offer practical advice to the people stuck in their roles. The giant who's tired of rampaging becomes a consultant and the dwarf who can only spin straw into gold if he's doing it for someone else gets a good lawyer who can set up a trust.
At the end of the book, the dragon is saved, the wizards are temporarily defeated, and Mendenbar is on track to becoming a much better king. Mostly because he finally has some help, but also because he understand why some of the boring parts of his job are necessary. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes next - and who narrates the next book.
For some reason I was expecting this whole series to about Cimorene, but this one's told from the point of view of Mendenbar, who she eventually marries. In the beginning I was a little sad about this perspective switch. But it doesn't take long for Mendenbar to seek out Morwen who sends him to Cimorene. This is a fairly short children's book, after all. There isn't that much time to waste.
Mandenbar and Cimorene become fast friends. They're both practical and curious, and I was glad that the book made a note of all the long, wandering conversations they had on their quest. Especially because it was obvious pretty early on that these two were going to fall in love and get married. And if that falling in love felt a bit rushed at the end...well, this is a kid's book.
The fun part about this book (and series) is the awareness the characters have of the fairy tale tropes around them. Even better is the way Mandenbar and Cimorene offer practical advice to the people stuck in their roles. The giant who's tired of rampaging becomes a consultant and the dwarf who can only spin straw into gold if he's doing it for someone else gets a good lawyer who can set up a trust.
At the end of the book, the dragon is saved, the wizards are temporarily defeated, and Mendenbar is on track to becoming a much better king. Mostly because he finally has some help, but also because he understand why some of the boring parts of his job are necessary. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes next - and who narrates the next book.
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