Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede


Synopsis From Back Cover:

Meet Princess Cimorene - a princess who refuses to be proper.  She is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart...

And bored.

So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon.  And not just any dragon, but Kazul - one of the most powerful and dangerous dragons around.  Of course, Cimorene has a way of hooking up with dangerous characters, and soon she's coping with a witch, a jinn, a death-dealing talking bird, a stone prince, and some very oily wizards. 

If this princess ran away to find some excitement, it looks like she's found plenty.

Dealing with Dragons is the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and before Celia of Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia made it part of a giveaway, I had never heard of it before. So needless to say I was super excited to win the giveaway and get a chance to read something she obviously cares so much about.

I'm not sure what I expected or thought I would get from this book, I think I went into it with a pretty open mind actually, but I can honestly say I wasn't expecting the wit and humor that is found throughout the book.  Cimorene is a princess who knows her own mind and rebels against what is normal for princesses to do.  She would rather learn how to fence or magic than sewing and dancing.  She would rather use her brains then bat her lashes to get what she wants.

I had a blast with this book and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series to see how the author expands the world that she created in this book.  It's a world full of kingdoms, dragons, magic, and rigid social structures that are just begging to be broken.  It's a world that I'm looking forward to visiting again in the near future.

6 comments:

Cecelia said...

Yay! You could have hated this book and I would still like you (well, maybe), but I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I know in my head that every book is not for every person, but our favorites often feel like part of our souls...

So yeah. Glad you enjoyed it. The continuation of the series is quite entertaining. And her other books are great too, if you're into fantasy.

Lydia said...

This looks awesome - I'd not heard of this one either so I will definitely check it out!

Staci said...

I've often thought that fantasy writers are very clever and funny! I have this series on the shelves at my Middle school library. Guess I should read them huh?

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

I have the entire Enchanted Forest Chronicles, but have not read them yet. I know if you enjoyed this book, I probably will too. Great review!

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

I am so glad you enjoyed this book. I loved the sound of it and would like to get this one as well. :) I will have to get it sometime here. :)

Simcha said...

I LOVE this book and am so happy to see you review it. I think that Princess Cimorene was actually the first character I did for my FFC posts (which I now realize I've kinda fallen behind on...) She is such a delightful character and the whole series is just so much fun. I hope you try out the rest of them as well.