Searching for Dragons, Patricia C. Wrede
Oh, Enchanted Forest Chronicles. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
1) Badass princess. Cimorene is a joy. She's smart and dry and witty and funny, stubborn, self-contained, clever, on the ball. All the best plans are hers, and she has no patience with fairy-tale tropes for herself, while occasionally tolerating it in others.
2) Badass prince. Or king, I suppose. Much like Cimorene, he has little patience for fairy tale tropes, though some reluctant admiration for those who make it work for themselves (and he picks up on this himself). Also has an intense amount of admiration for Cimorene, as it should be.
3) MORWEN. 'Nuff said.
3a) Actually not enough said. Morwen is so cool, guys, and she's another of Wrede's badass women that fill this book. There's Cimorene, of course, and Morwen the queen of everything and witches and cats, and Kazul, king of the dragons, cranky and contented. Ballimore the giantess provides a way to keep going while calmly managing all around her. Even the princess who pops up early in the story has her stuff together. The women in Wrede's books are never helpless, except by design, and I love that.
4) Telemain! Telemain is a lot of fun. Lots of expospeak gags and jokes about academia in a smart and scholarly character.
5) The side characters! Jack, a wandering tinker/magic item fixer who takes on the teddy-bear patterned magic carpet. Herman, founder of a boarding school for lost heirs. Prince Rupert, member of the Men's Auxilary of the Right Honorable Wicked Stepmothers' Travelling, Drinking, and Debating Society, and his thoroughly obnoxious nephew. Willem the elf! THE SQUIRREL. Wrede just writes such charming characters.
6) The romance! It's so sweet and subtle and small and real. Our heroes fall in love over trading rescues and badassery and general appreciation of each other's smarts and awesome. Plus, marriage is framed as trading up for Cimorene. She is moving away from the smaller challenges of working for Kazul and taking on an incredibly difficult magic kingdom. She's not only gaining this lifelong partnership and love, she's also stepping up into a queenship which is presented as a lot of hard work. Very refreshing after the presentation of marriage in the last book as something diminishing.
Also Morwen's in this book. I love Morwen a lot.
Basically, it's great, go find it and read it. Maybe start with Dealing with Dragons, or maybe not. Go find. Enjoy.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/393213.html. Please comment over there if possible.
1) Badass princess. Cimorene is a joy. She's smart and dry and witty and funny, stubborn, self-contained, clever, on the ball. All the best plans are hers, and she has no patience with fairy-tale tropes for herself, while occasionally tolerating it in others.
2) Badass prince. Or king, I suppose. Much like Cimorene, he has little patience for fairy tale tropes, though some reluctant admiration for those who make it work for themselves (and he picks up on this himself). Also has an intense amount of admiration for Cimorene, as it should be.
3) MORWEN. 'Nuff said.
3a) Actually not enough said. Morwen is so cool, guys, and she's another of Wrede's badass women that fill this book. There's Cimorene, of course, and Morwen the queen of everything and witches and cats, and Kazul, king of the dragons, cranky and contented. Ballimore the giantess provides a way to keep going while calmly managing all around her. Even the princess who pops up early in the story has her stuff together. The women in Wrede's books are never helpless, except by design, and I love that.
4) Telemain! Telemain is a lot of fun. Lots of expospeak gags and jokes about academia in a smart and scholarly character.
5) The side characters! Jack, a wandering tinker/magic item fixer who takes on the teddy-bear patterned magic carpet. Herman, founder of a boarding school for lost heirs. Prince Rupert, member of the Men's Auxilary of the Right Honorable Wicked Stepmothers' Travelling, Drinking, and Debating Society, and his thoroughly obnoxious nephew. Willem the elf! THE SQUIRREL. Wrede just writes such charming characters.
6) The romance! It's so sweet and subtle and small and real. Our heroes fall in love over trading rescues and badassery and general appreciation of each other's smarts and awesome. Plus, marriage is framed as trading up for Cimorene. She is moving away from the smaller challenges of working for Kazul and taking on an incredibly difficult magic kingdom. She's not only gaining this lifelong partnership and love, she's also stepping up into a queenship which is presented as a lot of hard work. Very refreshing after the presentation of marriage in the last book as something diminishing.
Also Morwen's in this book. I love Morwen a lot.
Basically, it's great, go find it and read it. Maybe start with Dealing with Dragons, or maybe not. Go find. Enjoy.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/393213.html. Please comment over there if possible.