First sentence: Linderwall was a large kingdom, just east of the Mountains of Morning, where philosophers were highly respected and the number five was fashionable. The climate was unremarkable. The knights kept their armor brightly polished mainly for show--it had been centuries since a dragon had come east. There were the usual periodic problems with royal children and uninvited fairy godmothers, but they were always the sort of thing that could be cleared up by finding the proper prince or princess to marry the unfortunate child a few years later. All in all, Linderwall was a very prosperous and pleasant place.
Cimorene hated it.
Premise/plot: Cimorene is the heroine of Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons. Her parents have definite ideas and opinions on what is and is not proper for a princess. Anything--everything--that Cimorene wants to do is improper. At least it feels that way to her. No fencing. No learning magic. No cooking. To name just three. A bit exasperated the King and Queen decide that it's time for Cimorene to marry--she's just sixteen. Their choice for her is a dashingly handsome prince. But Cimorene will have none of him. But is she willing to do more than talk about rebelling? Is she brave enough to actually run away? If she wasn't, this would be a VERY SHORT book, right?!
So dragons. This book has them! Cimorene's scheme to avoid an unwanted marriage is to offer herself voluntarily to the dragons. Snobby dragons love to have their own princess to hold captive, right?! Right! Cimorene is NOT eaten--again that would be a VERY SHORT book--one dragon has mercy on her: Kazul.
Adventure abounds in this one: it has princesses, princes, wizards, witches, knights, and DRAGONS.
My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved this one. Doesn't it have a wonderful opening paragraph?! By the time I read the sentence "Cimorene hated it" I knew I would love it. Isn't it interesting how some books just have a way of HOOKING you?! Needless to say, I read this one in one sitting. It was enjoyable, satisfying, delightful, funny.
I really loved the characters. Cimorene is a GREAT heroine. And I loved, loved, loved Kazul!
"Speaking of dragons, where's yours?"
"Kazul's not my dragon," Cimorene said sharply.
"I'm her princess. You'll never have any luck dealing with dragons if you don't get these things straight. She's gone to the Enchanted Forest on the other side of the mountains to borrow a crepe pan from a witch she knows."
"She's what?" said the knight.
"She's gone to borrow a crepe pan," Cimorene repeated in a louder voice. "Perhaps you'd better have your helmet checked when you get back. They're not supposed to interfere with your hearing, but sometimes--" (26-7)
© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
1 comment:
I read this when I was thirteen and it was EVERYTHING to me. I loved Cimorene so much. I'm glad you enjoyed this as well!
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