Title: Talking To Dragons [The Enchanted Forest Chronicles 4]
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
Genre: Juvenile, Children’s, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: 5 Stars
Description/Synopsis:
Always be polite to dragons!
That’s what Daystar’s mother taught him… and it’s a very wise lesson—one that might just help him after is mom hands him a magic sword and kicks him out of the house. Especially because his house sits on the edge of the Enchanted Forest and his mother is Queen Cimorene.
But the tricky part is figuring out what he’s supposed to do with the magic sword. Where is he supposed to go? And why does everyone he meets seem to know who he is?
It’s going to take a particularly hotheaded fire-witch, a very verbose lizard, and a badly behaved baby dragon to help him figure it all out.
And those good manners certainly won’t hurt!
WARNING – SPOILERS MAY ENSUE BEYOND THIS POINT – REVIEW BELOW
I’m sad to have finally reached the end of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. This series was fantastic, and the last book, Talking To Dragons, went out with a bang. This book was a little different than the previous three in the series. It was told from the point of view of Daystar, Cimorene’s son, and follows an entirely new cast of characters (though the much-loved characters from the first three books still make an appearance). It is entirely stand alone, and easy to get into even if you haven’t read the previous books in the series. I’ll admit it took a little getting used to at the start—not because of the change of cast, but because unlike the previous three books, this book was not told from a third-person point of view, but first-person instead.
The narrative was clean, easy-to-follow, and engaging. It was well-edited with a decided lack of punctuation, spelling, or grammatical mistakes, and just like the previous books in the series, the narrative was filled with misadventures and humor. The book contained a colorful cast: an ill-tempered fire witch, a rural boy who is tragically new to adventuring, a baby dragon that wants all-too-quickly to grow up, and a curious little lizard named Suz. Their journey leads them deep into the heart of the dangerous and often-times confusing Enchanted Forest, through the perilous depths of the Caves of Chance, and straight into an all out war between the dragons and wizards. There’s romance, adventure, daring battles, mystery, and a good dose of humor within these pages that is sure to be enjoyed by children and adults of any age.
I loved this series, and I loved this book. It’s perfect for younger readers as it is littered with familiar fairy tales, quirky characters, and silliness that would make any child grin from ear to ear. I read through this with a 10 year old, and by the end both of us were squealing in joy and laughing out loud and the antics of the characters. At one point we broke into a fit of laughter that lasted so long we had to set the book down for a few minutes just to get it out of our system. If you’re looking to introduce a child into the joys of reading fantasy, be sure to pick up this book. You won’t regret it. If you’re an adult looking for some light-hearted reading, this is easily entertaining to readers of all ages. My only regret is that there wasn’t another book in the series. Alas, all series must end. I cannot recommend this book, and this series enough.
Author Unpublished 