The Ageless Witch (Teenage Blues Series Book 23)
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Unsurprising, given the ta Okay, time for a Nostalgia Review! Unsurprising, given the target audience is like 7 - 11 year-olds, but still. If you're not familiar with the plot, it goes like this: Cimorene doesn't look like the typical princess. Instead of being a delicate flower with blonde hair and blues eyes, she is tall and strong with black eyes and long black hair that she likes to wear in braids.
She doesn't have princess-approved interests, either: When her parents decide to solve the problem by marrying her off to an air-headed prince, she decides to run away and ends up working for a dragon. The first book takes off from here, focusing on Cimorene with the dragons and their fight against some evil wizards. The following books really expand the world and focus a bit more on the nearby Enchanted Forest and its king, Mendanbar, who certainly has one of the greatest names in fantasy literature.
These books are utterly charming. Looking back, I can understand quite easily how reading them and I read each several times in my youth influenced both my sense of humor and my opinions about fantasy. There is definitely an emphasis on practicality and doing things for yourself, which is quite nice.
A funny thing about the first book is that Cimorene runs away to escape from oppressive female stereotypes, but she ends up spending all her time cooking and cleaning for a dragon. At first glance that may seem a bit backward, but does organizing the library count as anti-feminist when it includes translating Latin and dealing with murderous genies? I don't think so, and certainly the whole point is that Cimorene is capable of taking care of herself and thinking outside the paradigm of "what's proper," which for princesses does not include getting dirty or cooking.
On that level, I think these books are especially great for young girls to read because Cimorene is a wonderful role model. She's smart, determined, practical, and a bit of a badass. The second book is my favorite, and it introduces us to Mendanbar, who as I mentioned previous is fairly awesome. He's Cimorene's badass male counterpart, basically.
The Falcon Throne (The Tarnished Crown, #1) by Karen Miller
In this book, the rules of magic are fleshed out much more, and Mendanbar in particular gets a very interesting way of doing things. Telemain, a magician, speaks almost entirely in magical technobabble, which I found moderately humorous. Most of what he says makes at least some sense if you read it, but I kind of doubt I did anything other than skim it when I was younger. Anyway, I appreciated the way magical things more or less made sense from kind of a psudeo-scientific standpoint.
As might be expected, the plots are not too complex. Chekov's Gun is in full force for most plot points, which is fine. The way the heroes stumble upon a critical plot device is lampshaded beautifully in the last book. The villains in particular are rather weak, being little other than cackling stereotype evil wizards who aren't given motivations for their actions other than "we're greedy and evil!
I wouldn't exactly call our heroes round characters either, because they're honestly not. They are, however, interesting ideas and they certainly grab your attention. In my opinion, that's one of the strengths of this series. It's the kind of story that grabs your imagination it certainly did mine when I was little and makes you feel like you know a lot more about the characters than is actually written down in the book. The concepts are so fun you wish there was more, that you could really get to know the characters better.
The other strength, of course, is that it's quite funny in a gently whimsical manner. The self-awareness of the characters of what happens in a fairy tale is pretty much the whole point. I definitely thought the first two books were the strongest, and the third the weakess, but I highly recommend this series, especially for young girls. Jun 22, Tara Montgomery rated it it was amazing. I loved these books in grade school and I love them still.
The author does a great job of making fun of what is considered a typical fairytale. Dealing with Dragons Princess Cimorene of the kingdom of Linderwall decides that being a princess is too boring and confining, leaves home to work for the dragon Kazul, I loved these books in grade school and I love them still. Dealing with Dragons Princess Cimorene of the kingdom of Linderwall decides that being a princess is too boring and confining, leaves home to work for the dragon Kazul, and discovers and subsequently dissolves a plot by the wizards to take control of the King of the Dragons.
With their new friends, they collaborate to rescue Kazul—now the King of the Dragons—from the wizards who have captured her. Calling on Dragons Morwen discovers that the wizards have stolen Mendanbar's sword, which keeps them from stealing the Enchanted Forest's magic, and works with Cimorene to retrieve it. Talking to Dragons Daystar, Cimorene and Mendanbar's son, is sent off into the forest with his father's sword and no knowledge of his heritage.
Written and published first, and then revised later to better fit with the prequel books. Sep 10, Julia rated it it was amazing Shelves: I rediscovered the first volume, Dealing with Dragons, which I really enjoyed when I was a kid, and after a short online search, found out it was part of a series and ordered the whole box off amazon. After having read through the latter three books in one week now, I am ready to give my verdict.
At 23, I am probably a little too old for this, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the books and plan on reading them to my future children. The wacky and whimsical wit paired with the believable characters, I rediscovered the first volume, Dealing with Dragons, which I really enjoyed when I was a kid, and after a short online search, found out it was part of a series and ordered the whole box off amazon. The wacky and whimsical wit paired with the believable characters, especially the strong female protagonists, added to the addicting quality of the series.
The first two volumes, narrated from Cimorene and Mendanbar's points of view respectively, are my favourites, with the third one close behind. I would have liked the third volume better if I hadn't been so annoyed with Killer. The fourth book was a little disappointing. I don't usually like first-person narrators, and the prose felt a little flat same as the characters. Daystar lacked personality, and I couldn't really see what was so great about Shiara. Also, I missed Cimorene and the other characters who actually DO something, plus the above-mentioned wit.
Jul 31, Kaethe rated it it was amazing Shelves: I added this box to my list, to have a mark of the whole set. But I was thinking, just recently, that it is time to reread the whole thing. I think the girls have all of them on their shelves, but I'd better check. Jun 01, Julia rated it really liked it. Jan 10, Sara rated it really liked it. This series is great. I've read it a few times even as an adult.
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- The Enchanted Forest Chronicles.
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Mar 23, Sarah Kelsey rated it it was ok Shelves: These are fun to read. I really like the central character in the first book. She's the princess who doesn't want to get married. This is a nice modern fairy tale series.
The Falcon Throne
Oct 02, Jamie Rose rated it really liked it. I read these books in junior high and I remember really loving them. I think they really opened me up to my love for fantasy novels. Talking to Dragons was written first, Dealing with Dragons was written as a prequel, and the other two books were written in sequence to fill in the gap between the two. I'm treating them as a unit, since I purchased them as an ebook omnibus and basically read them as one. The Chronicles take place in a fairy tale world that gently ribs at and riffs on fairy and folk tale tropes.
Magic is everywhere and frequently dangerous, and people react to its presence in their lives accordingly.
For example, princess lessons consist in part of learning the appropriate places to scream when carried off by a dragon. A very desirable fate, as the subsequent stream of knights and princes seeking to rescue said princess practically guarantees a good marriage. Dealing with Dragons covers the adventures of Princess Cimorene, who is not a very proper princess, and chooses to become the dragon Kazul's princess in order to escape an unwanted marriage.
Searching for Dragons covers the trials of Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, as he encounters Cimorene and they set off together in search of a missing Kazul. Along the way, they fall in love. Calling on Dragons covers the tribulations of Morwen, a sensible witch who is a recurring character and friend of the main cast. Morwen is part of a party who heads out on an expedition to recover an extremely important artifact stolen from the Enchanted Forest by the series' recurring villains, the Society of Wizards.
Talking to Dragons covers the coming-of-age of Daystar, Cimorene and Mendanbar's teenage son, as he's unceremoniously sent out into the Enchanted Forest with a magic sword to Seek His Destiny. I'm afraid that it is impossible for me to be objective about these books.
Then there is the daughter, who wants to marry the crippled bastard, but daddy wants to cement his power by marrying her to the duke. The ending really does leave so much unanswered. Why doesn't anyone wear anything else?! Open Preview See a Problem? There's a problem loading this menu right now. When she tries to learn to fence, she's told it's unladylike, so she has to stop.
My memories of them are tied very tightly to the tender nostalgia of childhood, an emotion I'm generally leery of but succumbed to in this instance. With nostalgia, there is always the lurking fear that the thing Won't Hold Up in the cold eye of adulthood. That proved both true and false in my case. The Chronicles remain, as I remember them, a gently humorous set of adventures about some very fun and interesting characters.
There is adventure, swordfights, romance! I enjoy the metafictional tack the characters take to their narratively driven world, the matter-of-fact way they deal with tropes like youngest sons and christening curses. I have a fairly good memory for book plots but I was still driven to, well, devour all four all night despite knowing it was an extremely bad idea.
So in that sense, they held up very well. The read was quick and entertaining. On the other hand, in the cold eye of adulthood, there are definitely places where the seams show. Talking to Dragons , unsurprisingly as it was written first, feels like the weakest section of the quartet. Which is a pity, since it's also the climax and ending. Cimorene remains excellent, but now there is a strong whiff of "I'm not like those other girls" to how she's portrayed in contrast to the other princesses.
There's a vague sop of sympathy towards princesses other than Cimorene at some point but it leaves a rather sour taste in my mouth. The various romances also don't hold up very well. Cimorene and Mendanbar are great, but Daystar and Shiara are a struggle for me to see they certainly don't seem lovey-dovey enough for Cimorene to peg Shiara as future Queen of the Enchanted Forest within minutes!
I like Morwen and Telemain in theory but there's not enough there for their surprise engagement to be anything other than completely out of left field. Some of the humor doesn't land as it used to Killer, I'm looking at you. Some of these seams are undoubtedly due to age Talking to Dragons was first published in , and the quartet concluded in I'm older, I have different sensibilities and sensitivities. The general conversation about female characters has advanced in the twenty-odd years since the Chronicles were concluded.
Some of the surprises, like how quickly the books whipped by, are undoubtedly due to the fact that I'm just older and a more capable reader than I used to be. I will close my review with this.
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In the end, I don't regret giving into nostalgia and purchasing the Chronicles in eBook form. Wrede's website FAQ states that she hopes to one day write a fifth book in the series, and if she ever does, I think I will gladly pick it up to complete my set. These books are quick and fun, and I recommend them to anyone else who enjoys both the ritualistic nature of fairy and folk tales and that thing being gently ribbed.
Feb 06, M. Burr rated it it was amazing. Exactly what I was looking for in a book right now. These four books were simple, yet joyful. I can't believe I didn't discover these when I was younger, I know my teenage self would have read them over and over. Wrede somehow manages to walk the line of the classic fairy tale, and turn it into something new, even while following all the comfortable old rules and story lines.
The Ageless Witch: Teenage Blues Series [Philip Begho] on www.farmersmarketmusic.com * FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Fred could choose to follow the path of his. $ Kindle Edition. The Ageless Witch (Teenage Blues Series Book 23). $ Kindle Edition. Ant Boy Rescues Ajayi Crowther (Ant Boy Series Book 2).
The portrayal of the quirks and egos of cats is perhaps one of my favorites I have ever read, and as a worshiper of the f Exactly what I was looking for in a book right now. The portrayal of the quirks and egos of cats is perhaps one of my favorites I have ever read, and as a worshiper of the feline species, that is saying something. I always love a book with a strong feline presence, and each of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles filled that need for me. Life had been seeming a little too complex, a little too messy, and this was the perfect escape Sep 11, B.
Bunner rated it really liked it Shelves: I just love this series. Patricia has such an imaginative way of giving shape to magic. Fire magic, Enchanted Forest magic, dragon magic, and wizard magic--each with their own presence. I also love how each book in the four-part series is written from the perspective of a different person. I have series that I'm working on where I might actually try the same approach Patricia's other books on magic Mairelon the Magician and The Magician's Ward, respectively have an even different shape to it I just love this series.
Patricia's other books on magic Mairelon the Magician and The Magician's Ward, respectively have an even different shape to its magic. The dialogue works wonderfully, and you even get a few subtle surprises when you read the entire series in one go. Great for kids of any age; no language, scary scenes, or occultist references. And that's saying something for an engaging fantasy series! Oct 31, Amy rated it it was amazing Shelves: Who doesn't like sassy dragons and witty princess heroine? Wrede published in the early s , but don't let that stop you from picking them up in your local bookstore.
Wrede's tale focuses on a princess named Cimorene who bargains her way into the "clutches" of a dragon named Kazul--mayhem ensues as the smart and witty Cimorene deals with princes who come to "save" her from her exciting new life with Kazul and the dragon Who doesn't like sassy dragons and witty princess heroine?
Wrede's tale focuses on a princess named Cimorene who bargains her way into the "clutches" of a dragon named Kazul--mayhem ensues as the smart and witty Cimorene deals with princes who come to "save" her from her exciting new life with Kazul and the dragons. Feminist, funny, and entertaining for all ages, I find myself returning to this series again and again for its lighthearted fun and dragon shenanigans.
Dec 31, Susan rated it it was amazing. This is an omnibus containing all 4 of the dragon stories: Dealing With Dragons Cimorene runs away because she is bored with with the sort of things a princess is expected to learn, and her parents stop her from learning the interesting things like magic and fencing and cooking. Also she doesn't want to marry the boring prince selected for her. She finds herself in a group of dragons and is adopted by Kazul, becoming the dragon's princess voluntarily. She and Kazul get along very well, but the v This is an omnibus containing all 4 of the dragon stories: She and Kazul get along very well, but the various knights and princes who come to rescue her cannot understand why she drives them away.
She makes friends with another dragon's captured princess. This first book deals with her living with Kazul and fighting the machinations of the wizard Zemenar and his inept son Antorell. When the King of the dragons is killed, the wizards join forces with an overly-ambitious dragon to cheat in the dragon trials that determine the new king; and Cimorene and her friends must try to stop them. When Kazul disappears, Cimorene goes in search of her, with Mendenbar's and Morwen's help. They meet Telemain the magician, a friend of Morwen's, and he goes along too. They find Kazul imprisoned in a magic bubble by the wizards.
In the end, Willin the elf, Mendenbar's factotum at the castle, finally gets to organize a major occasion, as he has longed to do. Calling on Dragons Morwen has been having problems with Arona Vamist, an obnoxious person who thinks all magic including witches should always be "traditional" and who disapproves of all of Morwen's cats because none of them are traditionally black. The various cats play a large role in this book. When they find a six-foot rabbit named Killer in her back yard, her troubles increase. The rabbit is always hungry, which is how he got enchanted in the first place.
Then Morwen discovers signs that there is a wizard loose in the Enchanted Forest, so she and Telemain go to visit the King and Queen and discover that the King's magic sword, which protects the forest's magic, has been stolen. Cimorene goes with them to retrieve it, much to Mendenbar's dismay. Eventually, the wizards manage to take over the castle and imprison Mendenbar, and it is up to Cimorene to keep the sword safe. The various transformations that Killer goes through from always eating the wrong thing add a lot of humor to the story!
Talking to Dragons Cimorene gives her teenage son Daystar a sword and sends him into the Enchanted Forest, with little instruction other than what she has given him while raising him. He is to discover the reason for all this by himself. Please try your request again later. He has tried his hand at many jobs, including working as a journalist, a lawyer, a banker, and a university lecturer. He has also engaged in film and theatrical production. But he now does what he likes best and currently works only as a writer and occasional editor.
When he is not writing, he engages in Christian counselling and career coaching. He also finds time to run informal play-and-learn groups for children. He enjoys walking, swimming and playing lawn tennis. Being able to break out from working as a lawyer to working as a writer has been a dream come true. The price has been steep, but the fulfilment of any dream sweetens the pain of its price. Are you an author? Help us improve our Author Pages by updating your bibliography and submitting a new or current image and biography. Learn more at Author Central.
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