Searching for Dragons

I read the first book in the series when I was in 3rd grade [b:Dealing with Dragons 1060958 Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1) Patricia C. Wrede https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456639732s/1060958.jpg 1178402], and that is the book that started my love of reading.This was well before the days of Amazon and my library didn't have any of the other books in the series, so I was an adult before I was able to get my hand on them. I wish I could have read this as a little girl, but even as an adult I still enjoy this book. It has all the adventure and silliness that a 9/10 year old would love. As an adult, I probably wouldn't give it 5 stars, but a 35 year old woman is not the target audience. You have to read it with your child glasses on. Little Sarah would have adored this book and given it 5 stars. I enjoyed the adventure to rescue the King of Dragons, the new characters that are introduced, and the relationship between Cimorene the King of the Enchanted Forest. We all know that a prince would be much to boring for the heroine.

My latest re-read of [b:Dealing with Dragons 150739 Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1) Patricia C. Wrede https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385526967l/150739.SY75.jpg 1178402] inspired me to read more in the series, which I never did as a kid. (I think maybe I didn't realize there were sequels?? IDK)Anyway I really liked the extended bits of fairy tale-adjacent lore and humor!

Maybe I wasn't in the mood for this audiobook, but I was disappointed when I finished it. Overall, it's a fun story, but I thought the first was better.

This sequel is told from Mendenbar's POV, the King of the Enchanted Forest. It had an interesting beginning, but it became boring halfway through. The first book had the same issue, but the main difference is that the ending arc of the first book was more exciting than this one.

In this book, Kazul is missing, and she is a favorite character of mine. She only appears at the end briefly, and worst of all, her original voice actress from the first book was replaced by a smoother, silkier voice that I didn't enjoy. Kazul's narrator was better in the last book.

Anyways, although there are many characters, I think that Mendenbar and Cimorene would have been better off having a companion much earlier in the story. I enjoy their personalities, but having a third companion would have spiced things up a bit. Cimorene had her friend in the last book. I wish she would have returned for this adventure too, or perhaps a tiny, spunky dragon for comic relief. It was a missed opportunity.

I did enjoy the wedding at the end, but I'm surprised that Cimorene accepted the proposal for marriage. I thought she would insist on a courtship first, but I guess life with the dragons wasn't exciting anymore.

Overall, unfortunately, the story seemed to drag. There were many colorful characters, but none left a lasting impression and were forgettable. Such a shame because I do like the King of the Enchanted Forest.