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efjens's review against another edition
4.0
4-4.5 I really enjoyed the story and the characters. It had great tension and payoff for the series as a whole. I just didn't always jive with the prose style. (Maybe it was the 1st person pov, or maybe since this is actually the first one she wrote for the series, the prose got better over time?). Overall though it was a fun, satisfying finale!
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't enjoy this as much has the previous books, Daystar just seems like the typical wondering prince that Cimorene has scorned in the previous books. He's sent off on a mysterious quest and he just toddles along happily not having any idea what's going on, he doesn't really seem that interested in what's going on and has no particular desire to find out and make a decision about what he wants for himself. He doesn't have any of the characteristics that made me like the previous characters so much.
(I was also annoyed at Cimorene for waiting so long, surely send him off the second he's old enough rather than wait for the wizards to find her, does she even want her husband back?)
The recaps that the characters gave of the previous books didn't match what happened, I'm not sure if that's deliberate or not but it really didn't match up with what happened (e.g. I think Cimorene has been married for 14 months at the beginning of Calling on Dragons when the sword is stolen but one of the characters says she wasn't married when the sword was stolen. It's confusing and I can't see any reason for the characters who were actually there not to know what happened.)
(I was also annoyed at Cimorene for waiting so long, surely send him off the second he's old enough rather than wait for the wizards to find her, does she even want her husband back?)
The recaps that the characters gave of the previous books didn't match what happened, I'm not sure if that's deliberate or not but it really didn't match up with what happened (e.g. I think Cimorene has been married for 14 months at the beginning of Calling on Dragons when the sword is stolen but one of the characters says she wasn't married when the sword was stolen. It's confusing and I can't see any reason for the characters who were actually there not to know what happened.)
kaatiba's review against another edition
5.0
EDIT: Apparently Wrede wrote this before the other books, but then why the recap at the end that's different to the plot points of the other books?
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So while I loved it, there seems to be some discrepancy in plot? As though the author wrote this years after the last book, didn't reread her other books, and so the plot recap of the other books was...off?
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So while I loved it, there seems to be some discrepancy in plot? As though the author wrote this years after the last book, didn't reread her other books, and so the plot recap of the other books was...off?
annetjeberg's review against another edition
4.0
Great finale of the series!
Loved it much better than book 3, though I could never get used to the name Daystar. Somehow I though it was more of an animal name (like those cats in the Warriors never-ending series.
It made me smile. Brought everyone back together, but still cannot get over the young age of everyone. Being 16 and already know who you are going to marry? Not my idea of a dream life!
Loved it much better than book 3, though I could never get used to the name Daystar. Somehow I though it was more of an animal name (like those cats in the Warriors never-ending series.
It made me smile. Brought everyone back together, but still cannot get over the young age of everyone. Being 16 and already know who you are going to marry? Not my idea of a dream life!
wwrlad's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't realize till reading a few other comments that this was written first, but after reflecting, it makes more sense to me. Usually I'm a fan of reading in published order (if its debatable) but I think in this case, Talking to Dragons should be read first. I'm not sure if the rest of the books should be read in reverse order or then start at the beginning of the series.
jameyanne's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This was my least favorite of the books. It was still a fun cast of characters and great adventures, but I think it suffered from the fact the readers knew what was going on even though Daystar didn't, but there was no clear reason until the end why they couldn't just explain it all to him before he went off adventuring. I also in general could have used more feelings in that ending.
emstenator's review against another edition
4.0
I was sad this was the last in the series! It was such a fun book.
booksnorkel's review against another edition
4.0
Not my favorite in the series, but after learning that it was written first I'll let it slide. I always forget that I want to try to read this book first when I'm doing one of my re reads of this series but oh well, I'll just have to try again later... haha. Not as many fairy tale nods in this one this is still a fun story and does tie everything up neatly for those who have read the others.
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This one isn't really my favorite in the series, perhaps it is because of how this one is written. This one has the first person perspective and all the others are third. Honestly this is my only complaint. Though it wasn't until like two days ago that I discovered that this book was written first, and all the others are only prequels.
THAT IS MIND BLOWING
Just totally and utterly mind blowing. Especially since in one of the chapters is them recapping all the other books it's crazy how well they all come together. Great read for those 11 and up.
--------------------#2 --------------------------------------
Basically every time I read this I find something that I missed, or totally forgot about. I love that about books, and I think that there is always something new to find even in a a beloved book. For many this one is harder to get through because the characters that we know and love are only on the sidelines, and the usual poke and references to the older Grimm tales are almost none existent. I chalk that up to the fact that this book was the first written and that there wasn't really a total idea yet.
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This one isn't really my favorite in the series, perhaps it is because of how this one is written. This one has the first person perspective and all the others are third. Honestly this is my only complaint. Though it wasn't until like two days ago that I discovered that this book was written first, and all the others are only prequels.
THAT IS MIND BLOWING
Just totally and utterly mind blowing. Especially since in one of the chapters is them recapping all the other books it's crazy how well they all come together. Great read for those 11 and up.
--------------------#2 --------------------------------------
Basically every time I read this I find something that I missed, or totally forgot about. I love that about books, and I think that there is always something new to find even in a a beloved book. For many this one is harder to get through because the characters that we know and love are only on the sidelines, and the usual poke and references to the older Grimm tales are almost none existent. I chalk that up to the fact that this book was the first written and that there wasn't really a total idea yet.
hailey_miller's review against another edition
5.0
This book was fun for me because my mom read it to me when I was little, so this series is always nice for me, like a warm, cozy blanket.
I love that it is clean, whimsical, magical, and fun. It’s funny to me how they keep bringing up manners; it’s a nice quirk. I love that it connects very well to the other books in the series. I can read through it and be like “Hey! It’s Morwen!”
It has a bit of a slower pace than a fair amount of novels these days, and I honestly liked that. I got to stay in the magical land for longer. It had a nice pace, I think, and it fit the story.
I really liked this book. Recommended for fans of “Tuesdays in the Castle,” by Jessica Day George, “The Unmapped Chronicles,” by Abi Elphinstone, and “The Hobbit,” by J. R. R. Tolkien.
I love that it is clean, whimsical, magical, and fun. It’s funny to me how they keep bringing up manners; it’s a nice quirk. I love that it connects very well to the other books in the series. I can read through it and be like “Hey! It’s Morwen!”
It has a bit of a slower pace than a fair amount of novels these days, and I honestly liked that. I got to stay in the magical land for longer. It had a nice pace, I think, and it fit the story.
I really liked this book. Recommended for fans of “Tuesdays in the Castle,” by Jessica Day George, “The Unmapped Chronicles,” by Abi Elphinstone, and “The Hobbit,” by J. R. R. Tolkien.
mrsdragon's review against another edition
4.0
2023: I learned midway through rereading the series that this book was originally written first, and published in the 80s. It was then re-released as part of the series. This makes sense because the writing in this book is considerably less polished than in book #3. The story is there, and fine, but the dialog is a bit clunky and there is a lot of "he said". It's also wild to me that the plot of books 1-3 is basically just info dumped at the end of this book as an explainer and yet it took so long for there to be a series relaying those stories. Books 1 and 3 are my favorites. 1 because Cimorine is so classic. 3 because Morwen is my favorite, and because it's the best written of the series.
Anyway, it's worth reading to finish the series out (and, as a kid, I didn't notice the shift at all) and see what happens to various characters.
2012 Review: Daystar has grown up to be severely polite and obedient. And yet he's still a sweet kid and the story is endearing. The tone is a bit saccharine for what, in a high fantasy novel would be "TEH DRAMA", but it's a quick, fun read.
Anyway, it's worth reading to finish the series out (and, as a kid, I didn't notice the shift at all) and see what happens to various characters.
2012 Review: Daystar has grown up to be severely polite and obedient. And yet he's still a sweet kid and the story is endearing. The tone is a bit saccharine for what, in a high fantasy novel would be "TEH DRAMA", but it's a quick, fun read.