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mir_mortal's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
While I never leave the house without my Kobo in my purse, I do still love the feel and smell of a real book. Dragon Princess was a paperback that caught my eye for two reasons (the title and the gloriously cheesy cover) but which won me over with is promise of gender-swapping mayhem.
Now, S. Andrew Swann is not quite up there with the likes of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, but his writing strikes a nice balance between humor and storytelling that managed to sustain my enjoyment far beyond the initial gender-swapped glee. In fact, I found this to be a rather clever little book that takes great pleasure in twisting and toppling gender tropes as it goes.
With Dragon Princess we have a thief pretending to be a knight, a wizard with ulterior motives, a dragon with a gambling problem, a princess who would rather be a dragon, an stuffy old knight who actually serves the Dark Lord, an awkward barbarian who is the smartest of the bunch, and some of the greediest elves you are likely to ever set eyes on.
Much of the humor here is in the storytelling, with Frank Blackthorne a self-depreciating narrator with a sarcastic sense of pessimism. It is his narration that keeps the story from exhausting the novelty factor, while the personalities of Frank (in the Princess' body) and Lucille (in the dragon's body) serve to draw the reader in and elevate the story above its bodyswap/genderswap roots. Sadly, there is nary a moment of self-appreciation, much less sexual exploration, but that is hardly surprising for a mainstream paperback.
Swann weaves a surprisingly complex story here, with multiple plots and schemes all coming together in the end, and a wide cast of characters who keep the story moving along. Quirky and fun, Dragon Princess is that rare breed of novel that succeeds as both a work of fantasy and humor. It had me smiling throughout, and even giggling aloud at times.
As reviewed by Sally at Bending the Bookshelf
Now, S. Andrew Swann is not quite up there with the likes of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, but his writing strikes a nice balance between humor and storytelling that managed to sustain my enjoyment far beyond the initial gender-swapped glee. In fact, I found this to be a rather clever little book that takes great pleasure in twisting and toppling gender tropes as it goes.
With Dragon Princess we have a thief pretending to be a knight, a wizard with ulterior motives, a dragon with a gambling problem, a princess who would rather be a dragon, an stuffy old knight who actually serves the Dark Lord, an awkward barbarian who is the smartest of the bunch, and some of the greediest elves you are likely to ever set eyes on.
Much of the humor here is in the storytelling, with Frank Blackthorne a self-depreciating narrator with a sarcastic sense of pessimism. It is his narration that keeps the story from exhausting the novelty factor, while the personalities of Frank (in the Princess' body) and Lucille (in the dragon's body) serve to draw the reader in and elevate the story above its bodyswap/genderswap roots. Sadly, there is nary a moment of self-appreciation, much less sexual exploration, but that is hardly surprising for a mainstream paperback.
Swann weaves a surprisingly complex story here, with multiple plots and schemes all coming together in the end, and a wide cast of characters who keep the story moving along. Quirky and fun, Dragon Princess is that rare breed of novel that succeeds as both a work of fantasy and humor. It had me smiling throughout, and even giggling aloud at times.
As reviewed by Sally at Bending the Bookshelf
cdbert's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A fun book! Writing is easy to follow and characters are fun
jacquibear's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.75
hoperu's review against another edition
3.0
A few too many attempted rapes as plot points for my taste, but otherwise a fun read with an unexpected ending.
troacctid's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Light-hearted fantasy adventure with a fun body-swapping premise.
miketheboy89's review against another edition
4.0
From the first page, Dragon Princess regales readers with hilarious commentary from the anti-hero of Frank Blackthorne, and contrary to many other dragon-related books, confrontation with the dragon in question is not merely limited to the climax. In fact, it makes up most of the novel. An interesting, albeit not an entirely original, concept forces many humorous moments throughout, however subtle moments of darker humor is also evident. One con of this novel is the fact that there are not many moments in between action, and with every victory, there is another obstacle to take its place. So much does this happen that it almost seems like a collection of short stories. However, with an excellent supporting cast, Dragon Princess is a book that I would read again.
daria_nedelcu19's review against another edition
5.0
Enjoyment ★★★★★
Concept ★★★★☆
Writing Style ★★★★★
Characters ★★★★★
Plot ★★★★☆
Pacing ★★★★★
World Building ★★★★☆
Ending ★★★★★
Concept ★★★★☆
Writing Style ★★★★★
Characters ★★★★★
Plot ★★★★☆
Pacing ★★★★★
World Building ★★★★☆
Ending ★★★★★
a_chickletz's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of those quick reads. By the end, I enjoyed it. I'd probably be up to reading the sequel.
The story focuses on a thief who is cornered by a wizard. The wizard has him rescuing a princess from a dragon... only to figure out the dragon and wizard are part of a con that allows the wizard to switch bodies with the thief and the dragon to switch bodies with the princess. However, the thief discovers what is going to happen and interrupts the spell, causing the princess to end up in the body of the dragon, the thief to end up in the body of the princess, the wizard to end up in the body of the thief and the dragon to end up in the body of the wizard.
While I enjoyed the plot... I had problems with two things:
- Why is it that the woman (er, the thief in the body of the woman) of this story gets threatened by rape every. single. time she encounters someone (a male) on the road. It was nauseating.
- There is also a lack of character development or background development. Then again, it's a quick read.
Honestly, if those things could be fixed then I'd rate it higher. However, it just really brought the story down for me.
The story focuses on a thief who is cornered by a wizard. The wizard has him rescuing a princess from a dragon... only to figure out the dragon and wizard are part of a con that allows the wizard to switch bodies with the thief and the dragon to switch bodies with the princess. However, the thief discovers what is going to happen and interrupts the spell, causing the princess to end up in the body of the dragon, the thief to end up in the body of the princess, the wizard to end up in the body of the thief and the dragon to end up in the body of the wizard.
While I enjoyed the plot... I had problems with two things:
- Why is it that the woman (er, the thief in the body of the woman) of this story gets threatened by rape every. single. time she encounters someone (a male) on the road. It was nauseating.
- There is also a lack of character development or background development. Then again, it's a quick read.
Honestly, if those things could be fixed then I'd rate it higher. However, it just really brought the story down for me.