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literatehedgehog's review against another edition
2.0
What a snoozly entry into this beloved series! I read this haphazardly on lunch breaks when I didn't have other books to read - mostly because I was unmotivated to keep picking this up.
I wished I could appreciate the return of familiar characters with new perspectives, but I was just too irritated with Telemain's manner of speaking (does he have any other attributes?) and Killer's constant whinging and the exposition-ish convenience of only Morwen understanding the cats and the to and froing with not a lot happening... Anyway. Book 1 was the best, book 2 was pretty good, this is terrifically disappointing.
I wished I could appreciate the return of familiar characters with new perspectives, but I was just too irritated with Telemain's manner of speaking (does he have any other attributes?) and Killer's constant whinging and the exposition-ish convenience of only Morwen understanding the cats and the to and froing with not a lot happening... Anyway. Book 1 was the best, book 2 was pretty good, this is terrifically disappointing.
hannahfyed's review against another edition
2.0
By now I am stubbornly rage-listening to all the books to finish the series. The repetitiveness of Telemain's technical magic explanations with Morwen's translations became very tiring. There continues to not be much satisfying information about what exactly the wizards are up to, and all the build-up to Arona Michelear Grinogian Vamist's appearance didn't amount to anything substantial. We've known Zemenar from book #1, but we don't get to witness his death, only hear it secondhand. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I can't believe the solution is to actually wait 16 years for Cimorene and Mendenbar's son to grow up and save Mendenbar. However, the worst part of Calling on Dragons was the rabbit-turned-flying blue donkey Killer. He is like Jar Jar Binks: stupid, foolhardy, and annoying. The couple of things I did enjoy were Morwen's narration and her cats.
abigailrosalynn's review against another edition
5.0
I. LOVE. THESE. BOOKS. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a quick, easy, and fun fantasy story that'll stay with you. I've read this series more times than I can count and I enjoy it every time and rediscover things about the characters. I recommend this for kids, and everyone older, because it had such a great influence on me and has such great messages. Love!
Also: this book is from Morwen's P.O.V. and it made me realize just how much I love her.
Also: this book is from Morwen's P.O.V. and it made me realize just how much I love her.
djinnia's review against another edition
4.0
The misadventures of Cimorene continue in this book along with the rabbit/donkey and the whole crew of characters.
The wizards are at it again, and this time they mean business. The sword of the Enchanted Forest has been stolen.
The motley bunch go after it.
They meet a new friend, but all does not end well.
It was a great book with the donkey as a irritant and comic relief.
The wizards are at it again, and this time they mean business. The sword of the Enchanted Forest has been stolen.
The motley bunch go after it.
They meet a new friend, but all does not end well.
It was a great book with the donkey as a irritant and comic relief.
momogajo's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mollywollydoodleallday's review against another edition
4.0
Another charming addition to this series. I loved Morwen as a narrator! As usual, Wrede’s work does not disappoint. Recommended for young readers!
mickey_june's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately, most of this book is just irritating.
I know that part of this is that the charm of the writing wears off with each addition of the series. But I think that the author made some mistakes in this book. The biggest one (yes, I made a pun) is the inclusion of Killer the rabbit. I understand that he is important for the premise of the book, but he detracted from the rest of the story. I think that he is meant to be comedic, but he was just annoying the entire novel. His comments were repetitive and added nothing to plot or dialogue. And since Morwen's cats were making snarky comments through the whole story, more comedy wasn't even needed. Honestly, his portion of the dialogue just seemed like filler to add length the story. Not even the other characters could stand him.
The rest of a novel was okay, but merely okay. I didn't enjoy the story being told from Morwen's point of view as much I had expected, and part of that is because most of her life is listening to the whining of cats, dragons, donkeys, and rabbits. I did appreciate her no nonsense attitude with both Cimorene and Kazul.
One final note is that I think that this book broke from the formula from the other books. Unlike the previous two books, this book requires a sequel whereas the previous two books were solid stand alones (you could honestly read book two without book one because of the intracharacter recaps). But this book doesn't have a tidy ending like the others. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but I felt that it broke the flow of the series. Also, from a formulaic perspective, the story shouldn't have been told from Morwen's point of view. Each of the other three books is told from the point of view of a character *new* to the series. Since we have already gotten to know her in the previous two books, we lose the exploration of a character like we get in the other stories.
I know that part of this is that the charm of the writing wears off with each addition of the series. But I think that the author made some mistakes in this book. The biggest one (yes, I made a pun) is the inclusion of Killer the rabbit. I understand that he is important for the premise of the book, but he detracted from the rest of the story. I think that he is meant to be comedic, but he was just annoying the entire novel. His comments were repetitive and added nothing to plot or dialogue. And since Morwen's cats were making snarky comments through the whole story, more comedy wasn't even needed. Honestly, his portion of the dialogue just seemed like filler to add length the story. Not even the other characters could stand him.
The rest of a novel was okay, but merely okay. I didn't enjoy the story being told from Morwen's point of view as much I had expected, and part of that is because most of her life is listening to the whining of cats, dragons, donkeys, and rabbits. I did appreciate her no nonsense attitude with both Cimorene and Kazul.
One final note is that I think that this book broke from the formula from the other books. Unlike the previous two books, this book requires a sequel whereas the previous two books were solid stand alones (you could honestly read book two without book one because of the intracharacter recaps). But this book doesn't have a tidy ending like the others. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but I felt that it broke the flow of the series. Also, from a formulaic perspective, the story shouldn't have been told from Morwen's point of view. Each of the other three books is told from the point of view of a character *new* to the series. Since we have already gotten to know her in the previous two books, we lose the exploration of a character like we get in the other stories.
spockpandasaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0