celandines 's review for:

The Search for the Red Dragon by James A. Owen

4.0

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I was really rather pleased with the first book in the series, and even more so with the second. The author, having found his stride at the end of the first story, has managed to write a tighter novel while retaining the same clever twists and references that I found a delight in the original. Several weak characters from the first story were rounded out quite a bit in the second, and the newly introduced characters seemed more motivated (although Laura Glue reminded me so much of Suzy Blue from the _Mister Monday_ series that I'm fairly certain the author must have read it recently). I also felt that the focus on childhood/growing up was a much more perceptive theme for the YA audience, and will resonate more with younger readers than the first book.

I would strongly recommend this as a delightful romp of a story for fans of the fantasy genre looking for something outside of the typical copycat novels that seem to be everywhere lately. Even better, young fans of this book will be seeking out old classics referenced here, and rediscovering the origins of fantasy and myth.