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A review by mariahistryingtoread
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
4.0
This was fun. Like a lot of people my familiarity with How to Train Your Dragon extends only to the movies. I knew that the books didn't have much in common with the movies outside of the concept so I figured I'd see for myself what the actual differences were.
HTTYD the book is a quirky tale of Hiccup; the Viking heir to the throne that doesn't have a prayer. It's got a lot of humor and wit and I found myself delighted by how charming it was. I didn't have to push through for the sake of comparing it to its successor. It stands as its own original story.
The boys of Berk have reached the age at which it's time to take the test to officially join their villages as serious Viking warriors.This test involves catching a dragon, training it to do a series of tasks, and demonstrating the strength of your training at an annual Viking festival in several months' time.
The book chronicles Hiccup's attempts at training his unruly dragon Toothless by using his own methods rather than the usual Viking technique of just yelling at them.
It's a very brisk read. Only a few hours as an audiobook. It's fairly straightforward though there were a few turns that kept me invested. It's somewhat predictable in one way yet unexpected in another. I think its strength lies in Cressida Cowell's concept as well her writing style. It's so distinctly her and establishes the whimsical tone of the book very well.
I've been moving away from books that are written in this specific kind of fanciful way because it feels so forced and often sacrifices good storytelling in favor of a poorly executed stylistic choice. Alice in Wonderland is an example of this type of writing I'm talking about, but done well.
The dragon lore was cool. Cowell put a lot of thought into the world building. It easy to see why Hiccup didn't fit in but she also balanced that with how Hiccup is actually a Hero (a very coveted position in Viking society) in his own right, he just hasn't realized it yet.
Toothless was super annoying yet I still somehow loved him?? The fact that Hiccup (or anyone technically speaking) could communicate with dragons was a fun surprise to me. Hiccup trying to figure out how to appeal to the little brats' better nature was a highlight.
There's also a whole framing device where in book the series apparently is by Hiccup. You're reading his memoirs. That does take away some of the tension, however, I still was into the story enough that I wasn't too bothered by it. At least for now it's not a big deal. But I do plan on reading the whole series so I reserve the right to change my mind.
One thing I didn't like was the lack of women. This is clearly intended to be for boys so girls don't need to have huge roles. Not every book has to appeal to every demographic. It's just the absence of literally any women even in passing made it super noticeable. I think Hiccup's mom is mentioned one time and that's literally the only time a woman is referred to at all. That was just way too extreme for me ignore. I hope that changes in future installments.
I can see why they decided to try and make a movie of it (even if the end product was so radically changed). I'd highly recommend it.
HTTYD the book is a quirky tale of Hiccup; the Viking heir to the throne that doesn't have a prayer. It's got a lot of humor and wit and I found myself delighted by how charming it was. I didn't have to push through for the sake of comparing it to its successor. It stands as its own original story.
The boys of Berk have reached the age at which it's time to take the test to officially join their villages as serious Viking warriors.This test involves catching a dragon, training it to do a series of tasks, and demonstrating the strength of your training at an annual Viking festival in several months' time.
The book chronicles Hiccup's attempts at training his unruly dragon Toothless by using his own methods rather than the usual Viking technique of just yelling at them.
It's a very brisk read. Only a few hours as an audiobook. It's fairly straightforward though there were a few turns that kept me invested. It's somewhat predictable in one way yet unexpected in another. I think its strength lies in Cressida Cowell's concept as well her writing style. It's so distinctly her and establishes the whimsical tone of the book very well.
I've been moving away from books that are written in this specific kind of fanciful way because it feels so forced and often sacrifices good storytelling in favor of a poorly executed stylistic choice. Alice in Wonderland is an example of this type of writing I'm talking about, but done well.
The dragon lore was cool. Cowell put a lot of thought into the world building. It easy to see why Hiccup didn't fit in but she also balanced that with how Hiccup is actually a Hero (a very coveted position in Viking society) in his own right, he just hasn't realized it yet.
Toothless was super annoying yet I still somehow loved him?? The fact that Hiccup (or anyone technically speaking) could communicate with dragons was a fun surprise to me. Hiccup trying to figure out how to appeal to the little brats' better nature was a highlight.
There's also a whole framing device where in book the series apparently is by Hiccup. You're reading his memoirs. That does take away some of the tension, however, I still was into the story enough that I wasn't too bothered by it. At least for now it's not a big deal. But I do plan on reading the whole series so I reserve the right to change my mind.
One thing I didn't like was the lack of women. This is clearly intended to be for boys so girls don't need to have huge roles. Not every book has to appeal to every demographic. It's just the absence of literally any women even in passing made it super noticeable. I think Hiccup's mom is mentioned one time and that's literally the only time a woman is referred to at all. That was just way too extreme for me ignore. I hope that changes in future installments.
I can see why they decided to try and make a movie of it (even if the end product was so radically changed). I'd highly recommend it.