I read this for an online book club. Fantasy is not a genre I usually read but I loved this. A feisty heroine, a female dragon, wicked wizards and a few lacklustre princes. Fantasy, adventure and humour. While reading this I wished I had a dragon and wondered if I knew any young girls I could give a copy of this book to. Intend to read the next 3 books in the series. ( )

Dealing with Dragons is the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. I first read this series as a child and it stuck with me; not the details so much, but the feeling of the story. I'm now so excited to be reading it again with my daughter. :)

This book focuses on a character named Cimorene. She is a princess from a very traditional kingdom who is bored out of her mind with the role she's been born to. As a result, she decides to run away. This is a pretty standard trope of the rebel princess who seeks adventure and personal fulfillment over politics and power. Along the way she befriends a dragon named Kazul who agrees to "capture" her, another princess whose practicality outweighs her primness, and a very down-to-earth witch named Morwen.

The highlight of this story is the charming way in which it's written. Each situation is approached in such an absurd way, yet with such a "straight face" as it were, that you can't help but laugh. My only complaint is that Cimorene's attitude can come off a bit blase at times, making even the most climactic situations seem a bit trivial. Still, if you like dry wit, poking fun at classic fantasy tropes, and lighthearted adventure fit for kids and adults alike, this is a fun, fast read. ( )

This was just good clean fun. Dealing with Dragons is about a girl who doesn't want to be a princess, so she runs away to do absolutely anything else and quickly finds herself working as a cook, maid, and librarian to a female dragon who plays an active role in dragon politics.

This is such a cozy book. I've never wanted to live in a cave until I read this. There's a lot of Cimorene reading and cooking, but there's also a great bit of plot that kicks off when wizards start showing up in places they don't belong. Its just a really good time, and the way Wrede tied up the end of the book was really masterful. Everything that felt like a joyful diversion earlier on in the novel became key in the end. ( )

I had forgotten how much I loved this book, and the characters. I think Dealing with Dragons was the first book I read that really got me hooked onto fantasy. I remember checking it out from the library (and Searching for Dragons) repeatedly, and I remember when Calling for Dragons finally came out and my excitement.

Wrede took fantasy stereotypes and turned them on their heads for the juvenile crowd, and I was utterly hooked. Still am, in fact. ( )

Cute story, but I think the audio version lowered my rating a bit. The full cast performance made the overall recording quality uneven, and some of the voices sounded like they were saying their lines from across a room. I probably would have liked it more if I had read it.
The fairy tale satire thing was fun, and I think when this first came out, it would have felt quite original and fresh. I did love the idea of a princess voluntarily becoming a dragon’s “captive,” and being treated more as a valued employee than prisoner. ( )