By Patricia C. Wrede
Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be:
headstrong, tomboyish, smart—and bored. So bored that she runs away to live
with a dragon—and finds the family and excitement she’s been looking for.
This has been on my list of to-reads for years. I was
engaged almost immediately, but quickly became disinterested and only finished
out of sheer will. I know that a lot of people disagree and think this book is
the best thing since sliced bread, but I found the plot to be boring (though
this could be due to the fact that I’ve read similar books that have been more
entertaining and well-done). This may have been the first book to represent the
anti-princess stereotype and dragon comraderie, but it was not the first I read,
and therefore I was bored. Bored because Cimorene didn’t really have to fight
for anything. Sure, she ran away and offered her services to a dragon, but
everything that happens to her is done in such a way that she is practically
gift-wrapped the ending without having an effective struggle. It was my biggest
turn-off. I was past the point of caring because Cimorene didn’t seem to care
either. I mean, she was concerned, but it was mild in tone and had me
irritated. Anyway, I could go on and on, but this just wasn’t a happy-making
read for me. I’d go to many other dragon/princess books before this one. And I’m
not going to read the rest of the series. The only way that will happen is if
in a few years I forget how bored I was and someone who loves the series talks
me into it.
I give it a 2.75 out of 5 (Though it could be a 3, I’m just
in a bad mood with this book.)
