My family are big fans of Jessica Day George. In fact my mother told me the last time they went to one of her signings she recognized them. I asked my mother to thank Jessica for me for teaching me how to short sheet a bed. This was after reading Tuesdays at the Castle. I thoroughly enjoyed Tuesdays and was happy to find the Dragon Slippers series at our library. It was very satisfying, so much so that I finished it in one day. While this isn't not always a hard thing to do it does demonstrate my interest and enjoyment in the story.
Plot: Creel and her brother have recently lost their parents and are living with her aunt and uncle. Sadly, her relatives are not really capable of supporting them. At least Creel's brother can work on the farm. That is when Creel's aunt decide to have her be kidnapped by the local dragon. The dragon hasn't been seen since Creel's grandfather's time, but that doesn't make a difference to her silly aunt. Creel takes it well, figuring that she'll just set off for Kings Seat, the largest town and capitol after the dragon fails to show up. The problems start when the dragon does show up and takes Creel into his cave. She convinces him that she can persuade the lord's son (who was convinced to come rescue her) to leave the dragon alone if he lets her leave. But she would like just a little something from his horde as payment. That is when she learns that all dragons horde things, but they tend to be a little selective in what they horde. Her town's dragon hordes shoes. Figuring everyone can use a good pair of shoes she selects a pair of fine looking blue slippers that fit her feet perfectly. The dragon seems rather upset to lose this particular pair, but as he gave his word lets her leave with them. Thus starts Creel's strange happenings. Set on becoming a seamstress and embroidery expert in Kings Seat the first thing she does is "attempt to assassinate" the dog of her future queen. Things get more interesting as she finds work, meets the crown prince's younger brother, and her feet start to itch. That and she learns a whole lot about dragons. All Creel's ever wanted was her own dress shop, but everything from harsh employers, spies, and even open war keep her dreams from reality. And why does the princess care about her shows so much?
Personal favorites: Creel's attitude and spunk were delightful. Also her relationship with the various dragons she encounters was just charming. I liked the take on the dragon hordes. It was new and refreshing. I also enjoyed the character interactions between Creel and her friends at the shop and Luka, the younger brother to the crown prince. The ending was fantastic with a very satisfying finish and while it could have ended where it did, I'm glad that I'll be able to get the second book (as soon as the person who checked it out is done with it). Side note: I went to the library the day after I finished this just to grab the 2nd one and it was already checked out. Frustrating!
Considerations: Like many young adult books I wasn't sure of Creel's age and how "appropriate" her actions where for that age. Again, I accept that people in that particular time/circumstance tended to mature more and act older than their contemporary equivalents. Beyond that, I really had no problems with it. There is death in the book, but it happens "off screen" and is appropriate for younger readers. My mother told me that they gave all of the books in this series to my 6 year old niece. I might read them to my daughter soon.
All in all, a very, very good read. It reminded me a bit of Dealing with Dragons, by Patricia Wrede, but was very original. I liked the world, the details of the dress shop, and the characters. There were plenty of times I laughed and cheered. Again, a very good read that I heartily recommend. The total length was 238 pages.
Personal favorites: Creel's attitude and spunk were delightful. Also her relationship with the various dragons she encounters was just charming. I liked the take on the dragon hordes. It was new and refreshing. I also enjoyed the character interactions between Creel and her friends at the shop and Luka, the younger brother to the crown prince. The ending was fantastic with a very satisfying finish and while it could have ended where it did, I'm glad that I'll be able to get the second book (as soon as the person who checked it out is done with it). Side note: I went to the library the day after I finished this just to grab the 2nd one and it was already checked out. Frustrating!
Considerations: Like many young adult books I wasn't sure of Creel's age and how "appropriate" her actions where for that age. Again, I accept that people in that particular time/circumstance tended to mature more and act older than their contemporary equivalents. Beyond that, I really had no problems with it. There is death in the book, but it happens "off screen" and is appropriate for younger readers. My mother told me that they gave all of the books in this series to my 6 year old niece. I might read them to my daughter soon.
All in all, a very, very good read. It reminded me a bit of Dealing with Dragons, by Patricia Wrede, but was very original. I liked the world, the details of the dress shop, and the characters. There were plenty of times I laughed and cheered. Again, a very good read that I heartily recommend. The total length was 238 pages.
No comments:
Post a Comment