Book Review: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Title: Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles 1)
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
Published: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020 (1990)
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Page Count: 220
Total Page Count: 532,350
Text Number: 1949
Read Because: mentioned in this list of "rewire your brain" MG/YA novels, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A princess quite sick of princessing runs off to be kidnapped by dragons instead. This is the magnum opus of "not like other girls," and I'm not mad about it. The protagonist retains a fair bit of her own character, it turns out that many others aren't like other girls either, and the occasional other-girls skill proves useful; for the purposes of wish fulfillment & projection, as MG/YA does so well, this is delightful, with satisfying, speedy plotting and the sort of ultra-fairytale setting and lively voice that reminds me of Levine's Ella Enchanted. I'll look into the sequels, and if I'd read this as a kid the desire to live with Kazul would have been fierce.

Book Review: Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series I & II Collection

Title: Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series I & II Collection
Author: Matthew Mercer Jody Houser, Matthew Colville Illustrator: Olivia Samson, Chris Northrop
Published: Dark Horse Books, 2020 (2019-20)
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 320
Total Page Count: 532,670
Text Number: 1950-1
Read Because: fan of Critical Role, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: Rolling this far back means everyone is less likeable, less capable, less interconnected, which... There are stories to be told, but they lack almost everything I might like about/want from Vox Machina. The exceptions are usually preexisting-to-present-narrative connections (Vex & Vax, Pike & Grog, and honestly I just like seeing Percy because he has such a chunky backstory); but everyone meeting doesn't do a ton for me. And I love C1! I'll pick up the next volume eventually; art is fine, the bind-up itself is gorgeous.