One day, Daystar's mom, Cimorene, hands him a magic sword and kicks him out of the house. Daystar doesn't know what he is supposed to do with the m...
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Aug 03, 2011
Amy
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In book 4 of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, the narrator is Daystar, Cimorene's son. He is on a sent on a quest with a magical sword. Along the way, he meets evil wizards, a fire witch named Shiara, and a young talking dragon.
The first time I started this book, I had not read any of the others. I read about 30 pages in a restaurant while waiting for my food because it was the only book I had with me. I didn't finish because I don't really like to read things out of order - but More...
The first time I started this book, I had not read any of the others. I read about 30 pages in a restaurant while waiting for my food because it was the only book I had with me. I didn't finish because I don't really like to read things out of order - but More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Punk
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YA Fantasy. Book three in this series ends on a cliffhanger and book four picks up sixteen years later. That was unexpected. We've also got a new narrator for this one: Daystar, a very polite, logical young man, whose mother slaps a sword in his hand and sends him off into the Enchanted Forest one day without really telling him why. His mother is, of course, Queen Cimorene, and his dad's off in a magical coma, but Daystar doesn't know any of that. He's just trying to make sense of this sudden ne
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Apr 05, 2011
gunneos
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I was going to type a review, but my mind went blank. >.> Let's see - it was better than the previous book, had a lot more action (though rather tame for something with a war), and a long summary of events in the last chapter, which I didn't like. If the series had been memorable enough, why recap it? Felt like the author was unsure of her work or something, and felt a need to explain things and tie up lose ends which could not be more subtly incorporated as part of the narration. Kinda la
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Apr 21, 2010
Loralee
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The fourth and final book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles was one of my favorites. Sixteen years after book three ends, we pick up the story as Cimorene hands her teenage son, Daystar a sword he's never seen before and tells him to journey into the Enchanted Forest and not to come back until he's accomplished something! Talk about tough love!
Along the way, he discovers a somewhat rude Fire Witch who has a hard time controlling her magic and an assortment of wizards (always bad n More...
Along the way, he discovers a somewhat rude Fire Witch who has a hard time controlling her magic and an assortment of wizards (always bad n More...
Jan 25, 2011
Liz
rated it: 
Wow. What a letdown end to a series.
I think mostly this book failed to get me simply because I KNEW how it was going to end. The end to book three made the ending to this one abundantly clear. All these characters and purposes that were vague in this book, like who Cimorene was, and who Daystar really is and what he has to do, have already been answered in the previous book. The only new things coming were the last few chapters, in which the action we've been primed for since book 3 no More...
I think mostly this book failed to get me simply because I KNEW how it was going to end. The end to book three made the ending to this one abundantly clear. All these characters and purposes that were vague in this book, like who Cimorene was, and who Daystar really is and what he has to do, have already been answered in the previous book. The only new things coming were the last few chapters, in which the action we've been primed for since book 3 no More...
Jul 31, 2011
Julia
rated it: 
This book was pretty funny when Daystar got born because from the time he arrived to the world he was already learning magic!
Also when he was doing this journey he met magical witches, lizards, wizards, dragons, and other magical creatures as well as people. For example,
*A fire witch named Shiara.
*A important lizard named Liz.
*A badly behaved baby dragon with no-name yet.
With chaos going around the woods like crazy!
So Daystar has a quest to find h More...
Also when he was doing this journey he met magical witches, lizards, wizards, dragons, and other magical creatures as well as people. For example,
*A fire witch named Shiara.
*A important lizard named Liz.
*A badly behaved baby dragon with no-name yet.
With chaos going around the woods like crazy!
So Daystar has a quest to find h More...
Oct 16, 2011
Christopher
rated it:
The last of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and I think the strongest of the lot. Wrede moves from 3rd person narration to 1st person as she moves forward in time by a generation to follow the quest of Daystar, Cimorene's son. Large chunks of the early part of Daystar's adventures in the Enchanted Forest reminded me of Neil Gaiman's poem Instructions: Everything You Need to Know on Your Journey.
May became rather enamored of the brash fire-witch Shiara. She now wants to dye her hair f More...
May became rather enamored of the brash fire-witch Shiara. She now wants to dye her hair f More...
Aug 04, 2010
Holly
rated it:
I thought this was a nice end to the Enchanted Forest series. Daystar was a fun main character--I liked being in his head but Shiara was a little annoying. Just sayin'. I did have some problems with this book, though. Like, when Daystar leaves, Cimorene can't even offer an I-love-you-please-come-back-soon-and-safe? She just shoves him out the door. Also, how does Daystar figure out that Mendanbar is his dad? It's just like, all of a sudden, he knows. And one last thing--when Daystar is like, "
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Oct 30, 2011
Cliff
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Hooray, a fine ending to the series. Though, admittedly, I think the problem with the last book in the sequence having been the first written led to many problems. Generally, the reader is a little too aware of what is happening to Daystar. So, when Daystar finally gets around to discovering some things on his own, they aren't so surprising to the reader.
I also question how much Patricia Wrede had planned out the earlier novels, since there was a clear wrap of the series at the end. More...
I also question how much Patricia Wrede had planned out the earlier novels, since there was a clear wrap of the series at the end. More...
Nov 20, 2008
Emily
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I enjoyed the first book in this series (Dealing with Dragons), but I became increasingly disappointed with the series. The last book was better than the third, but still lacked the quirky originality that I loved in the first book.
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Dec 26, 2011
Beth
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This last book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles is as delightful as the others. I love the cranky fire witch, Shiara, but my favorite character is Suz, the talking lizard.
This book got a little off the direct fairy tale references that the author made in the other books, but it wraps up the story line begun in Calling on Dragons, and it has, of course, a happy ending. It also contains dwarfs, elves, witches, cats, wizards, dragons, and fairly fast action. This would make a great rea More...
This book got a little off the direct fairy tale references that the author made in the other books, but it wraps up the story line begun in Calling on Dragons, and it has, of course, a happy ending. It also contains dwarfs, elves, witches, cats, wizards, dragons, and fairly fast action. This would make a great rea More...
Jun 09, 2010
Mark
rated it:
This book was pretty good, although considerably different from the previous two in the series, which I strongly prefer. It focuses primarily on new characters—that and some other things probably account for the differences.
There isn't as much magical innovation in this book. It seems to focus more on the quest and development of the characters.
The narration of the audiobook was pretty good, although during the first half of the book or so the characters besides the narra More...
There isn't as much magical innovation in this book. It seems to focus more on the quest and development of the characters.
The narration of the audiobook was pretty good, although during the first half of the book or so the characters besides the narra More...
Aug 24, 2011
Jen
rated it:
I liked this book almost as much as I liked the first one in the series! Unlike it's prequels, this book was written in the first person. Like it's prequels, it's filled with awesome fairy-tale references and spoofs, lots of awesome and humorous dialogue, and genuinely likable characters.
This book could, in theory, be read without reading the other three, because Daystar is just as clueless as a new reader would be, and you get a quick run-down at the end of the book of previous events More...
This book could, in theory, be read without reading the other three, because Daystar is just as clueless as a new reader would be, and you get a quick run-down at the end of the book of previous events More...
Oct 27, 2011
Janet
rated it:
Talking to Dragons is a delightful, light middle grade story that would be great fun to read aloud to your kids (I would vote is is age-appropriate as soon as your child enjoys chapter books). Chronologically, this is the fourth in the series, but it was the first written, with the other three written as prequels to tell Daystar's mother's story. I haven't read the first three in the series, but I think Talking to Dragons works fine as a stand-alone. I'd actually recommend reading this one first
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Oct 08, 2009
Becca
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 01, 2011
Mimi
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I really enjoyed this entire series, and I think that it is perfectly written for its target age group (perhaps 8 to 14 year olds). I enjoyed having Daystar as a main character. I really liked how polite and kind he was. Cimorene was apparently a very good mother. Shiara did not seem as fortunate. I am not sure why she never wanted to be polite, why she was always so angry. I hope she learns self control with the dragons. I know she is still a teenager, but you can be a nice teenager.
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Sep 16, 2010
Barbara
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I didn't love this one but I did enjoy it. It was a little too childish unlike the others in the series which were a little more grown up. Surprisingly enough the main character in this one is a 16 year old boy but the antics of the people (and things) he met on his journey were very childish. I found it irritating at times but persevered just to find out if Daystar was going to save the King of the Enchanted Forest.
This is different than the other books in the series as it is a c More...
This is different than the other books in the series as it is a c More...
Feb 19, 2010
Nicole
rated it:
Bold choice indeed to set this fourth book 16 years later and change to a first person narrator. I think Pat makes it work but just barely.
Nice to see how it all ends (though the Morwen/Telemain business was unnecessary) and interesting to know more about the other characters than the protagonist. Dramatic irony at it's finest. And really, no fan of the first two books could keep themselves from smiling when Daystar first encounters the "None of This Nonsense, Please" sign More...
Nice to see how it all ends (though the Morwen/Telemain business was unnecessary) and interesting to know more about the other characters than the protagonist. Dramatic irony at it's finest. And really, no fan of the first two books could keep themselves from smiling when Daystar first encounters the "None of This Nonsense, Please" sign More...
Dec 25, 2010
Sara ♥
rated it:
That should be enough shelves... ;)
Okay, so as I understand it (and according to wikipedia), this book was the FIRST book published in the series, but the author went back and wrote 3 prequels (à la Star Wars), then went back and revised this book and had it republished. SO, yeah. I gotta say, this book would have been really interesting to read first, but it would have been confusing, so I'm glad I read the others first.
The two big difference between this book and th More...
Okay, so as I understand it (and according to wikipedia), this book was the FIRST book published in the series, but the author went back and wrote 3 prequels (à la Star Wars), then went back and revised this book and had it republished. SO, yeah. I gotta say, this book would have been really interesting to read first, but it would have been confusing, so I'm glad I read the others first.
The two big difference between this book and th More...
Feb 02, 2012
Debbie
rated it:
I just learned that this was actually the first book published in the series, and that the first three were prequels. Odd, that. I am absolutely amazed that the story works as well as it does with the rest of the series, and that Wrede was able to fit all the pieces together. But then, I can't imagine what someone who was reading this book without having read the first three would make of the story - which honestly needed all the backstory to make sense.
I still remember the letter I wr More...
I still remember the letter I wr More...
Dec 29, 2011
Cecily
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While I liked the entire series, I have to admit that I liked this book less than the others. When I tried to analyze why, I figured that in the first three books, the emphasis is on a princess/scholar who goes out and does stuff, while here stuff happens to Daystar, it seems accidental, as if he would really rather just be sitting back in his hut doing nothing. Yet, because of where he is, the accidental things that happen end up being fun to read.bv
Aug 21, 2011
Timmain
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Definitely a separation from the first three books in the series, but my anxiety over what others had written in rebuke over Wrede's departure from her original set of characters was assuaged by the spunky new personalities she introduced. All the books in this series were set up to be read through a different set of eyes for each novel and this one didn't disappoint. Daystar, Shiara, Nightwitch and the Dragon all lent their own uniqueness to this tale which in itself quite nicely wraps up the s
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Jul 28, 2011
Heidi
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 13, 2011
Jo
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I would have preferred that Wrede end this series with the third book...moving on to the second generation of characters is usually not as fun. For me, the motivation of the main character just didn't seem strong enough, and while I realize that this fantasy series is meant to be lighter in tone than some of its more dramatic counterparts, the characters' emotions were a trifle too understated for my taste.
Apr 09, 2010
Jessica
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Yeah, I wasn't very happy with this book. The previous three made me annoyed enough with the constant changing of the POV, but this book didn't even really include any of the old characters. I mean, sure, it's like 17 years later, but come on. Anyway, I thought is was a pretty good ending for where the series went, but if I had wrote this series, I probably would've just stopped at the second one.
May 31, 2008
Diana
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It's been sixteen years since the events in Calling On Dragons and Daystar has been raised by his mother Cimorene, not knowing his true heritage. When the wizards finally track them down, Cimorene sends Daystar with the magical sword into the Enchanted Forest on a mysterious quest.
This was a little different, with Daystar being the first-person narrator. He's a very interesting narrator, and brings a fresh perspective on things. I was a little annoyed that no one would tell him anyth More...
This was a little different, with Daystar being the first-person narrator. He's a very interesting narrator, and brings a fresh perspective on things. I was a little annoyed that no one would tell him anyth More...
Sep 29, 2011
Lani
rated it:
A great way to end the series, my only complaint is how sad I think it is that Cimorene and her husband missed out on seventeen years together--drat those wizards! I loved the character, Daystar--he was simply delightful and a perfect gentleman as well as a hero. These books were a great way to kick off the fall season, which has always been magical for me.
Mar 04, 2010
Meg
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This one pulled me back into the world a bit. There's a gap of time, a new PoV character, and a much more directed plot, which I think was a lot of the problem with the last book. The main gripe I had with this was the both predictable (for fairy tales) and out of the blue (for the story) resolution of a couple of the characters at the end, but I can live with it.
Mar 25, 2009
Hilary
rated it:
Antorell (the evil wizard) threatens again, and Cimorene sends her 16-year-old bumbling crown prince into the forest, clueless, to discover himself and his heritage (and to end the threat...). Hmmm. Not my favorite book in the series, but it does not prevent me from wishing for more additions to the series.
So far, this is an unrequited wish. Alas.
So far, this is an unrequited wish. Alas.
Aug 25, 2011
Katie
rated it:
This book is hilarious! It might be one of my new favorites. I love love love the author's writing style.
Except that somehow I managed to pick up the wrong book, and ended up reading the fourth book in the series first??? *sigh* Well, I'm sure the other 3 will be great too. At least this book was an excellent stand-alone.
Except that somehow I managed to pick up the wrong book, and ended up reading the fourth book in the series first??? *sigh* Well, I'm sure the other 3 will be great too. At least this book was an excellent stand-alone.
