Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Mar 18, 2010

Fred rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Oct 14, 2009

Jill rated it:

Tipper, a young emerlindian woman, has been scrounging to take care of her family estate since her father went missing. Since he father was a renowned sculptor, Tipper had no choice but to sell off his work to pay the bills. But her father returns suddenly, then vanishes again. Then he reappears, then vanishes, then reappears. It seems that Tipper’s father is being affected by a portal between two sides of the world. Long ago, he had crafted three sculptures out of a special chunk of stone that More...

0 comments like

Aug 07, 2009

Laura rated it:

Tipper is a young emerlindian who’s responsible for the upkeep of her family’s estate during her sculptor father’s absence. Tipper soon discovers that her actions have unbalanced the whole foundation of her world, and she must act quickly to undo the calamitous threat. But how can she save her father and her world on her own?

The task is too huge for one person, so she gathers the help of some unlikely companions--including the nearly five-foot tall parrot Beccaroon--and eventually wi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 02, 2009

Debbie rated it:

I thoroughly enjoyed the "DragonKeeper Chronicles" series and they're the favorite books of my 11-year-old friend, so we were obviously looking forward to this book. You don't need to read those books to understand this one, but I'd suggest reading them first because I liked them more.

"The Vanishing Sculptor" is a Christian allegorical fantasy novel. It is a good book with enjoyable and entertaining characters. However, I don't think this book had the right viewp More...

0 comments like

Sep 23, 2009

Rachel rated it:

Tipper’s heart skipped a beat . . . “I have a feeling,” she said, “that we are going to have a glorious quest. This day is the beginning of a great adventure.”

So declares Tipper Schope, who gladly gives up the responsibility of caring for her family’s estate when her disappearing father reappears after fifteen years — well, mostly. He keeps flickering in and out, and his crotchety foreign companions declare a quest necessary: a search for three missing statues, sold off by Tipper to More...

0 comments like

Jun 24, 2009

Kathy rated it:

Readin'
The Vanishing Sculptor
Donita K. Paul
Waterbrook/Multnomah
Pgs: 398

Writin'
22 yr old Tipper is not sure what to do. Her father disappeared long ago leaving Lady Peg, and her, with the care and upkeep their estate, Byrdschopen. Tipper keeps hoping her father will appear as the money is starting to run out and she has had to sell some of sculptures to pay the servants and buy food. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse Tipper's father, Verrin More...

0 comments like

Aug 29, 2011

Andrea rated it:

Meh, I didn't totally enjoy this one. I love Donita K. Paul and her other series was great, but this one not so much. I didn't like hardly any of the characters and I hated the dialogue and how this were described. She used strange formal words and for me it just sucked the magic right out.

Then again, maybe it was because all the characters in the book (besides Fen and Wit) were very formal themselves. Like the parrot couldn't be touched and etc.

This being said, I love Paul More...

0 comments like

Nov 17, 2009

Amydeanne rated it:

The witty banter just tickles me. I mean I can vividly picture these conversations going on.

You still have to have your own imagination going on with the dragons flying over head and the wizards about, but really this is a fun and enjoyable book for all. You feel like you know the characters intimately and you’ll be looking forward to reading the next book!

Paul offers something that I haven’t found in a lot of fantasy books. She captures the genre with a fresh and del More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 03, 2009

Kevin rated it:

I have not read the Dragon Keeper books nor was I aware of Paul’s writing before reading Vanishing Sculptor. For some reason it didn’t register that this book is set in the same world but in a different country and time. Although, this is a stand alone book I have a feeling reading the earlier series would provide a lot of helpful background and ease the reader into the universe Paul has created.

I am not sure if it was a result of this misunderstanding or background but I found Vani More...

0 comments like

Jan 05, 2011

Breonne rated it:

Maybe being sick when I read this made me biased but it was really slow for me, what would have taken a few days turned into over a month of reading. When you a need a dictionary, either their made up one at the back of the book or a real one, to understand what all the random words mean then it's not usually my cup of tea. However I have to review their next one for a site I've joined so I am hoping it won't be as painfully slow. I coulnd't really get in sync with any of the characters or relat More...

0 comments like

Jun 25, 2009

Clockstein rated it:

The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul is a continuation of her DragonKeeper Chronicles in the fantasy world of Chiril. Tipper is a young emerlindian who has been trying to keep her family afloat since her father's mysterious disappearance fifteen years ago. The family estate has fallen into disrepair, and her mother's mind is no longer sound. Tipper has been forced to start selling the sculptures of her father just to keep food on the table. When her father suddenly returns along with a eccen More...

0 comments like

Jun 30, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

Hmmm... what to say about this one. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. It lied somewhere in the hazy middle. First off I'm not a huge fan of mystical books, but that's not really what I didn't like about it. It seemed to take forever for me to read it. I started it on a Friday and didn't finish it till the next Thursday, and for a 400 page YA book, that was just too long.

The story deals with quite a few things, but one of the main ideas is that of faith. The idea of Wulder and More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Christi rated it:

Donita K. Paul's Dragon stories are some of my favorites. I am enthralled with her ability to make the fantasy world of dragons and their keepers come alive to those of us who are no longer young enough to believe in such things. The Dragons of Chiril is no exception to this.

The Dragons of Chiril, previously released as The Vanishing Sculptor, is the story of a young girl, Tipper, who is the daughter of a prominent sculptor and an "eccentric" mother. Her father has disappea More...

0 comments like

Aug 16, 2010

Rebecca rated it:

This was the first Paul book that I’d read and I think this one takes place in the same world as her Dragonkeeper Chronicles. I don’t think you have to have read them to follow the story but there are a few things that might have been explained that were assumed as already known in this book. She uses terms like emerlindian and tumanhofer, which are different races, but we are never told that. There is a glossary to help in moments like this but it would have been nice to have some sort of hint More...

0 comments like

Jun 26, 2009

Nely rated it:

Tipper, a young Emerlindian, has been responsible for her family’s upkeep since her sculptor father vanished several years back. It’s been years since she last saw her father, and her mother's, the Lady Peg, mental health has slowly been deteriorating since then, so she has had to single-handedly do everything in her power to maintain her family’s good name. She has even had to sell her father’s beloved sculptures for money in order to pay their servants and purchase food. Until the night her fa More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Nikole rated it:

“‘It’s not the pomposity of the building that’s bothering me,’ she said. “It’s the bombastic attitude of the man I must humble myself to.”

‘Don’t,’ said Liberettowit, stopping before the elaborate wooden door of the inn and staring seriously into her eyes, ‘Don’t ever end your sentences with prepositions.’

Beccaroon clicked his tongue. ‘Before. I believe the preposition she should not have ended that sentence with would be before instead of to. One humbles oneself before anothe More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Michelle rated it:

Donita K. Paul's novel The Dragons of Chiril is a fascinating read set in a beautiful, magical kingdom. Tipper is a young lady who has been embroiled, through no fault of her own, in a truly challenging set of circumstances. She is faced with the huge task of caring for her family's estate and her rather eccentric mother, although she really doesn't possess the skills and knowledge to make a success of it. Her father is a famous artist who has been absent for years leaving Tipper to cope on her More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Sarah rated it:

This book (unfortunately or not... you choose) was almost exactly how I expected it. I don't know how I do it, but apparently, I'm awesome. This was a good book. I would definitely suggest it to people who like Christian Fiction. However, the plot was underdeveloped. I feel that the author spent a bit much time working on making it seem whimsical + having interesting characters + words, that many things were not at all explained.
For instance, what is a tumanhofer? How are they differen More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Sheila rated it:

I’ve not read any other of Donita K. Paul’s books, though the cover of The Dragons of Chiril mentions the Dragonkeeper Chronicles, set on a different continent in a different time. The Dragons of Chiril stands alone, on its own continent with kingdoms and villages, giant parrots, towns and mansions and sculpture gardens. Young Tipper has been selling her father’s sculptures and paintings in an effort to keep food on the table for her strangely scatter-brained mother. Her father disappeared some More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Jessica rated it:

Tipper’s father disappeared years ago, leaving her to take care of her mother and the family estate. To keep the household running, Tipper must sell much of her father’s famous artwork. She finally learns why her father disappeared and finds that he is not well. The answer lies in three of her father’s statues, which were carved from a foundation stone, but Tipper has sold them. Tipper, her father, and a band of friends (old and new) begin a quest to find the three statues to restore both he More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Hannah rated it:

Donita K. Paul's novel The Dragons of Chiril is a fascinating read set in a beautiful, magical kingdom. Tipper is a young lady who has been embroiled, through no fault of her own, in a truly challenging set of circumstances. She is faced with the huge task of caring for her family's estate and her rather eccentric mother, although she really doesn't possess the skills and knowledge to make a success of it. Her father is a famous artist who has been absent for years leaving Tipper to cope on her More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Melanie rated it:

The Dragons of Chiril
Donita K. Paul
Published by Waterbrook Press
Source: Review Copy

A young girl named Tipper is living all alone since her father went missing. Stumbling upon a wizard, named Fenworth, he tells her that her father’s statues are needed to save the world. She goes on an adventure to find all three of the statues that she has sold. Along the way she learns that she has an ability to summon dragons. The dragons she summons have unique gifts of their ow More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Virginia rated it:

"The Dragons of Chiril", by Donita K. Paul, is a delightfully descriptive fantasy adventure. The dragons are wonderfully written and given distinctive abilities and appearances. My favorite character was the giant parrot Beccaroon, whose somewhat stern demeanor thinly disguised his great loving heart. After the disappearance of her father, a renowned sculptor, young Tipper is left to care for her seemingly befuddled mother and their family home. She is aided by her guardian and advisor More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

April rated it:

THE DRAGONS OF CHIRIL by Donita K.Paul is an interesting allegory/fantasy/fiction.
It is the beginning of a new series.Previously released as The Vanishing Sculptor.
It has dragons.adventure, trachery,morals,Kings,Princess,dragon keeper,good vs evil,
right from wrong,otherworld,wizards,magical librarians,speaking parrots,and mysterious portals.It is a story that enterwines intrigue,mischief,mayhem and witty banter. This story is a great addition for all ages.It will a great complimen More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Beverly rated it:

This is my first of Donita K. Paul’s books to read. As I began reading “The Dragons of Chiril," I immediately became engrossed in the exquisitely beautiful, yet complex tale that is “The Dragons of Chiril.”

The story is far more than simple entertainment and I found myself immersed in a world inhabited by emerlindians, tumanhofers, and dragons. My imagination was awakened as I followed along with the main character Tipper, the sculptor’s daughter, and a cast of eclectic characters, More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Jasmyn9 rated it:

Tipper's father, Verrin Schope, has been missing for a long time. When he returns in a most unexpected manner, followed by a magician and his librarian, things start to get a little strange. Verrin Schope is an artist, and three of his sculptures are much more important than anyone could ever guess. In order to save the world (and himself) the statues must be reunited once again. Tracking down the three statues, which have been sold over the years Verrin was missing, proves to be harder th More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Chris rated it:

I chose this book because I enjoyed Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by the same author so much. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one as much. From the beginning I felt lost. I did not have a clear picture of the different characters both human and animal and the world they lived in. A little more description about the different characters and the world they live in would have helped a lot. For example I am still not sure what a emerlindian or a tumanhofer are even after reading the glossary. More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Lily rated it:

I won this book through Goodreads First-Reads, and received it in the mail last week.

The Dragons of Chiril by Donita K. Paul is about a young emerlindian named Tipper who has been caring for her family's estate since her father's disappearance fifteen years ago. She sells her father's artwork and furniture pieces from the estate in order to keep it running. She takes care of her mother who can be called "insane" with the help of a grand parrot named Sir Beccaroon.
More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Kasia rated it:

I won this on Goodreads First Reads. I have read the Dragonkeeper Chronicles (and own the set for my children). I state that, because this book, though written after the Dragonkeeper Chronicles, is set before the time period of that series. Paul's writing is still just as fresh and intriguing for people of all ages. This story is about Tipper, the daughter of famed artist Verrin Schope, who has disappeared for 15 years. Since his disappearance, Tipper has managed the family estate with the help More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2012

Teela rated it:

Dragons of Chiril* is the first book in the second *Dragon* series by Donita K. Paul. It takes place before the popular *The Dragonkeeper Chronicles*. This was an exciting read for me, because it was the book previous to *Dragons of the Valley*, which I greatly enjoyed. It was fun, to be sure, getting to read the background of that novel.

The story begins with a young woman named Tipper. She is managing her household in the absence of her father, Verrin Schope, who disappeared many y More...

1 comment like

reviews