Dealing with Dragons

Dealing with Dragons is so unexpected, I completely adored it! Though I love fantasy, I’m not usually a huge fan of dragons. (I know, I hope we can still be friends.)

This book changed my mind a bit.

How can I not love a princess who is bored out of her mind and gives herself up as a dragon slave to keep the princes from coming around, trying to marry her all the time? It’s just so adorable, I can’t even.

There were so many quirky moments similar to that. Wizards and soapy lemon water, dragon king as a title… show more.

Everyone knows the story – the princess is kidnapped by a dragon and a knight comes to rescue the princess. Cimorene is the princess of a king who is very traditional. The problem? She’s not. She has no interest in a Prince. So off she goes to find the dragons and be properly captured. I love how Wrede breaks the traditional mold in this trope. It shows girls/women can find their own way in a traditional world. This pushes the boundaries and teaches our kids they can break the boundaries too. 

As a kid, Dealing with Dragons was unquestionably one of my favorite books. It’s the first book I remember reading and knowing with absolute certainty that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. There is so much to love: the delightfully twisted fairytale elements, the smart, independent, female characters, the humor, the dragons, and of course, Cherries Jubilee. The story of a princess who runs away to intentionally become a dragon’s princess captured my heart, but it was the incredible dynamic between the characters that brought me back again and again: the prickly dragon Kazul, the pragmatic,… show more.