BTT Challenge: Best Recent Read

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
(Tell me you didn’t see this one coming?)

For pure personal enjoyment (which is how I'm going to define "best"), Patricia C. Wrede's "Searching for dragons" (book 2 in the Enchanted forest chronicles) was my best recent read.

[original cover]
I read the first book, "Dealing with dragons" a few years back, but then never went through the process of borrowing the remainder of the series. [Watch as I now kick myself] Not long ago, I ran across a review of Wrede's newest series (Cecelia and Kate), which pinged my memory about the dragons, and thus I decided to splurge on the box set of the "Enchanted forest chronicles", which contains books 1-4.

I must warn you: I usually have problems with second books in a series. "Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets" was my least favourite, as was Jim Butcher's "Fool moon" and, more recently, Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell's "Return of the emerald skull." I find they tend to make the trilogy, quartet, series, etc. sag, flounder, or otherwise loose the reader's attention. With half a dozen (or more!) plot threads, it's easy to see how this can happen. That said...

I loved "Searching for dragons"! Cimorene was her usually spunky self, and Mendanbar was seamlessly introduced into the world as the king-who-doesn't-want-to-be-king (he's banned all official functions, much to the dismay of his steward) of the Enchanted Forest. What I found most unique was that this book was Mendanbar's story, told from his angle (though still in third person pov). My only fault with the book was the ending wrap-up, which I found a bit rushed.

[reprinted cover]
Title: Searching for dragons
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
Series: Enchanted forest chronicles, book 2
Published: 1991
Genre: YA fantasy
Summary: Cimorene, the princess who refuses to be proper, is back - but where is Kazul the dragon? That's what Cimorene is determined to find out. Luckily - or perhaps not-so-luckily - she's got help: Mendandbar, the not-very-kingly King of the Enchanted Forest, has joined her in her quest. So with the aid of a broken-down magic carpet, a leaky magical sword, and a few buckets of soapy lemon water, they set off across the Enchanted Forest to tackle the dragon-napping and save the King of the Dragons. [back cover]

Filed in: BTT Challenge Index at Chasing the Mouse...