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#30: Kate Coombs, The Runaway Dragon
Sep. 12th, 2013 07:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kareilaWhat made The Runaway Princess stand out among other similar titles was its multithreaded, freewheeling plot and the large cast of colorful characters. The princess' maid, the gardener's boy, the young tower guard, the eccentric boy wizard, the cranky old witch, the affable bandits, and the baby dragon all teamed up to help the princess rid the kingdom of an infestation of unwanted princes from neighboring royal families.
In this sequel, the whole gang returns for an encore as they search for the baby dragon, Laddy, who is no longer a baby. Alienated when his increasing size forces him to live separate from his beloved human friends, he runs away, which gives the princess just the excuse she was looking for to go on a quest.
Unfortunately, despite this promising premise, the book is slow going at first, due to the absence of an obvious villain. Far too much time is spent aimlessly wandering through an enchanted forest that tries far too hard to remind the reader of other fairy tales. By the time an evil sorceress shows up to dutifully threaten the heroes, the story is practically over.
In this sequel, the whole gang returns for an encore as they search for the baby dragon, Laddy, who is no longer a baby. Alienated when his increasing size forces him to live separate from his beloved human friends, he runs away, which gives the princess just the excuse she was looking for to go on a quest.
Unfortunately, despite this promising premise, the book is slow going at first, due to the absence of an obvious villain. Far too much time is spent aimlessly wandering through an enchanted forest that tries far too hard to remind the reader of other fairy tales. By the time an evil sorceress shows up to dutifully threaten the heroes, the story is practically over.
