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tshepiso 's review for:
How to Speak Dragonese
by Cressida Cowell
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I'm definitely settling into the How to Train Your Dragon series. I know exactly what to expect from these books and they're a good pick-me-up when I'm feeling down. How to Speak Dragonese is a solid entry in the series. It was filled with the laughs and adventure I expected and was a breeze to read. However, there were a few cringe-worthy dated elements to the story that were uncomfortable to come across.
What I love about this series is its blend of humorous adventure and sentimentality. Most of the book is dedicated to silly jokes and whimsy. Cressida Cowell's brand of childish humour works for me and her overabundance of puns, gags, and physical comedy was delightful. But, what made the book worthwhile is how well incorporated the serious and sentimental moments were throughout. The character relationships while often silly have were well developed and thoughtfully explored. My continued investment in this series is because I care about Hiccup, his friends, and his family. How to Speak Dragonese had especially heartwarming moments between Hiccup and Toothless that were a delight to see unfold.
What’s growing to be my favourite thing about this series is its reflective nature. The framing device of the book is an Older Hiccup writing his memoirs. In the epilogue of this installment, Old Hiccup's insights into the significance of the moments we just observed were inspiring and profound. It was a great note to end an otherwise zany adventure.
Unfortunately, this book had dated elements that were uncomfortable to read. There was an overwhelming amount of fatphobia throughout. The secondary antagonist in this book was a fat Roman prefect and the disgusting ways his body was described was off-putting at best. His body was a spectacle and his weight a punchline. The narrative linked his weight to his greed, gluttony, laziness and malice. It was over-the-top, unfunny and the fact that these kinds of "jokes" were permissible in children's literature is heartbreaking. This book also contained a gag wherein men cross-dress and that's played up for laughs. While this felt less malicious than the aforementioned fatphobia the common transphobic joke was still cringe-worthy.
How to Speak Dragonese was exactly what I expected from an installment in this series. It was fun, funny and full of heart. However, its dated elements were uncomfortable to read I hope the rest of the series improves on that front.
What I love about this series is its blend of humorous adventure and sentimentality. Most of the book is dedicated to silly jokes and whimsy. Cressida Cowell's brand of childish humour works for me and her overabundance of puns, gags, and physical comedy was delightful. But, what made the book worthwhile is how well incorporated the serious and sentimental moments were throughout. The character relationships while often silly have were well developed and thoughtfully explored. My continued investment in this series is because I care about Hiccup, his friends, and his family. How to Speak Dragonese had especially heartwarming moments between Hiccup and Toothless that were a delight to see unfold.
What’s growing to be my favourite thing about this series is its reflective nature. The framing device of the book is an Older Hiccup writing his memoirs. In the epilogue of this installment, Old Hiccup's insights into the significance of the moments we just observed were inspiring and profound. It was a great note to end an otherwise zany adventure.
Unfortunately, this book had dated elements that were uncomfortable to read. There was an overwhelming amount of fatphobia throughout. The secondary antagonist in this book was a fat Roman prefect and the disgusting ways his body was described was off-putting at best. His body was a spectacle and his weight a punchline. The narrative linked his weight to his greed, gluttony, laziness and malice. It was over-the-top, unfunny and the fact that these kinds of "jokes" were permissible in children's literature is heartbreaking. This book also contained a gag wherein men cross-dress and that's played up for laughs. While this felt less malicious than the aforementioned fatphobia the common transphobic joke was still cringe-worthy.
How to Speak Dragonese was exactly what I expected from an installment in this series. It was fun, funny and full of heart. However, its dated elements were uncomfortable to read I hope the rest of the series improves on that front.