3 ½ out of 5 Covers
Princess Eilonwy must leave her friends at Caer Dalben and
finish her training to become a proper lady on the Isle of Mona. Of course, she doesn’t understand why she has
to become a proper lady. She is already a
princess and she would much rather help her best friend Taran with his farm
chores. But she reluctantly travels,
escorted by Taran and their friends.
Taran is also troubled by Eilonwy leaving, though he doesn’t
understand his feelings for her. Then
there is Prince Rhun, who expects to be bethroned to the princess. Taran sees him as a rival, but it is hard not
to like the bumbling, nice guy. But all
is not what it seems on the Isle of Mona, as an old enemy kidnaps the princess
to steal her magical powers. Taran and
Rhun must travel the isle to rescue her and learn what it means to be true
leaders.
The author returns to the milieu travelogue format of the
first book, though not in so episodic a manner.
All the events do build towards the climax. But even as they do so, it is hard not to
feel as though the main action is taking place elsewhere. As the story follows Taran, the reader has no
real sense of the terrible danger Eilowny might (or might not) be in. Because we are not informed as to the
princess’s state, there is less of a degree of danger and tension than there
should be.
However, Alexander does have a gift for telling the
complexities of the story in simple terms without ever losing the expressiveness of the English
language. Even though the series is written for children, the prose never feels
like it is talking down to the audience.
And that is part of the reason why the series is still in publication
almost fifty years after its original printing.
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