Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed Flora's Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com
Flora Fydraaca is one busy young lady.
Between her search for a Gramatica instructor, dealing with the fallout of her best friend Udo's moneymaking schemes in the bounty-hunting biz, elder sister Idden's desertion from Califa's military, discovering and thwarting the source of a series of deadly earthquakes threatening the city, a freshly sober and keenly aware father, a burgeoning crush on Califa's greatest living magickal adept and old Fydraaca family enemy Lord Axacaya, tentacles accosting her in public bathrooms, family secrets, assassination attempts, and inadequate sartorial resources - it's a wonder the girl has time to breathe.
At least this time around, Crackpot Manor's one and only accessible potty is up and running...
There is so much going on in FLORA'S DARE that it's by no means an overstatement to call the book a fantasy fiction lover's treasure trove. Author Ysabeau S. Wilce has done a remarkable job creating and populating Flora's world with multiple, complex plots and subplots, and plenty of intriguing information to keep readers coming back for more.
I deeply appreciated the level of sophistication Ms. Wilce has invested in the creation of Flora's world. She easily juggles plot threads without causing any confusion to the reader. By building the backstory of Flora's friends, family, adversaries, and the heroine herself into the narrative, she has created a series that will sustain itself over a number of books, striking the perfect balance between a compelling story and characters that are quirky yet deeply flawed.
Flora Fydraaca is one busy young lady.
Between her search for a Gramatica instructor, dealing with the fallout of her best friend Udo's moneymaking schemes in the bounty-hunting biz, elder sister Idden's desertion from Califa's military, discovering and thwarting the source of a series of deadly earthquakes threatening the city, a freshly sober and keenly aware father, a burgeoning crush on Califa's greatest living magickal adept and old Fydraaca family enemy Lord Axacaya, tentacles accosting her in public bathrooms, family secrets, assassination attempts, and inadequate sartorial resources - it's a wonder the girl has time to breathe.
At least this time around, Crackpot Manor's one and only accessible potty is up and running...
There is so much going on in FLORA'S DARE that it's by no means an overstatement to call the book a fantasy fiction lover's treasure trove. Author Ysabeau S. Wilce has done a remarkable job creating and populating Flora's world with multiple, complex plots and subplots, and plenty of intriguing information to keep readers coming back for more.
I deeply appreciated the level of sophistication Ms. Wilce has invested in the creation of Flora's world. She easily juggles plot threads without causing any confusion to the reader. By building the backstory of Flora's friends, family, adversaries, and the heroine herself into the narrative, she has created a series that will sustain itself over a number of books, striking the perfect balance between a compelling story and characters that are quirky yet deeply flawed.
Monica G. (24girl) reviewed Flora's Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room) on + 42 more book reviews
Flora's Dare is the sequel to Flora Segunda and although there are quite a few references to book one, this book is a stand alone. Flora is a typical teenage girl living in the Magikal city of Califa. Her parents expect her to follow the family tradition of joining the Califa army when she comes of age however Flora's secret goal is to become a Ranger. To do this she has to master the Magikal language of Gramatica. Flora is determined to find a teacher so that she can become as powerful as her Ranger hero Nini Mo.
Flora's plans are all changed as she's attacked by tentacle that comes up through the plumbing while attending a concert with her best friend Udo. She narrowly escapes the tentacle and figures out that the creature in the plumbing is the Lolgia monster trapped under the city long ago by a woman threatening to overthrow the government by unleashing the monster. Now Flora has to team up with Lord Axacaya who promises teach Flora Gramatica. Together they can free the monster and save the city. As the story unfolds Flora loses her best friend, gets grounded for passing curfew, travels in time, gets betrayed by someone close to her, discovers the truth about her family and of course saves the city.
At first I was hesitant about reading this book. It's second in a series that I hadn't read and it is 511 pages. However once I started it was hard to put down. Wilce writes a funny story that is great for both YA and adult readers of fantasy books. The magikal city of Califa is very believable and Flora's daring adventures keep you turning pages until the end. I will definitely be reading book one and eagerly awaiting book three in the sequel.
Flora's plans are all changed as she's attacked by tentacle that comes up through the plumbing while attending a concert with her best friend Udo. She narrowly escapes the tentacle and figures out that the creature in the plumbing is the Lolgia monster trapped under the city long ago by a woman threatening to overthrow the government by unleashing the monster. Now Flora has to team up with Lord Axacaya who promises teach Flora Gramatica. Together they can free the monster and save the city. As the story unfolds Flora loses her best friend, gets grounded for passing curfew, travels in time, gets betrayed by someone close to her, discovers the truth about her family and of course saves the city.
At first I was hesitant about reading this book. It's second in a series that I hadn't read and it is 511 pages. However once I started it was hard to put down. Wilce writes a funny story that is great for both YA and adult readers of fantasy books. The magikal city of Califa is very believable and Flora's daring adventures keep you turning pages until the end. I will definitely be reading book one and eagerly awaiting book three in the sequel.
