Talking to Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede

Daystar and his mother Cimorene have always lived on the edge of the Enchanted Forest. Lots of odd things happen to them, and they meet lots of odd people: mostly princes and third sons and the like. But the day the wizard showed up was quite a different day. For one, he blasted their door apart. Two, Daystar’s mother melted him. Three, she went into the forest, gave Daystar the magic sword she came back with, and then sent him into the forest with strict instructions not to come back until he knew why she sent him away. A very confusing day, to say the least. His time in the forest is made even more interesting when everyone keeps recognizing the sword he’s carrying but refusing to tell him anything about it, and some are trying to kill him. Never did Daystar ever imagine that life would ever turn out like this.

This is the fourth and final book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Daystar is the son of Cimorene and Mendanbar, kept in ignorance of his parentage so that he may one day free his father from imprisonment. Cimorene has raised him the best she could, emphasizing politeness and courtesy. In fact, Daystar turns out so polite and courteous that he’s almost boring. There is not as much zest in his character as some of the others, and since the story is from his pov, it is not quite as interesting as the other books. Daystar’s virtues are the story’s downfall. I’m not saying that this was a bad book: in no way! But it lacked the spark that characterized the other books and made them so good in comparison. As a conclusion to the series it does not quite do its job at being fulfilling and satisfying. It is still a good book; enjoyable, fun, clever. But I enjoyed reading the others more.