Warm up your funny bone and smooth out those laugh lines. You’ll need both and then some in Daphne Yakinthou’s laugh-out-loud trip into mischief and beyond, courtesy of a smart and sassy knight named Barrelot and his sidekick, Stumpy the red dragon. Because Sir Barrelot, son of the illustrious Dynamitius, is on a mission. This single-minded knight is on a smokin’ hot quest for an elusive soup that’ll thaw the heart of his true love and spell Happily Ever After for all. Can Barrelot pull it off?
When Barrelot realizes that not even an enchanted love potion can thaw Princess Egglina’s frozen heart, he figures that maybe a “famous dragon soup” will. Upon the advice of a sorceress, the knight sets off on a valiant quest to procure a red dragon egg to make a spicy soup that will thaw the heart of the princess. Sir Barrelot gets into all sorts of scrapes and tight spots in the process. This includes a volcano that spews chili sauce, a great red pepper desert, meatball-eating robbers, mashed potato marauders and the broccoli alliance. He also meets a misfit dragon. The dragon informs Sir Barrelot that the ancient dragons have been driven to exile by a chili-sauce spewing volcano. The lack of lava has caused the dwarf population to take up new business, too. And that’s not all that’s on the “menu” in this deliciously clever and enchanting story.
Because when it comes to wooing an indifferent princess, there’s a catch. And it’s a biggie: Egglina hasn’t the slightest interest in the knight or in marriage. In fact, she’s busily organizing an army of rebels and insurgents to wrest the kingdom from her controlling and hapless father, King Shortstout, and reign in his stead.
But all is not lost.
Flung into a dungeon cell by Egglina, Sir Barrelot finds a mysterious key. It unlocks the adjacent cell that’s holding Stumpy the dragon. Our “Dynamic Duo” escapes and then… Oh, wait. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens next.
Psssst! There are also dancing fire mushrooms. Songs and rhymes. The Dutchess of Halfwit. A “little jinn” and a favor. Aerodynamic frying pans. Snappy repartee between the knight and Stumpy the dragon that makes the dialogue snap, crackle, and pop.
Tightly written with pitch-perfect pacing, this charming story is a little How to Train Your Dragon. A bit Shrek. Light-hearted, whimsical, and eminently chuckle-worthy, Barrelot isn’t just a magical story about a gallant if unconventional knight trying to win the heart of his lady fair. It’s also a lip-smackin’ romp through a culinary kingdom that blends absurdity with bravery and slapstick finesse with derring-do.
This is such a fun read! The plot is structurally sound, the action is lithe and nimble. With top-notch writing and heaping helpings of wit and whimsy, Barrelot serves up a story that’s both enjoyable and entertaining. It’ll tickle your funny bone and have you drooling in no time! I didn’t want it to end. I'd grab a fork and dig in 'fize you!
My Rating: 4.5
