Le Guide de voyage de Miss Percy: A la recherche de dragons sauvages en terre galloise

Miss Percy Guide #2

by Quenby Olson, Alix Dewez

Tout a commencé avec une malle. Une malle dans laquelle il y avait un oeuf, et de cet oeuf est sorti...

Pas un poussin, contrairement à ce que l'on pourrait croire.

C'est un dragon dont Miss Mildred Percy, demoiselle de compagnie effacée devenue aventurière, a désormais la charge. Accompagnée de Mr Wiggan et Mrs Babbinton - fidèles compagnons de ses péripéties -, elle entreprend donc de parcourir le pays de Galles à la recherche du mystérieux Nyth y Ddraig, le Nid de dragons.

Évidemment, de telles pérégrinations dans une contrée presque étrangère, avec un dragonnet qui plus est, ne pouvaient se dérouler sans heurts. Ponctué de villageois en colère, d'évasions nocturnes et de moutons récalcitrants, le voyage se transforme vite en odyssée pour nos héros qui, malgré un nombre grandissant d'ennemis, font une découverte extraordinaire dans les montagnes galloises.

« L'un des livres les plus charmants que j'ai lus. Adorable et superbement écrit, et en plus, il y a un dragon ! » Olivia Atwater, autrice d'Âmes miroirs

« Une cosy fantasy dans les règles de l'art, débordant de thé, de gâteaux, et de bébés dragons dans un monde victorien lumineux et chaleureux. » Before We Go

« Élégant et palpitant, avec la dose parfaite d'humour. » Fantasy Book Critic

« Hautement recommandé pour tous les lecteurs de cosy romantasy. » The Fantasy Review

« Une lecture délicieuse. » Reading Reality

« Une Fantasy Régence pleine de douceur et d'esprit. » The Fantasy Inn

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Historical Fiction, Cozy Fantasy, Audiobook, Romance, Historical

395 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2022

About the author

Quenby Olson lives in Central Pennsylvania where she spends most of her time writing, glaring at baskets of unfolded laundry, and chasing the cat off the kitchen counters. She lives with her husband and five children, who do nothing to dampen her love of classical ballet, geeky crochet, and staying up late to watch old episodes of Doctor Who.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story continues on from the last book only this time our friends are off to Wales in search of more dragons. What more could you want..

The pace is quite slow going in the first half of the book as to introduce new characters and the very detailed landscape of Wales which was fine with me as I could relax into the pages with the author’s excellent sense of humour.
The second half reads differently as the pace speeds up as plans are thrown into disarray through one thing or another which was very enjoyable.

”This was happiness, she realised. To have purpose. To be needed. To be loved and cared for and respected. To have her adventure, wherever it might lead her next.”

Another fun, cosy, joyful read in which there are rich characters and places that take you elsewhere. Not as engaging as the first book but no less fun. And as for the romance angle for those concerned this is not that type of book. It’s two people finding happiness in the small things like holding hands or a stolen kiss..

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't reading much over the last few months and I am pleased to say that this was an easy-read which I found could hook me back in to enjoying stories and reading once more. I really like the fact that this series reminds me a little of the Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan and although it's different enough to be distinct, the main characters in both are not your typical heroine, and I like that.
In this instalment we follow Mildred and her two companions along with Fitz the dragon as they travel to Wales for reasons explained in book 1. The journey is fraught with challenges and they are already at a disadvantage travelling with a dragon who hasn't been seen on English/Welsh shores for many many years and who is believed only to be a fairy tale by many.
We also still have our 'adversary' from the previous book, although he's joined by an even more menacing one here. The chase is on, and it's an interesting climax when the two sides clash and meet one another. We certainly end on a cliffhanger about what's next...
4*s for this one and I will be continuing :)

[Julia Sarene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons, but not just as much as I did with the first book.

I still *adore* the characters, and their absolute loyalty to each other. What other reviews call "timid and boring" is exactly what I love about Miss Percy and her fellowship - she isn't the sassy heroine who throws quips around at all times or boldly goes where no spinster has gone before.

Not boldly maybe, but go she does! I actually love how she stays true to her character, reticent and a bit hesitant at times, but she does what needs doing. She slowly starts to like the adventure, but she still is herself, and doesn't suddenly turn into a new person who will chase danger. She'll face it when she's confronted though - and it's a big part of her charm to see her swallow her anxiety and stand up for the people (or dragons!) she cares for.

The parenthesis quite some people complain about in other reviews also is a definite plus for me. It just fit the tone and voice of Miss Percy so well, and often had me smile, or even snort along the way. Sure, if you don't like that sort of style, it can be grating, but for me it was a definite plus!

The first half of this book seemed to be quite a bit meandering, very slow, and felt a bit direction less over all. I think if it had stayed that way I might have ended up with 3*, but the second half suddenly took up pace a lot, and things almost happened too fast. I was finally fully caught up in the story and breezed through it. So I'm happy to end with a very positive 4*.

All in all it was another delightful read, and I definitely want more main characters like these!

[Nancy D Miz-Firefly aka Sparky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I didn't enjoy the first one as I'd hoped; it was slow to take off and the author threw words around as if there were an award for "most unnecessary use of exposition in a single story." But the story eventually worked it's way around to a point where I was entertained, and I absolutely loved Fitz the dragonette. I wanted more Fitz, so I moved ahead hoping for a better read. That did not happen.

I was going to give this one 3 stars because there were a few things I liked, and leave a few words along the lines of.
"I wanted to like this book, but it does not work for me."
Quiet, nice, nonspecific.

I wasn't going to mention the s l o w as molasses in January pace. Or the lackluster, insipid, uninspired characters. Or the fear I had that I would be smothered beneath the colossal weight of her never ending paragraphs before she actually made a point. I wasn't even going to mention the the weaponized parenthesis, (seriously the grammar police need to rip the parenthesis keys right off her keyboard) until this happened;

— to anyone else who has arrived at the end of this supplementary note and finds themselves filled with ire at the author’s decision to siphon away a fair portion of tension from the proceeding scenes, I will remind you that there is inordinate value in comfort, in surety, in trust. Merely because something bears the description of ‘safe’ does not render it lacking in merit or importance. For some, there are greater truths to be found in love and friendship (and in the pursuit of such vaulted things) than in the pain and suffering so often lauded as necessary to lend shape and texture to the human experience.)

The above is an actual part of the story, heart to God.

Excuse me Ms. Olson, this is your baby. You get to tell it exactly as you wish. What you Do Not get to do is lecture me on how I should interpret any part of it. I decide what I think and and how I feel. And what I think right now is that I should have DNF'd the first one when the rest of the group did. And I feel that the one thing I can trust you to do is to bore the (expletive deleted) out of me, and eventually get around to things that will interest me long after I have stopped caring.

I could keep going, but I'll close with this. I hope we've both learned a little something from this experience. I have learned to trust the wisdom of my fellow McHalo's and hopefully the author now knows that, if she stays off her soapbox most disgruntled readers will not piss in her pool.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, I love this series. Miss Percy continues to be so relatable to me and I just love following her adventures. I pretty much felt the same way about this one as the last one but with one additional criticism. I’m not a big fan of a lot of traveling and there is quite a bit of that in this book. It still has a lot of the fun stuff too though, of course. The snark, the dragon-related shenanigans, all those things that I enjoyed in book 1 is also present in this one. The asides are mostly entertaining, though here and there I again felt like it was a little much. Overall, I do enjoy that structure though. 8 more days until I get my hands on the audiobook of the third book. I’m super excited!

[Chloe Frizzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming. Missing some of the sweeping triumphs of character development that the first one had.

[Jamedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5 stars)
Full text link (with images): https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/...

Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons (for the rest of the review, Travel Guide) is the great second book in the A Miss Percy Guide series by Quenby Olson. A good summary of what I pretend to say in this review is that Olson took the formula that made the first book great and funny, improved it, and crafted a perfect continuation. If you enjoyed the first instance of this series, you will love the second one.

We will be following Miss Percy, our lovely MC; Mr. Wiggan, and Mrs. Babbington on a crazy journey to discover the origins of Fitz in the Welsh badlands; as they discovered in the notes of Miss Percy's Uncle. Traveling with a growing dragon is obviously not an easy task, bringing several funny situations to our lovely characters; and adding some characters to our group of characters. In the background, we will follow the new adventures of Mr. Hawthorne and her new wife, Belinda, in the search of recovering what they consider their dragon (see book 1 for more details), always behind the steps of our main group.

If you loved the writing style in the Pocket Guide, fear no more, because all those aspects that made it a great book, and one that made you ostensively laugh, are replicated in the Travel Guide, even improved. The fourth wall is broken several times, hilarious situations where common objects are used as weapons also appear (cough, logs, cough), and the relationship between our main group of characters is also developed. And before I forget about it, there are plenty of explicative notes added in the style of the author for people who may find some fog in their memory.

And now, if you fear spoilers, I kindly recommend you to skip this section and advance to the next quote image (for Goodreads: skip two paragraphs), because being this a sequel, it's really difficult to avoid spoiling some aspects. The travel to this Nest of Dragons will not be easy, as Fitz starts behaving more like a winged cat, becoming more independent, having more adventures on his own, and bringing more problems to our group of characters, even being kidnapped and retained by a group of Welsh natives; which leads to a new addition to our lovely group, Owen, who will help them, becoming a second son for our pair and Mrs. Babbington. The relationship between Mildred and Claude (Mr. Wiggan) is more developed, softening readers' hearts, and bringing more memorable moments.

As you may notice, the title features the word Dragons, in plural, so yes, we will have more dragons apart from Fitz, and that will bring up one of my favourite moments while reading: the hatchling of a second dragon egg, in a Welsh castle, the birth of Morgen, and how Fitz behaves as her father, taking care of the egg until the hatchling and keeping Morgen safe.

In summary, this Travel Guide is the perfect continuation to Pocket Guide, which will delight all of those cozy fantasy lovers, but in my opinion improved, as some of the elements I didn't like as much from the first book are reduced, and those who I loved are improved. The ending is also great, letting the foundations for a future third book, Miss Percy's Definitive Guide (which I hope won't be the last); so I can't say more that if you want more tea and dragons, more adventures of our spinster and her peculiar group, just pick the Travel Guide as soon as you can, because you won't be disappointed.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first book but the overly verbose style didn't really work for me here - I'm not sure if it was more prominent or if it simply didn't suit the quest/roadtrip type of plot of this book but I found myself skipping whole paragraphs about a third way in. This is a 450 page book and I kept thinking how much nicer it would be at around half the size and without the constant repetition of qualifiers and asides in bracket after every line and thought of every character. I'm still somewhat invested - a fantasy with a romantic subplot with people over 40 who are not conventionally attractive is such a rare find I can't bring myself to leave it just yet - but I had a lot less fun with this one than I hoped.

[Sarah Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent sequel containing all the things I loved about the first book!

A brief rundown of the bits I love:

Mildred Percy is a great MC. She continues to find her strength in this book but still has realistic fears and anxieties.

The romance between her and Mr Wiggan continues to slowly grow & develop and it is wonderful to watch. (I can't remember the last I rooted for a straight couple this much 😅)

I continue to love the writing style with its many parentheses and tangents and humorous asides. (However, I recognise that this is very much aligning with my sense of humour and might not be for everyone.)

Dragons! Fitz continues to be an adorable and also troublesome delight. Plus, a couple of extra surprises 👀

There's also a very interesting development in the final few chapters that makes me even more intrigued to read the next book.

All in all, a great historical fantasy with fabulous characters and witty writing. And dragons! Definitely can't forget the dragons.

My thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[S. Bavey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was granted a digital arc of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review, for which I am very grateful. My opinions are my own.

Following on from Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons, the sequel, Miss Percy’s Travel Guide (to Welsh moors and feral dragons) continues the story of Miss Mildred Percy, her very good friend the vicar, Mr Wiggan, and his housekeeper, Mrs Babbinton as they embark on a quest to take Fitz, the rapidly growing dragon, in search of the place he may have originated. The quest takes them to deepest Wales, in search of the ‘Nest of Dragons’, seen on only one map, which may not actually exist. The reason for the quest is to try and figure out where in the world Fitz might belong, since he is increasing in size and now starting to breathe fire and attempt flying. It is also the story of a halting, heart-warming love story between Miss Mildred Percy and Mr Wiggan and the story of the ‘coming of age’ of a woman already ‘of a certain age’ as Miss Percy gains confidence, maternal instincts towards her charge, learns to stand up for herself and finds love – something she had almost given up on ever personally experiencing. This was my favourite aspect of the novel – the love story – despite the exciting presence of dragons (Yes, dragonS this time as may have become clear from the fact that there is a dragon on the cover who is definitely not Fitz). The way Mr Wiggan and Miss Percy act around each other and the manner in which they are almost magnetized, such that they find themselves moving closer together, without very much actually happening between them, is so very sweet.

The writing style is just as charming as the first book and the fourth wall is broken many many times, which is in turn both funny and occasionally confusing. A comedy of manners, there are often hilarious situations which arise due to the social mores of the time. Near the beginning of the narrative we have the trio awkwardly sharing a bedroom and trying to make sure decorum is maintained. These situations make for entertaining and often hilarious reading.

I really enjoy the unusual comparisons Olson often uses in her writing:

“Mrs. Babbinton had taken up a place on the side of the bed, her expression pinched and her posture pinched and everything about her figure displaying a desire to speak her mind along with an apparent reluctance to open her mouth and release the pinchedness into the air like a puff of spores from a squashed mushroom.“

“She had thought about trying to fit a creature made of nothing but appendages and spite into a crate before carrying him over one hundred miles of unfamiliar roads. And then she had swiftly pushed the thought away much like a child turning its nose up at a dish of mashed peas.”

“She stood with one hand holding the door, the other perched on her hip, giving her the silhouette of an ominous coffee pot.”

I also greatly admire the delicate explanations of even the most mundane actions:

“Mildred breathed. She always breathed, but this was the sort of fortifying breath that almost made her believe she could subsist on the occasional deep inhalation alone.”

This is so much more rewarding to read than the ubiquitous “letting out the breath she didn’t know she was holding” and made me want to jump up and down and shout “Bravo!” when I read it. If you are going to talk about breathing this is the way to do it!!

The companions are being followed on their quest by Miss Percy’s manipulative and not very likeable niece, Belinda, and her newly acquired husband Reginald Hawthorne (who has been facially scarred by Fitz). Mr Hawthorne believes Fitz ought to belong to him and is determined to make Miss Percy see reason on the matter. Everywhere they go, they find Miss Percy has made friends and found people eager to help her, due to her very likeable and kind nature, whereas they keep encountering setbacks. When the two parties collide in the final portion of the book the whole tone of the narrative changes significantly and becomes much more frantic and exciting.

Miss Percy’s Travel Guide (to Welsh moors and feral dragons) is a warm-hearted, cosy gem of a book, with some most unexpected surprises along the way. There is a cliffhanger at the end and I will be waiting eagerly for the next installment!

Miss Percy’s Travel Guide (to Welsh moors and feral dragons) will be available for purchase from Amazon on October 25, 2022.

[The Nerd Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m gonna give this one an 8.5 or 9/10. I still loved it quite a bit but a fair bit of it is a journey and while there was plenty going on during the crew’s journey to Wales to find more dragons a journey is a journey and at times it can slow things down. I will have a review episode out on my YT channel shortly.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters and we added a couple of new characters for this book that added to the group. I was especially fond of their Welsh hosts in the countryside.

I will say that I would have preferred to have read this book to listening on audiobook like I did with book 1 but when I saw this one on sale on Audible I had to snatch it up. Olson’s witty banter was a little difficult to follow while I was both sick(strep throat for the first time in over 20 years!) and turning compost in my tractor. I did find myself going back quite a bit so I made sure I didn’t miss anything. Book 3 will
Be out soon and I’ll definitely be reading a physical copy of it.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable sequel. Quite a bit more adventure and drama in this book, the world of dragons and magic is fully open. The Welsh countryside and people are beautifully and lovingly described. Overall the style is still wordy and drawn out (but improved over Vol.1). While I like the writing style, (parenthetical detailed descriptions, asides, tangential musings, and the like) it's too often possible to skip most, if not all, of a paragraph and not miss anything important. All in all I love the realistic portrayal of female characters, 'women of a certain age', and the rag-tag team Miss Percy has collected, and am looking forward to their next quest.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Percy and her entourage, which includes the young dragon Fitz, find themselves in the remote northwest of Wales, searching for Nyth y Ddraig, believed to translate into Nest of Dragons. Goal: To find other dragons or knowledge of some kind about the care, feeding, and raising of dragons. Alas, the journey encounters setbacks such as heavy rain washing out bridges and a young dragon setting fire to a chicken coop and a chicken or two. Villains abound, including ones following them from England. But help appears, and magic and dragons abound. While the no doubt happy ending is still a full volume away, requiring all to trek back to London, this had quite a nice collection of moments and new charaters - human and dragon - to entertain. I did find it dragged a bit at times, which had me drop my rating to 3.5 rounded down. I won't be waiting long to read the final book of the trilogy.

[Christine Sandquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute, very good! This series is perfect for fans of Marie Brennan's Lady Trent books.

[Rick Waugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Percy’s Guides to Dragons are brilliant fun. How so? Well, there’s not a lot of violence. There’s no intimate personal relations. The romance is subdued; there’s a couple of kisses, and some handholding. Magic is only a tiny portion of it.

Too often, those items are the story in modern fantasy. But not here. What we do have are wonderful characters. They’re not mighty swordsmen, they’re middle aged and older, with no magical powers. But…there are dragons.

Mildred Percy is a 40ish woman, unmarried. In Book 1, she inherited what turned out to be a dragon’s egg, which hatched, and caused considerable consternation. This forced Miss Percy to get out of her unhappy, sheltered life, in order to help Fitz, the dragon, the first dragon seen in public in the British Isles in a very long time. Fitz is, to say the least, a loose cannon.

In Book 2, the Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons, we see a continuation of the story. Mildred and her friends need to find a home for Fitz, as a small English village is not going to work for a large, fire breathing dragon. You could say they go on a bit of a quest, but it’s more like some very uncomfortable travel. There are ruffians, there are unruly family members, and a growing entourage of new friends and a few enemies that Miss Percy collects along the way.

These books are about people and relationships. The characters are normal folks trying their best in an impossible situation, failing, restarting, failing, restarting. You can just melt into their lives, and enjoy how they grow together.

These books are also about stellar prose. Most often in modern genre novels, the prose is very spare. The writers tell stories, and they paint pictures, but keep the writing itself very subdued. But Ms. Olson has taken the opposite route, going back to a time when sentences were full, rich with imagery, with simile, with witty asides. You’ll pause over particular phrases and roll them around in your mind, or simply laugh out loud at how good it is, and funny.

Highly recommended.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Miss Percy's Travel Guide (to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons)." If you read the first book in the Miss Percy's Guide series (Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons), you know how Miss Percy's life was turned upside down after she inherited a dragon's egg from her great uncle. Naturally, the egg decided to hatch (as dragon eggs are wont to do) and complications ensued.

I absolutely loved that book. She goes from being a 40-something spinster with no hope of ever having any romance or adventure in her life (resigned to living out her days as the primary caretaker for her younger sister's children) to getting a little bit of romance and starting an adventure.

In Miss Percy's Travel Guide, we see where that adventure takes her as she travels to the mountains of Wales in search of answers about Fitz's origins at the fabled Nyth y Ddraig or "Nest of Dragons."
This book has everything the first book had & more: more Miss Percy & Mr. Wiggan, more adventure, more chickens, more Fitz, more dragons (yes, plural!), more bad guys, and (yes!!!) even more romance. It even adds some magic and sheep (lots & lots & LOTS of sheep). It also has the marvelous humor and wit of the first book (and more of it (and cute dragons!)).

If you haven't read "Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons," read that first but be prepared to jump right in to Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons. If you enjoyed Miss Percy's Pocket Guide, get Miss Percy's Travel Guide, you won't regret it.

Highly recommended for fans of cozy fantasy and for fans of Regency romance who enjoy a dash of fantasy sprinkled on top. This was another 5-star read for me.

[Soffknight · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF à 50%
•
Bon bah deuxième déception du mois : j’avais été tellement emballée par le premier tome que la redescente est rude on va pas se mentir 🫠
•
Alors certes, quelques parenthèses amusantes, un pasteur avec qqs bons mots, un dragon un peu mims mais ✨TOTALEMENT✨ insuffisants mis bout à bout pour accrocher mon intérêt 😭
•
Et malheureusement une de mes hantises dans les livres c’est LA BALADE 😱 Genre quand les persos se promènent d’un point A à un point B et on attend qu’il leur arrive des bricoles sur le trajet plus ou moins passionnantes (voir disons le franchement, carrément intéressantes au possible 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️) Déso mais qqn qui tombe d’un muret et qui ouloulou se coupe la main au jour 2 du voyage ça me passionne pas. Bref c’est long et on prie à chaque changement de chapitre que cette BALADE CESSE ENFIN (ptet que ce sera le cas à un moment ou un autre du livre mais déso j’ai trop la flemme de continuer pour arriver à ce moment 🤷🏼‍♀️)
•
Ensuite, une Mildred décevante au possible 😭 Alors que j’avais bcp aimé ce perso dans le tome 1 et que j’avait hâte de suivre son évolution, ici, on régresse totalement et on tourne en boucle dans sa tête sur « Je suis une vieille fille, je ne mérite pas d’être une aventurière » 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ Alors qu’elle ait des doutes je veux bien, mais VRAIMENT MEUF tu as littéralement un dragon de compagnie, viens on essaye de kiffer un peu et on arrête de m’assener tous les 3 phrases que tu as 40 ans et que tu es pas sûre de toi parce que si je jure J’AVAIS COMPRIS
•
Enfin, vraiment pour la représentation des quarantenaires on repassera 🤣 Deso mais en lisant ces 200 premières pages on a vraiment l’impression qu’à 40 ans ta vie est finie et que tu es grabataire c’est pas possible 😱 À ce niveau-là ce n’est plus être « pas très en forme », c’est l’Ehpad direct en fait hein 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Nils Ödlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon request, the author kindly provided an Advance Review Copy of her book (without a final cover image, as such an image is not yet available, which is why no cover is shared with this review), with the understanding that a review would be appreciated, but in no way required, and that the content of said review would be left to the full discretion of the reviewer (that’s me). It should be noted, in the unlikely event doubt exists, that the author referred to in the previous sentence is not in fact Miss Mildred Percy herself, but the esteemed Mrs. Olson.

Now that that’s been adequately mentioned and any questions pertaining to this reviewer’s (me again) impartiality certainly laid to rest, let’s proceed to addressing this reviewer’s (still me) thoughts on the book in question.

To begin with, I shall state that readers who enjoyed the previous installment in this series (Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide (to the care and feeding of British dragons)), are highly likely, bordering on guaranteed, to enjoy this book too. Consequently, readers who did not enjoy the first book (here is where I, in a rare moment of restraint, refrain from describing such readers’ many and significant shortcomings with respect to their understanding of quality entertainment and art (or in fact anything that brings joy to life) in great and scathing detail) will not enjoy it, should they somehow suffer under the misconceptions that more of the same thing they didn’t enjoy would somehow be enjoyable.

The book starts with Miss Percy, Mr. Wiggan, Mrs. Babbinton, and Fitz making their way through a rain soaked Wales to find the place where they believe dragons might originate from. Then, as there is won’t to be, there are complications. Chickens catch fire (or are at least somewhat singed), someone has a piece of firewood delivered at high speed to the back of their head, and dastardly villains (Mrs. Belinda Hawthorne (formerly Miss Muncy) is a most despicable individual, whom it would not pose a challenge to describe in ways ill suited for civilized company) pursue our unknowing heroes.

Much tea is sipped.

It should be noted that despite being very similar in tone and style to the previous book, Miss Percy’s Travel Guide (to Welsh moors and feral dragons) tells a new story that builds on the previous one. New challenges arise and are (mostly) overcome, new characters attach themselves to the chain of events (as well as to the reader), and existing characters find themselves growing into their future selves, for better or for worse.

WHAT I'LL WHINE ABOUT
Just like with the previous book, the fourth wall gets broken with alarming regularity (someone may need enquire about the contact information for a reputable carpenter so as to ensure the entire building doesn’t come down), and while it’s mostly quite enjoyable, it does occasionally disrupt the flow of the narrative to the extent that this reviewer (yep, still me) found himself backtracking in order to regain a sense of how or where a sentence had initially originated.

WHAT I'LL GUSH ABOUT
It’s the sequel to Miss Percy! It’s the sequel to Miss Percy! It’s the sequel to Miss Percy! It’s the sequel to Miss Percy! It’s the sequel to Miss Percy!

Ahem…

More of the same: This book takes all that was good, fun, and delightful in the previous installment and turns it up a notch (or in the case of Mrs. Hawthorn (who was none of that – rather the opposite), down). It’s cozy, charming, and full of warm, living characters one wouldn’t mind traveling through Wales (or through most anything, assuredly) with.

Our main character: We’re getting closer to an aging spinster who’s broken free from the figurative shackles of her sister, and we’re allowed to join her on the adventure she never expected to have, but secretly dreamed of (except in the dreams it wasn’t quite as much rain, mud, or walking – not to mention rattling around in uncomfortable carts).

The writing: The attentive reader may recall that this reviewer (why, hello, it’s me again), in his review of the previous book attempted (with questionable success) to emulate the style of said book. Any reader who’s penetrated the above text to reach this point (thank you kindly) will have concluded that a similar attempt is being made with this review (no, not me, the text you’re reading), and will no doubt realize that this reviewer (yes, this time it’s me) is just as enamored with the prose as last time.

FINAL WORDS
If you enjoyed Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide (to the care and feeding of British dragons), you will enjoy this book too.

Miss Percy’s Travel Guide (to Welsh moors and feral dragons) will be available for purchase from Amazon on October 25, 2022.

[Taaya]

DNFd at 37%

Even with skipping most of the parentheses, this book just cost too much energy to read.

I usually like slow-paced books, but usually slow-paced books use their slow pace to do character work. To form relationships both between the characters and between the characters and the reader.

The only character we get an in-depth psychological summary of here is Miss Percy - and almost all that is being shown of her here has already been said in Book 1, more than once. I'm even sympathetic to her feeling overwhelmed and to her having been exploited all her life and finally being somewhat able to breathe freely now - if only the future wouldn't be as unsure as it is. But I don't need to be reminded of that every five minutes.

And really, the thing that I came into this book series for - the actual STUDYING of dragons - only takes place in the few quotes of books the protagonist will have written someday in the future, that we get at the beginning of each chapter.

That also takes away from the plot, as we KNOW she'll find more dragons and will be able to study them. So if we know the end and that we won't get what at least I came here for (as a sucker for Lady Trent's memoirs), what use is there to read on for one usually reads to learn how an adventure ends.

Anyway, there's no way I'll make it through another 600+ pages until the end of the story, as I've also learned that this book doesn't end with any sort of closure to a plot to only leave open the chance of another, unrelated adventure. So, yeah, that was the point when I gave up.

[Noor Al-Shanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Percy's Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons is the second in the Miss Percy Guide series and so I went into it knowing what to expect and I read it right now because I specifically wanted the comforting, but still adventurous kind of story that I had experienced in book 1. This second installment didn't disappoint. It has the same beloved characters and the same cozy vibe I was craving, but it also has a change of scene and pace as Miss Percy travels through Wales.

When I say cozy some people might imagine that nothing happens, but this is far from the truth. I actually found it to be a page-turner and ended up finishing it much faster than I had intended!

Mildred and the other key characters from book 1 are here, but this book also expands the cast to include quite a few new characters, some of whom I have grown to love already.

It's hard to review a book I loved so much without spoiling things so I won't go into too many details. Especially where it's book 2 in a series. I will say, though, that this is one of few books I read where I want to eventually buy a physical copy - when I have the space/money for a physical library it will be one of the first few books in that library.

In short, it's an excellent second installment and I absolutely can't wait for the next book in the series. Check it out! (After reading book 1, of course!)

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25 stars - rounded up (even though I know that's not at all how rounding works). Still an excellent read, but it was lacking just a little of the magic from the first volume. The author has a very strong voice, and while it still worked for me, I noticed it a lot more this time around. I can see how other readers might think it's too much.

I spent months trying to get through the first 150 or so pages. The writing and characters were still delightful, but there was something about the plot that struggled to hold my attention. I'm not a big fan of traveling stories where the cast meets setback after setback - and that's kind of what we got. A few days ago I finally decided to push through my apathy and I'm very glad I did.

We finally make it to some sympathetic new friends and things really take off from there. I'm so excited to pick up the last (?) book later this summer, since it ended on quite the cliff hanger. The villains get quite a bit more dastardly, and I went from finding them annoying to genuine hatred. A few bits of characterization in the climax frustrated me, because it seemed to negate a lot of the growth Mildred has made though out the series, but the last chapter set things out on a better path. There is a lot of room for things to develop, and I'm curious which direction the author will take.

[Ladysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75⭐️

Une bonne petite lecture pour ce second tome ! J’ai trouvé ça un peu peu long que le premier notamment sur la première partie ce qui m’a fait avancer doucementttt dans ma lecture au début 😬

Mais on repart sur un meilleur rythme dans la seconde partie et même si le schéma reste à peu près le même que le premier tome c’était très sympa à lire 🙂‍↕️ j’aime toujours autant ce petit trio et les différentes personnes qu’ils rencontrent sur leur chemin 🫶🏻

Belinda vraimenttttt 🚮🚮 Y’a des persos qu’on ne peut juste pas aimer, je ne la sens pas depuis le début du tome 1 mais alors c’est de pire en pire 😬

Je le redis mais j’aime toujours autant le fait qu’on suive des persos de 40-50 ans ça change vraiment et c’est rafraîchissant ! Protégez Mildred, Claude et Fitz 🥹💚

Une histoire cozy, qui prend son temps avec quelques péripéties et qui est toujours agréable à lire. Je lirais avec plaisir le dernier tome de la trilogie qui sort cet été ! 🥰

[Julia Marcum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one case that I like the sequel even more than the debut!! 😍 Such delightful storytelling, equal parts cozy and riveting. There were lots of “travel sequences” in this book, which made it feel like much more of an adventure. I love the sweet adoration between Mildred(Miss Percy) and Claude(Mr. Wiggan), and how they lean on each other through the insanity they go through in this book. Also, I think i said this in my review of the last book, but I HATE Belinda more than I think I’ve ever hated a character. The actual worst. So glad the third book comes out in just a couple weeks cause this ending was ROUGH and I need more 😂

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have fallen so in love with this series!

Its very cozy, with some really great characters especially Mildred. She really is fantastic is really coming into her own as this series progresses. There where a couple of things in the ending that I definitely didn't expect and I hope there are plenty more volumes in this series so that I can continue in this world with a ragtag but hilarious group of characters

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much 2nd person

I really enjoy the story. What brought this rating down to three stars is the incessant commentary to the reader. I don’t want explanations. I’ve read the first book. I understand how a book series works. Don’t tell me what happened, don’t offer explanations extrapolating motivations from the first book. Just tell the story. I will begin book 3, but will probably abandon it if the author aside commentary continues.

[Janell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoy the further adventures of Mildred, Mr. Wiggin, Mrs. Babbington, and Fitz the dragon (along with companions acquired along the way (and a delightful plethora of parenthetical asides)) as they head across Wales in search of Nyth y Ddraig, a notation on a map that surely has something to do with dragons? 6 out of of 5 stars.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Just as wholesome as the first, and with that ending I need the last installment now!

[Dan Kenkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a very enjoyable series so far. I am looking forward to the next installment.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my word, the adventure continues and you know it's good writing when you are possessed of a visceral and abiding hatred of a character. Can't wait for the conclusion to the trilogy!

[Andy Klein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry but I had to abandon this book. Too slow and boring.