Me gusto más que la ciudad de las bestias y me deja ansiosa por leer la 3era parte y conclusión de la saga de Águila y Jaguar.
Me encanto la historia de Dill Bahadur y su maestro Tensing se gano mi corazón, insisto en que al leer estos libros se debe considerar que son aventuras fantásticas en un principio pensadas para niños y adolescentes que aun asi son fácilmente adaptables para cualquier edad siempre y cuándo uno este abierto a lo que va leer.

Una historia muy blanca e imaginativa donde incluso las leyendas pueden volverse realidad y donde nada es imposible. Allende me gusta mucho y con estas historias la reafirmó como mi escritora favorita.

El único pero que le pongo a este libro es el Personaje de Judit bastante predecible.

Es un libro que hace años quería leer, luego de haber terminado la ciudad de las bestias, la lectura es ligera, atrapan te y entretenida, el conflicto sobre querer ser el hombre más rico del mundo, el secretismo del especialista, la descripción del reino prohibido, la inspiración de los lamas, el príncipe y el pueblo. Y como siempre la valentía de Jaguar y el águila ♥️
Ameeeee
Solo por unos peques detalles le doy 4,5/5

Leía estos libros la primera vez cuando era niño y eran mis favoritos para muchos años. Los estoy leyendo otra vez los ultimos días, y me encantan mucho todavía (:

House of Spirits has been on my “To Read” list forever so when this Allende book showed up in my neighborhood Little Free Library, I picked it up. It is the second book in a young adult trilogy. That didn’t seem to matter as the recurring characters & their relationships get fleshed out as the story progresses without detracting from this tale. However, I’m not sure this is a book that would have interested my kids.

The story is an easy read, but the tone is odd. The topics were sometimes a bit advanced for younger kids but the writing seemed condescending at times, making me wonder if Allende has any experience with children. There was also misplaced idealism combined with stereotyping: the residents of the Forbidden Kingdom are all happy-happy noble souls, the Yeti have degenerated into war-like troglodytes, and the Indians are dirty, or colonial relics, or members of an evil Kali-worshipping sect.

And I guess that became a sticking point for me. The Forbidden Kingdom (I thought of Bhutan, though it is never named) is presented as being advanced due to its embrace of ecological stewardship, an enlightened Buddhist king, and its renunciation of modern trappings. Yet, it is belittled (perhaps not deliberately): the selling of empty tin cans/plastic bottles in the marketplace, the young people protesting the bans on modern clothing & music, the naïveté of the people. This inconsistency of writing came through in other way. Kate Cold is supposed to be so respectful of other cultures yet is presented as incredibly culture-insensitive. Nadia, one of the main characters of the series, has an eagle for her totem animal yet is afraid of heights. She also carries a monkey from the Amazon through US Customs, and immediately on to New Delhi — in a shoebox, no less. The crown prince has been living in isolation with a Buddhist monk, in a country without modern technology yet accepts help from two strangers & a GPS unit in accessing a forbidden chamber. The list goes on; the author contradicts herself and makes changes in order to tell her story.

On the other hand, it was an easy read and it won’t deter me from trying out some of Allende’s adult books, if only to find out if the bad writing was a result of someone who wasn’t comfortable writing for young people.

«L'unica cosa certa è che a questo mondo tutto cambia in continuazione. Il cambiamento è inevitabile, dato che è tutto transitorio. Tuttavia, a noi esseri umani costa molto modificare la nostra essenza ed evolvere a uno stato superiore della coscienza. Noi buddhisti crediamo sia possibile cambiare grazie alla nostra volontà, se siamo convinti di una verità, ma nessuno può obbligarci a farlo.»

“Il Regno del Drago d’oro” è il secondo romanzo della trilogia per ragazzi di Isabel Allende.
Questa volta Nadia e Alex (per gli amici, Aquila e Giaguaro), insieme alla spedizione dell’International Geographic, viaggiano nel Regno Proibito, tra le vette dell’Himalaya. Qui devono affrontare i pericolosissimi uomini della Setta dello Scorpione, oltre che smascherare lo Specialista, in missione per il Collezionista, un uomo ricco e potente con l’intenzione di rubare la statua del Drago d’oro. Il futuro del Regno dipende quindi dal coraggio dei due amici, che sul loro cammino incontreranno gli yeti, ma faranno amicizia anche con l’erede al trono Dil Bahadur e il suo maestro buddhista Tensing.

Una meravigliosa storia di amicizia, avventura, incontri fra culture diverse e realismo magico.

Behold ladies and gentlemen! My thirtieth review on Goodreads!

(Alexander Cold and his best friend, Nadia, the heroes of Allende's City Of the Beasts, are reunited in a new adventure. This time, Alexander's fearless grandmother and International Geographic are taking them to another remote niche of the world -- a forbidden kingdom tucked into the frosty peaks of the Himalayas. Their task: to locate its fabled Golden Dragon, a sacred statue and priceless oracle, before it is destroyed by the greed of an outsider.

With the aid of a sage Buddhist monk, his young royal disciple, and a fierce tribe of Yeti warriors, and armed with the power of their totemic animal spirits, Alexander and Nadia fight to protect the holy rule of the Golden Dragon.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads

I was really surprised by how much character growth was not only carried over from the first one, but also by how much new growth there actually was. For example, in addition to Alex being a lot more confident and his grandmother being a lot kinder to him, some of the more minor characters (like Alex's sisters) also got some character development following the first book's events. Not only that, but it's also revealed that Nadia doesn't very much care for luxury and is content with only having a few possessions.

Speaking of that, I really liked what this novel did with Nadia's character. In addition to giving the reader some new information about her (such as her aforementioned dislike of luxury), but other elements of her character also get explored as well (like her questioning why her totemic animal is an Eagle despite her having a fear of heights).

I also think the pacing was improved. Not only was it more consistent than the first, but it was also just a tad bit quicker.

Tunkhala was interesting. It's a fictional country that's a hodge-podge of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, English, and American culture and I really liked how the novel subtly weaved in how the hodge-podge came to be. In short, ideas and physical things were basically imported by outsiders and residents (the Western cultural aspects illegally so via the University students smuggling it in to avoid bans on Western culture), but became tailored to fit the needs and interests of the people. This in part is what made the country feel more believable and lived in.

I loved Tensing and Dil Bahadur, the prince. So they have this mentor/student dynamic, but despite that, Tensing (the mentor), really cares for Dil, to the point where he views him as a son. I also enjoyed some of the banter they had. Tensing himself was pretty cool too. He's this seven foot, musclebound monk that prefers peace, but when pressed, can absolutely kick some ass. That's hilarious and cool at the same time. On top of that, Tensing isn't killed off, which is something that I was really expecting given how common it is in a lot of stories featuring a student and mentor. I'll admit, it's a pretty cool twist.

I'll give the novel credit, it's way less preachy this time around, especially when it comes to the theme of environmentalism. For example, instead of having paragraphs long diatribes, they're details that only take up maybe one to two sentences, such as the hunting grounds being converted into a nature preserve long ago.

There's a part in chapter eight that goes, "Along the way they drove past monks and nuns of all ages, some no more than five or six years old, all with their bowls for begging food." I legitimately don't know what this sentence is trying to say, especially that last part. Is it trying to say "all with their bowls for bringing food.", is it trying to say, "all with their bowls that they use to beg for food.", or is it trying to say, "all with their bowls used to bring back food to their homes."? Much like with the first novel, I read the English version, so I assume this is on the translator. But that just raises the question. How did this slide?

I was not exactly a fan of The Collector. His motivation can be chalked up to "Super rich guy who wants more money." No deeper reason as to why, no nuance in the way he acts. Honestly, he feels like something out of a poorly made kid's cartoon. Now the villains in the first book didn't have that much nuance either, but the book made the reader guess as to who the villain was going to be and the actual villains were very good at hiding their true colors (especially from the other characters) until a certain point.

In chapter nineteen, Judit Kinski is revealed to be the Specialist, who is working with Tex Armadillo, The Sect of The Scorpion (a.k.a the Blue Warriors) and The Collector to steal the Golden Dragon. I really don't like this twist. Like, the twist of having the seemingly friendly female side character working for other characters was already done in the first book, so I was already expecting something like this to happen. Heck, this twist even happens at nearly the exact same point as it did in the first one, with that one being revealed in chapter seventeen and this one in chapter nineteen. Not only that, but the first one did this twist so much better in part because it kept the reader guessing as to who the villain was going to be. This book's version of the twist also comes out of nowhere. Seriously, there is no prior indication that this was a possibility, unlike the first one that gave a subtle hint or two that it was. In other words, this twist is a poorly done rehash.

While on the subject of chapter nineteen,there's one thing in this chapter that I just don't understand. So Tensing, Dil, Nadia, and Alex all swoop in when the king is shot by Tex Armadillo. Alex is described as being "...inadequately armed with the wood staff the prince had lent him..." But here's the problem. At this point in the novel, it's clearly shown that Alex is more than capable of transforming into a black jaguar (his totemic animal) at will. So why doesn't he do that in this situation? There's no real reason given as to why that option is closed off to him and in this situation, the jaguar would be more than useful. I mean, sure jaguars aren't as strong or big as lions or tigers, but they can still really hold their own. They have sharp claws, can run at up to fifty miles an hour, can climb trees and cross bodies of water with ease, are still muscular despite not being as big as lions or tigers, and their jaws are strong enough to pierce the scaly hide of a caiman and crush their skulls. This part is a prime example of what I like to call a Morph, You Idiot! Moment, a moment where a character with shapeshifting abilities can easily just morph to resolve an issue or issues, but for no good reason, doesn't.

Overall, Kingdom of the Golden Dragon is a solid adventure story with some great characters and in some ways, is a step up from the first, but in other ways, is more flawed than the first.

Overall Grade: B-

Flat, onedimensional characters, brimming with cliches about Asia.

Segundo livro da saga. Pronta para ler o terceiro.

Well. This was a pleasant little children's book. On the copy I read there was a quote from Literary Review 'The kind of accomplishment to show dressers that there's more to life than Harry Potter'. Really?! God. Harry Potter is far from the best thing ever but what a stupid statement. This book was average at best. Perhaps there was something lost in translation. It didn't quite deliver. It left me full but unsatisfied. Maybe it's because it's a children's book, they often leave me feeling like I've missed out on something. I found some aspects of this book a little ridiculous - I dislike when authors change a persons character for just a moment, to suit their needs. Fantasy is well and good but when you are in the realm of the ordinary, you must stay within it. Quick little read, recommend to any who want something light but interesting.

Στο δεύτερο μέρος από τις Αναμνήσεις του Ιαγουάρου και του Αετού αυτή τη φορά μεταφερόμαστε στο Βασίλειο του Χρυσού Δράκοντα, σε μια εξιδανικευμένη έκδοση του Μπουτάν, της μικρής χώρας ανάμεσα στο Θιβέτ και την Ινδία, όπου πολλά από όσα αναφέρονται ωστόσο για την μικρή αυτή χώρα είναι παρμένα από την πραγματικότητα.
Η ιστορία χάνει λίγο σε ενδιαφέρον, συγκριτικά με τις άλλες δύο της τριλογίας, ίσως επειδή οι Γέτι (παρότι ευρηματικά χιουμοριστική η απεικόνισή τους) φαίνονται σαν επανάληψη των Θηρίων. Το πρώτο κεφάλαιο, με την περιπλάνηση του δασκάλου και του μαθητή-διάδοχου θρόνου, είχε πολλή ζωντάνια και σε μετέφερε εκεί, στα κρύα, χιονισμένα Ιμαλάια. Μετά, δεδομένου βέβαια ότι δεν παύει να είναι εφηβική λογοτεχνία, η ιστορία δεν έχει και κάτι το ιδιαίτερο να δώσει (δεν έχει κάτι το χαρακτηριστικό της Αλιέντε) αλλά γενικά ικανοποιεί με το καλό τέλος.
In the second book of the trilogy Memories of the Eagle and the Jaguar, we are transported to the kingdom of the Golden Dragon, an idealized version of Bhutan, the small country between Tibet and India, where much of what is said about, is taken from reality.
The story loses a bit of interest, compared to the other two in the trilogy, maybe because the Yeti people (although their depiction is ingeniously humorous) seem like a repeat of the Beasts. The first chapter, with the wandering of the teacher and the student-crown prince, had a lot of life and it was bringing us there, in the cold, snowy Himalayas. Then of course, since it still is teen literature, the story doesn't have anything special to offer (it doesn't have something characteristic of Allende) but it generally satisfies with a good ending.

El primero: La ciudad de las bestias.

Es una novela escrita por la escritora chilena Isabel Allende. En el 2002 es un libro para lectores adolescentes pero creo que se acomoda perfecto a toda edad. No solo por la calidad de la aventura que se vive en ella, si no porque muestra realidades de otras culturas y como el tener un corazón limpio te permite entrar en un nivel de percepción diferente.

Es la primera parte de la trilogía Las memorias del Águila y el Jaguar. Las otras partes son El reino del dragón de oro y El bosque de los pigmeos.


Confesión 1: había leído otro libro de esta autora cuando estaba estudiando y me pareció demasiado político y ofensivo. Pero después de leer esto, vi el otro lado, el más abierto y menos interno. Y me gustó.


El Segundo: El reino del dragón de oro.

No podría empezar mejor. El Valle de los Yetis, es el primer capitulo y de entrada te llena de una mezcla de cultura real, sobrenatural y mística. Los lectores frecuentes de mi blog, sabrán que me siento especialmente fascinada por este tipo de culturas, creencias y aspectos de los que llevan una vida que prioriza el hecho de que somos espíritu ante que cualquier otra cosa. Los siguientes capítulos van entre raptos, tradiciones, problemas sociales, diferencias de idiosincrasia, estafas, luchas de poder y amor. Mucho amor. Y no solo amor de pareja, amor de varios tipos y en distintos grados.

Confesión 2: publíquese, archívese y anótese, este libro paso ha ser uno de mis favoritos. La combinación realidad espiritual y la práctica de la misma en lenguaje simple, cercano y empático, ha hecho de él, uno de mis queridos.

Lamentablemente tuve que devolverlos jaja y no pude sacar las fotos correspondientes, pero les deje las imágenes. Se nos viene “La Suma De Los Días” y ese es otro tema, ajaj.Pero les adelanto: me he pillado riendo en la micro con algunos de sus temas.

I actually read this book in Spanish and I just couldn't put it down. At first I didn't know it was a second book from a series and had no clue it was her youth books, and yet I found it refreshing. The story of Nadia and Alexander and how their adventures take place was really nice, with insight into lives we couldn't imagine with very little delicacy but a huge impact. Definitely, a good read.