By Nico
Kayla is expecting today to be normal. After all, she goes to the state fair with her mom and younger brother every year—what’s going to be different today? But that’s before a mysterious, peculiar man slips them into another world filled with danger and magic.
All Kayla and her family wants is to go home as soon as possible—but that may be far trickier than she’s bargained for. Because Kayla was been brought to this strange world for a reason: her late father was a powerful Dark Lord. And everyone expects her to be his successor—a position that might hold Kayla’s only shot at getting home.
As Kayla navigates a castle full of secretive relatives with dubious loyalties and a bevy of nasty Dark Lord Traditions—including frequent beheadings, waging wars, and absolutely atrocious clothing—she must decide: can she be a new kind of Dark Lady? And if she can’t, will they ever make it home?
Patricia C. Wrede (also the author of one of my all-time favorite books, Dealing with Dragons) crafts a clever, lighthearted, and quirky spoof on classic fantasy stories perfect for fans of other quirky twists on tropes like Saving Fable and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. I really like the reimagining of all the classic Dark Lord tropes from the point of view of someone expected to live up to them—Kayla’s utter confusion in the initial scenes when people keep asking her if she’s going to behead them made me truly connect with her character. The worldbuilding was excellent, a mix of classic fantasy and unique details that brought it to life, and Kayla’s slow discovery of its various aspects never felt forced or contrived. I highly recommend The Dark Lord’s Daughter to readers ages nine and up who like fantasy books with lots of twists and humor.
Kayla is expecting today to be normal. After all, she goes to the state fair with her mom and younger brother every year—what’s going to be different today? But that’s before a mysterious, peculiar man slips them into another world filled with danger and magic.
All Kayla and her family wants is to go home as soon as possible—but that may be far trickier than she’s bargained for. Because Kayla was been brought to this strange world for a reason: her late father was a powerful Dark Lord. And everyone expects her to be his successor—a position that might hold Kayla’s only shot at getting home.
As Kayla navigates a castle full of secretive relatives with dubious loyalties and a bevy of nasty Dark Lord Traditions—including frequent beheadings, waging wars, and absolutely atrocious clothing—she must decide: can she be a new kind of Dark Lady? And if she can’t, will they ever make it home?
Patricia C. Wrede (also the author of one of my all-time favorite books, Dealing with Dragons) crafts a clever, lighthearted, and quirky spoof on classic fantasy stories perfect for fans of other quirky twists on tropes like Saving Fable and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. I really like the reimagining of all the classic Dark Lord tropes from the point of view of someone expected to live up to them—Kayla’s utter confusion in the initial scenes when people keep asking her if she’s going to behead them made me truly connect with her character. The worldbuilding was excellent, a mix of classic fantasy and unique details that brought it to life, and Kayla’s slow discovery of its various aspects never felt forced or contrived. I highly recommend The Dark Lord’s Daughter to readers ages nine and up who like fantasy books with lots of twists and humor.
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