The Dark Lord's Daughter

The Dark Lord's Daughter

Patricia C. Wrede

Penguin Random House, 2023

368 pages

Grades 3-7

Fantasy

Kayla is at the State Fair with her adopted mother Riki and brother Del when the small group is whisked off to another realm. They are greeted by a stranger named Waylan, who informs them that they are in the magical land of Zaradwin and that Kayla is the heir to the dark throne. She was sent to another place (present earth) by her aunts and it was her late father's wish that his trusted knight Waylan find his offspring and deliver her back to her fulfill her destiny. All of the modern technologies have been converted to other things and Kayla's tablet is now a strange animal familiar, who helps her to navigate this strange new land. The small party journeys to the castle, picking up others along the way, and eventually reach their destination, only to find it in a dilapidated shape. Kayla is introduced to other members of the family, that she didn't know existed, as well as other castle and town folks. She learns who to trust as she taps into her magic and figures out how best to proceed. Should Kayla be as evil as her father in order to hold onto power? How can she prove herself to the rest of the kingdom? Most of all, will Kayla and her family ever return home?

Here is a welcome new title from fantasy geru Wrede of Dealing with Dragons fame. Much like in her other titles, Wrede offer a strong female protagonist, lots of magical elements, and gentle humor infused with the action to lighten the mood. And yes--there are dragons, though not the fly-through-the-air traditional types. Young readers will enjoy fantasizing about their own lives if they were also transported to a magical world, where they inherit the Dark Throne. Kayla puts her own spin on the title and has the presence of mind to stay true to herself even though there are expectations on all sides pressuring her about the next step. The premise alone will draw in readers and make the story instantly relatable. My complaints are that there a lot of characters to keep straight and the story felt a bit long. The journey to the castle seemed like a completely different book from Kayle's adventures once at the castle. This story could serve as a stand-alone or a series starter, in which case maybe it could have been broken up into two adventures. I like that there are mysteries to be solved, such as the identity of Kayla's birth mother. Readers will love to fantasize about their own "dark" adventures and maybe look around for their own knights to whisk them away to their own dark destinies.