This story was a lot deeper than I expected it to be.

Young Clementine is the daughter and heir of her father, The Dark Lord Elithor. Dark Lords are meant to cause ciaos and inflict terror on the people that live one their land. It is expected of every Dark Lord in the realm if they wish to remain in their position.

Because of a curse set on The Dark Lord Elithor by a witch, he becomes unable to manage the upkeep on the manor or perform their quota dastardly deeds. It falls onto Clementine to make sure that things run as smoothly as they can until her father finds a way to break the curse.

Along the way, Clementine develops friendships (something that she was taught was unbecoming for a Dark Lord) and discoveries her own type of magic. A magic she knows her father wouldn't approve of. But when that magic might be the only way to saving her friends, she might not have a choice.

Very cute, dark lord in training.
But it was also missing some character growth and get to know Clemetine more along the story.

I absolutely loved this tongue-in-cheek tale of an antiheroine finding her place in the world. A satisfying read, but I still wanted more!

I've been obsessed with the name 'Clementine' ever since I watched 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'... anyway, that has nothing to do with the book, really. I loved the characters and the plot in this one. A great middle grade read.

Dark Lord Clementine is the story of a girl raised to be a Dark Lord, basically a black mage tyrant, by her father, who comes from a long line of Dark Lords. But as her father comes down with a mysterious ailment and Clementine is left managing the castle on her own, she starts to wonder whether darkness is really the direction she wants to go in. It was definitely an entertaining read, but it felt like the narrative had some trouble building up steam. This book was enjoyable but I think it could have been a much stronger story if given more time to develop.

Really liked the cover, liked the tongue-in-cheek narration. I would give it to kids who enjoyed Harry Potter. ("Imagine if Draco reconsidered the Death Eater lifestyle...")

This was SUCH dark and fun book! I feel like had I read this when I was around the age demographic this book is geared towards it would have been a favorite for sure! I love that its almost Peter Pan-like with the group of town boys that come to visit and learn how to be knights. And no matter how much everyone wants to loath Clementine they eventually end up becoming her biggest fans because while she tries and tries to be evil, she cant help but do the right thing in the end.

I also was reminded a bit of Despicable Me in that it is such a loveable villain story. I loved Clementine from the very first page and all the way through to the end you could tell she didn't wnt to be lonely and shut off from the world. She wanted to be a part of everything but she also wanted to please her father. That struggle kept her from really following her heart, until she realized that maybe her father wouldn't get better and at that point she must do whatever she can to get by and if thats with the help of others then so be it!

Such a great book with an excellent moral in the end. I would highly recommend this book to people of all ages!

4.5 stars

I demand to know where books like these were when I was a kid! This was so much fun—humor, dark lords and unicorns, a young protagonist with Goals and Things to Do, and a whole lot of quirky adventures.

Humor: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Setting: ★★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★

As the sole heir of the infamous Dark Lord Elithor, 12-year-old Clementine Morcerous has been groomed since birth to be the best (worst?) Evil Overlord she can be. This includes Dastardly Deeds, general rules about Evildoing from the Council of Dark Lords, and more.

Who knew the life of a Dark Lord could be so...whimsical?

Clementine, our young protagonist, is upset to discover that one day her father seems to be...chipping away. As if his body parts are being whittled down by some exterior force. At first, she's not concerned. Her father is often cursed by the other Dark Lords, that's par for the course in the Council. But usually those events are...flashier. More direct. And not a months on end process that her father actually seems to be losing.

What's a girl to do, besides get to the bottom of it?

With Clementine, her grimoire-turned-rogue-chicken "Gricken," a knight-in-training village boy, and a unicorn hunter in hiding, things are about to get INTERESTING.

My thoughts:
I loved this story. For a middle grade novel, this was packed with humor, sophisticated language, and a lot of relevant moral messaging for kids and adults alike.

Clementine was a fantastic main character. I enjoyed the side characters, even as they were more trope-y and filled their humor niches. You always need some predictable comedic relief!

Honestly, I'm running out of things to say besides... I loved it all. If you like humor, fantasies that don't take themselves too seriously, and books that are more character-driven as opposed to plot-driven, check this one out!

Thank you to Algonquin for Young Readers for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I actually struggle a bit with writing this review, since I do not have very many thoughts on it.

I guess it was an okay read, and I can see why younger readers would like it. But to me most of the ‘action’ scenes felt very mild, I guess. They were all very short and not too exciting, but I think that is also partly because I’m older then the targeted audience.

We follow Clementine, who is trying to save her father. It feels a bit weird how much she loves him, because the book doesn’t give us any reason to like her father. But along the way of trying to save him, we do meet an interesting cast of characters, I especially liked the black sheep! Lots of good friendships are developed in this story. We also she Clementine learning quite a bit about magic, and what she can do with it, which gives her some nice character development!

really do think this is a good book for younger readers! With all the short action scenes, it is very fast-paced, it has good characters, nice friendships and a good moral!

There is adventure, there is action, there is hurt/comfort, there is hope and there is hopelessness. Above all of this, there is the chance for something has never gotten before: unconditional love.

This book has the capacity to take you through the gambit if you let it.

I sincerely hope that you let it.

SO MUCH FUN! This is perfect for readers who really like villains that are super light on the “villain”! It’s charming, funny, and so tender! I did NOT expect to love it as much as I did, and appreciate the messages of found family and standing up for your true self. This is like a warm, slightly magic, quirky hug.

Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin YR for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A whittling witch has cursed Clementine’s father, The Dark Lord, and he is disappearing bit by bit. He has forbade Clementine from trying to find the witch, but he hasn’t forbade her trying to find out about the witch. Our ever curious, intelligent Clementine is all about loopholes. At twelve, with hair that changes color as per her emotions, Clementine is discovering what it means to be a Dark Lord and that perhaps it isn’t really for her in Sarah Jean Horwitz’ The Dark Lord Clementine.

Filled with memorable characters and adventures, The Dark Lord Clementine was a complete joy to read despite the fact that I am way past the target audience. Horwitz created a fantastic world of witches, unicorns, magical creatures like fire-throwing chickens, young boys who become sheep and young boys who wish to knights. As a lot of the story made me smile and kept me entertained, some also tugged at my heartstrings, especially the idea of slaying magical unicorns because the magic in their horns contains endless possibilities.

Clementine is a character I will never forget and almost wish she were part of a series, but frequently creating a seriest dissolves the power of one rich story well told.

While The Dark Lord Clementine is directed toward middle-graders, anyone who loves a magical story will be enthralled by this one.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky to get a place on the Algonquin Book Blog Tour to celebrate the paperback release of The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz and all I can say is I thoroughly loved it from start to finish. I would like to thank Sarah Winston for allowing me to read such a wonderful book and I am so glad I was able to support the author by buying a copy on my Kindle. We first meet Clementine who is meant to be the next Dark Lord trying to figure out what is happening to her Dad and that is all I am saying about the story. I loved the assemble cast who each made this book not only comedic in some parts, scary in some parts but also made me cry and I mean cry. One of my favourite characters was Dave the talking sheep yep you heard it right a talking sheep. I loved Sarah's worlds building her comic touch the way she turned up the tempo in certain scenes and in others show how frail humanity can be even if you are meant to be a Dark Lord in waiting. So for these reasons I have no doubt in my mind to award this truly a page turner which any age group will enjoy 4 stars

Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Dark Lord Clementine is available for purchase now.

A sweet story balanced out by a good-natured touch of the macabre, The Dark Lord Clementine is delightful! It has a wonderful tongue-in-cheek humor, and is peopled with characters both memorable and likable.

Clementine notices one day that her father, The Dark Lord Elithor, is missing his nose. In fact, it seems like bits of him are just chipping away. As he tries to find a way to reverse this little difficulty, Clementine finds herself taking on more and more. She isn’t so good at being bad, she’s worried about her father, and she’s lonely (although she might not admit that last bit). She’s also quite possibly the only one who can keep her father from whittling away to nothing. That’s a lot to put on any twelve year old’s shoulders, even those of a Dark Lord in training.

Clementine is fantastic. She’s spunky and has a stick-to-it-ness that I loved. Oh-she also has hair that is the equivalent of a mood ring. I loved watching her grow and discover more of who she is, as opposed as to who she (or anyone else) thinks she should be. Self-acceptance is something I enjoy in books, because being okay with who we are can take just as much bravery as finding and defeating a witch.

Of course, The Dark Lord Clementine features several other great characters, as well as some seriously awesome fantastical surprises. I personally was a huge fan of the black sheep. Every family has one, and I’m glad this book has one too.

The book was punny, fun, and heart warming. The Dark Lord Clementine is dastardly enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

4.5 STARS

Trigger warnings: illness, poisoning, death, blood, gore, fire, avalanche, revenge, grief, complicated family relationships.

The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz is a middle-grade fantasy standalone that I absolutely loved. We meet our main character, Clementine Morcerous, as something bad is happening to her father, and she doesn’t know what to do to help him. The magic in the farm is starting to change, and she knows she has to step up to the job of Dark Lord but does she really want to? And is she capable of all the Dastardly Deeds that she needs to do to keep the Evil Lordship of the Seven Sisters?

This book is set in an imaginary world and Clementine lives in the Seven Sisters, seven mountains where the Morcerous castle, Castle Brack is built. I loved Castle Brack and I thought that the whole setting was done so well. There is some really good world-building in this book and the way everything was described completely drew me into the book and kept me reading it, turning the pages as fast as I could. I thought the setting was really well-executed, I could picture everything and it just made the reading experience even better.

Clementine is the main character in this book and right from page one, I loved her. She is very strong-willed but also has to battle with what is right (what her father thinks is right) and what she wants. I really liked seeing her grow. She goes from something with little will to someone who is brave, courageous, does what she needs and wants and I just loved seeing the character arc evolve.

Overall, this book was such a fun book to read. It was also quite emotional at times, it had some great quotes and important messages and I think it was just really well handled. I really enjoyed reading it and I’m so glad I decided to give it a go.

The writing style was very fluid, very easy to read, but also beautiful. As I said, there were some great quotes and it’s the kind of book that has some stunning sentences that forces you to stop and read them again to take them in. I think this author has a lot of promise and I will definitely read more from them. The pacing also flowed well, I would have liked it to maybe be a little bit slower so I could have more time with these characters and in this world and to see the friendships evolve, but it was still a nice pace that went hand in hand with a really enjoyable plot. I also loved how it ended and I really hope we get more adventures with Clementine.

I gave this book 4.5 stars and it was a great reading experience. It was just missing that tiny little spark for me to give it 5 stars, but I know now that I love this author’s writing style and that I will pick up more from them.

Full review on my blog soon.

Twelve-year-old Clementine Morcerous never expected to fill her father's shoes, even though she has been trained since birth to be a Dark Lord. But after her father falls ill from the mysterious Whittle Witch's spell, Clementine finds herself in charge of her father's evil empire.


Running Castle Brack and terrorizing the village looks surprisingly like running a farm. She realizes has her hands full after she has a little adventure outside the castle. When, Sebastian, the village boy who keeps following her won't let up. She does what any evil villain would do, she makes him a Brack Knight. After all, it turns out her knight can help build a chicken fence and Clementine needs all the help she can get.


Clementine has her hands full: feeding the nightmares (evil horses), tending the fire-breathing chickens, picking the poison apples at the precise time they ripen, making sure the snake pit is cleaned out and the castle is defended. Oh and making sure the family grimoire Clementine accidentally turned into a chicken doesn't run off. It is all a lot to handle.

Clementine realizes she's going to need more than just the two people to help around the castle,luckily that's just when more of the village boys show up wanting to be knights . The mysterious hunter Darka soon joins life at the castle and trains the boys in weapons to be knights.</p>


Clementine is enjoying this life with Darka and her knights but she knows she's walking a thin line; she still needs to find a cure for her father while keeping him unaware of the life she's bulit </p>


But when the price to pay for a cure goes against her beliefs, will she stand up for what her heart believes or for what she's always been taught.

This book is hilarious and important at the same time. Clementine is a perfect example of how your past or your family doesn't have to define who you are. The book has examples of facing your fears, finding what love is, and mending broken hearts. I definitely read it again this book is a total of 5/5.I can't wait to read more books from Sarah Jean Horwitz.

I just loved reading this fun middle grade book THE DARK LORD CLEMENTINE.

This book is about twelve-year-old Clementine Morcerous who had been groomed to be an heir as the Evil Overlord and evil deeds are what she does best. Things suddenly change when her father, the Dark Lord Elithor falls victim to a curse and Clementine must find a way to break the curse.

I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would for the wonderful character and the great moral in the story. This was such a well-written book though written for middle grade, this certainly can be enjoyed by all ages. The writing was so creative, funny and totally quirky I really had a hard time putting this book down. So fun!

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you @algonquinYR for having me in this tour and providing me a free copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

I'm ashamed to admit that I've had this wonderful little middle grade novel in my possession for about a year and a half, unread and unreviewed. In honor of the paperback release on April 20, I have read it and enjoyed it very much!
Clementine is the next Dark Lord of Brack Castle and things don't seem to be going so well for her and her father, the current Dark Lord. He's been cursed! And it's up to Clementine to find out what happened and, essentially, to find herself.
Great little lesson gems in this book for your kiddos and for adults too! I adored the black sheep, one of my favorite sidekicks!

The Dark Lord Clementine was so much fun, it was cheeky and had a lot of great details. I found it so entertaining and read it quickly. I recommend it to all the little people in my life because it inspires such a good sense of imagination.

A marvellous MG book, which I immediately turned around and bought for my little sister. Absolutely adored it!