Mix Pokemon, Harry Potter, and one of those books where someone bonds with a magical beast and it spends time as a moving tattoo on that person's body, and you get The Accidental Apprentice!

Young readers will enjoy the wild ride the MC takes from simple mushroom farmer apprentice to the partner of one of the strongest magic beasts around!

And check out that cover! Who couldn't love that!

Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley!

I received this book from Netgalley for review~.

3.5 ish stars rounded up.

I thought this was a pretty fun fantasy adventure. Younger me would have liked it very much. If you like Pokemon and the idea of monster collecting you’ll be right at home. (At least what I know of the Pokemon plot.) There’s many similarities to the Naruto story line as well, especially in regard to the exam and the hero’s backstory, although the mc’s personality is a polar opposite to Naruto’s.

I was surprised by one of the events in the book but for the most part it is a bit predictable but not in a bad or annoying way. The mc does grow throughout the story, which is nice—although fingers crossed he ends up learning more spells by the end of the series!

The side characters were interesting and I am glad that future books will explore more of the world than just the forest and the Lore Keepers’ town. There’s a lot of potential here and I’d be happy to read more in this world.

The Accidental Apprentice is a magical adventure with a boy finding where he belongs and what friendship really means. I think readers grades 4-6 will enjoy following Barclay and learning all about the Woods and magical creatures that become companions. I am excited that this is the first story in the series and I'm looking forward to reading more about Barclay and his new friends adventures. I also wanted to mention that I really like the cover art as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. All spelling and grammar errors in this review are totally my own.

This is a truly lovely, whimsical tale of adventure, friendship, and belonging that all children would love, but especially those looking for a new fantasy world to fall into.

for those of you looking to fill a Harry Potter-shaped hole in your life, THIS IS IT. I've never read something to quite match that series yet. it has lovable, root-able characters, fascinating beasts, a thrilling adventure, and a new world to lose yourself in. The Accidental Apprentice is like a mashup of HP, How to Train Your Dragon, Fairy Tail, and Pokemon. it's like all the fantasy I've loved all my life. I would take DOZENS of books about these Lore Keepers!