A lot is going on in this story targeted toward young adults around middle school age. Yet, it is a slow read and you may feel the ending is rushed after the slow build. That being said it might be better for a dedicated reader of this genre or an older reader ready to put in the time to read it. It is an intense read and while a gripping story as I mentioned you must really be willing to dedicate yourself to the story and the characters to continue reading. It is possible and you will be rewarded if you keep reading. As you read this book though you will notice various characters are telling the story from their perspective, which is interesting.

It does well with mystery filled with mythical creatures. The mythical world is well-developed without the element of romance if you are looking for a story lacking that aspect. If you enjoy all of these things and are dedicated to the adventure with some humor too then this is a good reading journey for you. You do enter this world with a great story that is brought to life. Don’t give up on this book recommended for 8 to 14 year-olds and if you are older you should give it a chance too. I liked it and recommend you give it a chance.

The pacing was really slow. I'm not sure middle grade readers will stick with it because nothing really happens. It almost reads like a prequel to a much more adventurous series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

(i received this e-arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

unfortunately, this was not really my cup of tea.

Our main character has been raised by her mother (a former guard for the Queen) and a Gargoyle. This Gargoyle has watched and trained Victoria for her entire life. She wants desperately to go to the school her mother trained at but her mother is dead set against it. After, her mother is killed, Victoria attends to school to get revenge and understand her past. She meets a young alchemist and thief who seem to think they are her friends and they form an alliance to discover what is going on as something isn't right.

A fun mystery with a side of gargoyles, kelpies, fairies, water horses, and other mythical creatures. I love the world building and mythical elements the author brings in. Fans of mythology, fantasy, and mystery will want to pick up this book.

Vicky Wardrop has had an interesting childhood. Her parents were once members of the Queen’s elite guard, the Ravens. Rupert, a gargoyle who came from the Netherwhere twenty years ago, has been an advisor and guardian for her mother, Kat, and has taken on the same role for Vicky and her siblings. Vicky has been trained extensively in defensive combat and warding, but knows very little about the circumstances that caused her parents to leave the Queen’s Court. When tragedy strikes, Vicky enters into the world her parents tried so hard to keep her from, swearing to take her revenge on those who harmed her family. At school, she finds it harder than she imagined to focus solely on the objective of revenge, as a number of other students have decided that they are her friends.

While the climax and culmination of the book felt a bit rushed, I think that this is a strong middle grade fantasy novel with a lot of space to explore more extensive world building. The structure of the novel suggests that it was written as a standalone novel, but the foundations of the world beg for more exploration in a sequel or companion book (and according to Marr’s website, there is one in the works!). I would recommend this book for young fantasy readers, and/or to later middle grade readers who are looking for a fantasy novel without a romance subplot.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

12-year-old, Victoria Wardrop is a warder raised by her mother who is a former guard to the manipulative Queen Evangeline. After an unexpected tragedy, Victoria goes to the Corvus School for the Artfully Inclined, a school her mom was dead set against her going to. There she hopes to address her past and avenge her family. She meets Algernon Nightshade, son of the Queen’s alchemist, who dreads the day he’ll have to murder and replace his father. She also meets a thief named Milan, who sees the school as a route to stability and success. As the three form an alliance, they discover that something isn't right. Will they be able to figure it out before it's too late? Filled with gargoyles, kelpies, fairies, water horses, and other mythical creatures, readers will appreciate the world building and mythological elements. The main characters are easy to relate to and believable, but the secondary characters leave something to be desired. The plot is complex, enjoyable, and does a great job of bringing VIctoria's world to life. Fans of mythology, fantasy, and mystery will want to pick up this book.

Magical world-building for the win. Perfect for kids who want to read stories with mythical creatures, sword play, and all things fantasy. I think the age range is about 5-7th grade. We're reading it this year in The Bookish Society.
Bonus points for gargoyles which hardly ever make an appearance in MG

Twenty years ago, a door opened between the human world and the Netherwhere. Otherworldly creatures of all sorts, including kelpies, fairies, and gargoyles move freely between worlds. Gargoyles can be trusted. However, most of the others cannot. Growing under the tutelage of a gargoyle named Rupert, Vicki has become adept at rune drawing and sword-wielding. Her mother, a former Queen’s Raven, has tried to hide her daughter’s magic from the crown in order to protect her. Algernon Nightshade, son of the queen’s alchemist, dreads the day that he will have to kill his father and replace him. Expert thief, Milan enters the picture and sets the school on a stabler route to success. When tragedy strikes, the three form an alliance that could alter the kingdom forever. Will the three succeed? The characters are engaging, easy to relate to, and well developed. Told through alternating points of view, the plot is intriguing and complex. The world building is well done and easily helps the reader to suspend disbelief. Readers who like fantasy, magic, adventure, and mystery will enjoy reading this book. 4 stars, Grades 5 to 9

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

I really enjoyed this fantasy! It took a darker turn than I expected and it really propelled the story!

3 things I loved:
1-the works-building and Netherwhere
2-gargoyles and creatures
3-mystery

My daughter enjoyed it. The cover reminded her of Frozen and was one of the reasons she wanted to read it. She liked the allies and friendships throughout the book. She did feel that it was rushed, and the transition was difficult to follow. Overall, it was a good read.

This review is frustrating for me. When the story began I was very excited at the prospect of various magical creatures and how this world would form. However, I very quickly became completely lost and couldn’t tell what was going on and who was who or how they related. About 45% of the way through a very jarring event happened. I literally was convinced for a while it was a dream someone was having because it was so unexpected and utopian place. The bright side is, I finally started getting a handle on what was happening in the story and therefore started to become interested.

I think the book had a lot of potential but fell kind of short. I’m bummed about it because I could really see things picking up and I wish it had been that way throughout.

I adored this book--what a fun juvenile adventure story. I highly recommend this for young readers 8-14.

Vicky and her friends having their two worlds collide is a lovely fantasy theme and she is gifted with magic and swordcraft. I really enjoyed the humorous banter between the friends and I got a nice Harry Potter vibe from it.
Well done.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Melissa Marr for my advanced reading copy and I cant wait for more tales.

This is a unique and enjoyable MG fantasy that is a quick and easy read. You find yourself in a magical world filled with gargoyles, kelpies, fairies.
It's about a girl, Vicki, who has grown up with a gargoyle keeping an eye on her and she's good with swords and magic, but there are still things she doesn't know tied to family secrets and things. A lot of this book sets the groundwork for everything and has a lot of character development also.
After a horrible tragedy occurs involving Vicki's family, she finds herself at a school where she starts to train and hone her skills with swords, magic, and the like. She also befriends and starts hanging out with some others, a former street thief and an alchemy student among others, who ally themselves with her and her cause to avenge her family.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for letting me read and review this quick and fun MG read. All opinions are my own.

I received an electronic ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley.
Fantasy novel for middle grade readers. Told from a variety of character perspectives. The early part of the book is heavily focused on character development with hints of the plot and adventures to come. Readers meet a Gargoyle who came through to the human kingdom years ago and connected with/watched over a group of children who were destined to protect and preserve the kingdom. Readers also meet the current generation as children learning who they are and what their purpose is. Vicky, Algernon, Milan and Merry must learn to trust each other and draw on their individual strengths to rescue the current queen and protect her and their kingdom from those who would destroy it from within. Those remaining in the older generation protect them and guide them as they face danger at school and home. Together, they venture into Netherwhere and meet the chimera. It offers a cure for Vicky and a way to save the queen. In the end, the four are united and ready to continue learning their new roles.
The overall story worked but there were a few jarring transitions from one narrator to the next and the plot was thin in places.
Though this is a stand alone volume, it would be interesting to see a sequel set a few years in the future.

Welcome into a magical blended world where sea kelpies and fairies terrorize the unwary, gargoyles fly freely protecting certain humans, alchemists try to keep the peace by appeasing a chimera and a young girl skilled in magic and swordsmanship tries to navigate her legacy. Vicky knows her mother and father served the Queen but left the royal court putting their family at risk. The Queen insists that their talented child be placed in training so that one day she will take her place as a Raven guard. Vicky doesn't trust the Queen or some of the members of her court, This is the start of an imaginative series with a hint of Harry Potter magic, the action of a Rick Riordan adventure and the playful fantasy of Terry Pratchett. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This solid middle grade fantasy will find an audience, with its strong female characters, magical world, an appealing gargoyle, and diverse characters. That being said, the plot could have been more propulsive and cohesive.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Because I read an arc all my quotes are based on uncorrected text and might be subject to change in the final version.
***
The Hidden Knife by Melissa Marr is a middle grade, fantasy stand-alone novel.
Twenty years ago, when Vicky’s mom was young, a door opened up between their world and the Netherwhere and magical creatures passed through. Most notable where the gargoyles who made a special connection with the humans and had a fondness for them and see time not linearly but past, present, and future all at once. Time doesn’t mean the same thing to them. At that time the young glass queen was taking steps towards change and Vicky’s mom and several of her friends were set on guarding the queen and seeing that change happen.
In the here and now things are changed, Vicky’s mom left the life of the court behind and doesn’t have as much trust in the queen as she once did and has done her best to keep Vicky far from that part of her life. Unfortunately an awful incident sends Vicky onto the path anyway and she runs into friends of her mother and the progeny of one of them and makes allies as she works towards justice.
***
Vicky was a girl after my own heart:
“Although Vicky wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she grew up, she knew that being a spy or soldier or an alchemist wasn’t it. Sometimes she wished there was a job that was just reading. That sounded like the best job. Swords for fun, books for work—Vicky could do that job.”

The gargoyles, particularly Rupert, were great. This might be my favorite depiction of gargoyles I’ve read in a book. Their ability to see time differently and the interactions with humans were a really big draw to me in the book.
“It made him smile. Well, as much a gargoyle smiled. The effort of turning a stone face into a human expression was slow, and he often found himself distracted midway.”
“He’d help them see that each choice in life mattered. Each small moment of courage and each time love overcame fear added up. With enough small ripples, entire oceans could be shifted. These acts of love, of loyalty, of justice would one day build into a mighty force that could create a great change.”

The story’s world was really cool and I enjoyed it greatly. The inclusion of the different magical creatures, the magic, the fighting, court intrigue, queen’s poisoner in training, so many fascinating things in this story, and all the things my former younger self would have loved.
Unfortunately the story fell a bit flat for me, everything felt very rushed, and I honestly feel this story would have done better having been either a bit longer or split into a second part to give this world and story what it truly deserved because there were a lot of great things in here.
I still feel there will be a lot of younger readers who will enjoy this book and I would still recommend it to younger readers looking for a fun magic read.

I got this book as an eARC from NetGalley to review.

The Hidden Knife is a middle grade fantasy novel. There are a lot of positive aspects to the concept behind this novel. It talks about facing difficult emotions, and seeing the power in them; lots of strong female characters; building friendships across class divides; and it also features a genderfluid character, which the author specifically mentions in her closing notes. I found the inclusion of gargoyles to be a more unique element of this book, as they aren't something I've seen included in the other middle grade fantasy books that I've read.

Unfortunately, even with all the positive aspects of this book, it fell pretty far short for me. I struggled with motivation to finish it, even though it's a short novel. Perhaps part of the problem is there is a lot of content, and characters, fit into a fairly short book. It left me feeling confused and disjointed during many parts of the story. The main tragedy featured in the novel was especially jarring, and featured a character aspect that is never seen again, despite it's huge role in the tragedy scene.

I do really appreciate that the author included a character that is a genderfluid 'they', as I think that kind of representation is really important, so kudos for that!