I haven't read much middle grade fiction in a long time, but when I saw that this was a new Patrica C. Wrede fantasy I had to try it. I'm glad that I did, because I loved it. The tone was very similar to Dealing With Dragons and its sequels, in the sense that it is a somewhat comedic take on the typical fantasy setting.

Kayla is out for a day at the state fair with her mother and her younger brother. The family is struggling with the death of Kayla's dad (cancer), and the state fair is an attempt to do something "normal" and maybe get the family back on track. Unfortunately, they are almost immediately accosted by a bizarre knight who insists that Kayla is the biological daughter of a "Dark Lord", and that as his only heir it is her responsibility to take over as the new Dark Lord. Kayla and her family are whisked away to a new world where they have to deal with knights, monsters, light and dark magic, and so many rules and traditions.

A portal fantasy where the heroine has her family along is a rare thing, and I enjoyed Kayla's family being part of her adventure. Her mother is of course over protective and skeptical, but in her defense her 12 year old daughter is being asked to face some truly insane things. Her brother on the other hand is all in with magic and dragons immediately (because of course he is). One of the most entertaining aspects of this fantasy is how Wrede handles technology. Any tech Kayla or her family carries when transported is automatically transformed into the best fantasy land equivalent that the magic can dream up. This leads to Kayla's laptop (with newly updated AI help) becoming a super fun familiar who can answer all sorts of questions about the locals.

It's not clear whether this is a standalone or the start of a series. It certainly tells a complete story, and could stand alone, but I hope that there are more books to come because I really loved Kayla's story and I would love to see more of this world. There are plenty of details still left to explore. If you liked Dealing With Dragons, definitely give this a try. Also good for fans of authors like Tamora Pierce and Diana Wynne Jones.

I'm an old-school Wrede fan from childhood, but I found this particular story just so-so. I think part of the problem was that the entire novel focused on a relatively short period of time with a pretty low-stakes central conflict -- essentially the entire story takes place over the course of a week and is focused on the investiture of the MC as the reigning Dark Lady in a world she didn't know existed with most of the plot coming from having to navigate around her overbearing mother. Various plot elements mean we learn very little about this new magical world and the villains (in as much as there are any, really its mostly expectations) are dealt with almost instantaneously. I'll 100% read the next volume because the author is who she is, but I was really hoping for more plot

I was so excited when I noticed this was a Patricia C. Wrede book and it didn't disappoint. More exciting now that I finish it but sense that there may be more.

Such a unique, fun set of characters. In fairy tales we usually get orphans taking chances because they have nothing to lose, but Kayla is pulled back into another world with the family who adopted her (mother and younger brother), and let's not forget the laptop that switches into a familiar in the other (dark) world.

There are a lot of uncooperative characters, that make the dialogues fun and the events/tasks harder on our main character, making it sometimes a slow burn with humor. I found that sometimes a concept, idea, or thought was repeated over and over. But, we learn much about the characters and this other realm.

I love Kayla's familiar, he is my favorite character.

As a portal fantasy, it has a lot of "reality" information, culture, influences, references, and knowledge (from our world) that will be crucial in "affecting" the old traditions and Kayla is the one to bring change.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this arc. My opinions are my own and honest

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love the twists it takes on traditional chosen one narratives, not only in making the main character the dark lord's heir, but also by bringing common sense and logic to the bad guy tropes. It was fun to see an adventure where not only does the parent figure not die in the first twelve seconds, but gets to come along and be a major part of the adventure.
I was left with several questions at the end of the book, which is fine if the book is intended to be the first of a series, but disappointing if it is meant to be a standalone work. I hope this story will continue, since I feel like we've only scratched the surface with these characters.

You know how the “chosen one” is often either an orphan, or is just whisked away to their fate without parents or siblings in tow? This story answers the question of what would happen if the chosen one is taken along with her mother and brother.

Kalya, her brother and mother have gone to the state fair, out of habit, more than anything else. While they are there, they are kidnapped by an agent from another dimension, because Kayla is the long lost daughter of the Dark Lord. Turns out she was adapted, and this is her destiny.

Only her mother wants nothing to do with this. Don’t go touching that magic item, don’t go wandering the corridors, and don’t talk to the dragon skull thing on the door.

But Kayla *is* the heir apparent, and needs to form alliances, and learn the workings of this magic world, even though she sort of objects to the idea that she is on the dark side.

I do love how the mother keeps trying to hold back Kayla as she gets into the swing of things.
--
I belong here, Kayla thought, but she wasn’t about to say that out loud “That could take months,” she told her mother. “Until then, I’m the Dark Lady, and I’m supposed to take care of things here.” Archie and the skull nodded in tandem.

“You’ve always taken more responsibility than a child your age should.” her mother said.
--
A bit clueless mother works well here, though I have to say I was getting annoyed at how often she was interfering, but it does propel things forward. Until Kayla can stand on her own.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Highly recommended. It was one of those books you wanted to know the ended of, but you didn’t want it to end.

This books come out the 29th of August 2023.

This was really good! I loved Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles as a kid and was happy to read this ARC. It was a bit slow at first but I loved the semantics of a young ruler coming into her own and breaking tradition to become the kind of Lady she wanted to be. I especially loved her familiar and the supporting cast as well. This book stands as a testament to Wrede's ability to make fantasy fresh and exciting for young readers. Looking forward to more in this series if it isn't a standalone. 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this novel.
#TheDarkLordsDaughter #NetGalley

Fourteen year old Kayla Jones thought she'd be spending a boring day at the State Fair with her mom and younger brother Del, but an encounter with a stranger transports them to the magical world of Zaradwin where Kayla discovers that her father is the Dark Lord. The only way she can return to Earth is by learning dark magic, but being a Dark Lady comes with the expectation that she follow the Dark Traditions. As she challenges the status quo, Kayla must decide whether to return home or accept her birthright as the Dark Lady of Zaradwin.

I couldn't put this down! This story is fun with plenty of humor, and the way that modern technology is converted into magic is such a cool concept. I loved Kayla and the other characters, especially Waylan and Archie. I liked that Kayla's mom went with them, which isn't something I've seen too often with stories like this. Overall, great book, I loved this as an adult and I definitely would have loved it as a young teen. Hoping for a sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital ARC.

This was so good!! I read this quickly in one sitting and I absolutely fell in love with this.
I just reviewed The Dark Lord's Daughter by Patricia C. Wrede. #TheDarkLordsDaughter #NetGalley
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I am absolutely in love with this book! I usually read multiple books at a time, but once I got into this one, it became my one and only. I couldn't tear myself away from it. It has a rich, complex story with characters that I felt fully invested in.

A very modern and forward-thinking fairy tale. Like Wrede's Enchanted Forest series, this book constantly challenges traditions, noting how people will often do ludicrous things in the name of tradition. The final takeaway: If you don't break tradition, society can not progress.

Whenever I pick up a new book, it is my hope and dream that I will be uplifted and inspired. This book did exactly that! So rewarding and utterly enchanting.

This was a fun, entertaining and adventurous fantasy but...it honestly felt like almost every other middle grade fantasy. There's a kid, normal life, and then...poof! They have to learn magic in this new world. It just felt generic to me. It was good...just been done before.

A new novel by Patricia Wrede is a rare treat; anticipated in the way I used to Christmas when I was a child. As an adult things rarely fully live up to our hopes. This novel does. I read it in nearly one sitting and have no hesitation in telling my spouse and friends to read it too.
It is not clear to me if this will be the first in a series or stand alone. The story has plenty of room to go further but it does not need to.

For fans of Dealing with Dragons, Patricia Wrede's newest work harkens back to that beloved Enchanted Forest series. Only this time we have a portal fantasy and our no-nonsense heroine has grown up on earth in contemporary USA. Kayla isn't too happy about finding herself whisked away to a fantasy kingdom where she's supposed to take up her mantel as Dark Lady, and her adopted mother even less so. There's much of Wrede's trademark fairytale 'rules' that the protags work hard to get around or subvert, and there's plenty of humor and heart. Given there's room here for more story, I hope this is set to become a series!

Kayla is an amazing, strong-willed girl who gets thrown into a new universe while accidentally bringing along her adoptive mother and brother. Finding out she is the long- lost daughter of the previous dark lord causes her life to be flipped upside down. Despite the Traditions that abound all over the place, she sticks to her beliefs that people should be respected and treated with care and her different views cause change that seems to be making this new world a better place. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and twisted fairy tales.

What happens when you find out that your actually the daughter of a “Dark Lord” and now you have to learn magic, meet your actual father, and discover all the things that it takes to become a new Dark Lady? Well Kayla is about to find out! Kayla was an ordinary girl, living with her adopted mom and brother and going to the fair and then suddenly the next thing she knows a creature appears claiming that she is the heir to a Dark Lord and that they’ve been searching for her for years now. Suddenly Kayla and her family are taken to a new realm filled with magic and now Kayla has to prepare to be tested to become a Dark Lady all the while facing new creatures, tests, and the fact that she will have to meet her biological father for the first time. Kayla doesn’t want to be evil so she’ll have to decide if she is going to accept her birthright of darkness or become a new kind of Dark Lady altogether. This was a fun read and it definitely would be a great one for middlegrade readers. Kayla has the support of her adoptive family while also making a new home for herself with the Dark Realm.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Random House Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Kayla is a determined young lady. I enjoyed this more than I expected when I first started it. Patricia Wrede is a favorite author but this has a different feel to it. Her "familiar" is amazing.