The Dark Lord Clementine - Sarah Jean Horwitz

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

This MG fantasy read was delightful. Clementine is the daughter of the Dark Lord, and she spends her days roaming a dark and quiet castle while her dad plans Dastardly Deeds. But the Whittle Witch is whittling him away, and the castle is falling apart while the Dark Lord has locked himself away, and Clementine doesn't know what to do. There's also a young boy who really wants to be a knight but has never held a sword, a scarred huntress, a boy who was turned into a sheep and really doesn't mind it, and a Lady of the Lake who's a terrible singer.

This book is silly and clever and entertaining. It's wonderful seeing Clementine making friends for the first time, and all of our main characters struggle between right and wrong. I think this would be a great book for helping kids understand the elusive grey area between good and bad. Clementine has been raised from birth to be the next Dark Lord, but she's still questioning the things she sees around her and expected roles in society. It took a bit to get moving at the beginning, but the second half was super fun.

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