Light but also not, a 14 year old girl is brought through a portal with her adoptive mother and brother. As the title declares she is the daughter of the last major Dark Lord. She is also his heir, and supposed to immediately take up the roll of Dark Lady, tacky outfits, murderous rampages and all. But Kayla is a good kid, though remembering my 14 year old self that is the least realistic portion of this fantasy. It is hilarious having the Dark Lady's mother ground her for leaving their rooms at night. I'm not quite the target for this mix. ( )

I'm enjoying the story, but it's a slow read for me and since it is due back at the library I won't be able to finish it. All of the story elements sound like this should be a quick read for me, but something about it is making it just the opposite. Part of it is that while I think it's great fun having Kayla's family get dragged along instead of it being just her (as with most Chosen One stories), her mom is really grating on my nerves. She's behaving as paranoid as I would expect from a mother in her situation, but I'm bored with the attitude. The constant "don't touch that" / "we need to go home" stuff got really old for me really fast, and as a result I read many fewer pages per sitting than I would have otherwise... and ended up needing to return the book to the library unfinished.

14-year-old Kayla has always known she was adopted, but it's still a bit of a shock when a cloaked man approaches her at the state fair, claiming to have been sent by her deceased biological father to bring her back to claim her inheritance. It's even more of a shock when Kayla, her mom, and her brother Del are whisked away to a place very different from St. Paul, Minnesota. At the castle of the Dark Lord of Zaradwin, things are in disarray. It's been ten years since the Dark Lord died, and only a handful of minions and retainers remain. Kayla discovers that she has family at the castle, but their motives are questionable and their histories secretive. Kayla's intrigued about learning magic, especially since it's probably the only way she can get her family back to their reality, but she doesn't want to be a Dark Lady if it involves torturing and executing people. She's caught between two worlds. Will she have to choose? Or are she and her family stuck in this world for good?

Wrede's juvenile fantasy is always fun and lighthearted without being insubstantial, and this is no exception. She's taken a different direction with this book, and I am enjoying seeing where she goes with it. (Though this book stands alone, there's definitely space for a sequel or two.) I really enjoyed the computer that turned into a familiar, and the snarky dragon's head door guard. I also loved that Wrede didn't take the typical route and leave the parent behind, but that Kayla's mom traveled with them to Zaradwin and was an integral part of the story. If you enjoy fantasy for kids, put this one on your reading list! ( )

As a kid I really enjoyed the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and was very excited for a new book by Patricia C. Wrede. This new novel contains a lot of the fantasy-based humor and adventure of those excellent books, while being something completely different. A hilarious, middle-grade mash up of Machiavelli and Cold Comfort Farm (probably most hilarious for those familiar with Machiavelli and/or Cold Comfort Farm), somewhat reminiscent of a Terry Pratchett/Discworld novel. I found it delightful! ( )

Fourteen-year-old Kayla Jones has always known she was adopted. But she is surprised to learn that she is the daughter of the Dark Lord of Zaradwin. She learns this when a man who has been searching for her for more than ten years finds her at the Minnesota State Fair with her mother and younger brother and takes them to the alternate universe so that she can become the newest Dark Lady.

Kayla has dealt with a lot in her young life including watching her adoptive father die of cancer when she was ten. But dealing with a new world and unwanted expectations might be too much for her without the support of her mother and younger brother.

This story had excellent worldbuilding. I especially liked how her computer turned into her familiar when she switched worlds. I also liked Kayla who was a mature and responsible young woman who wasn't going to let anyone push her around no matter how often she was told that something was Tradition.

Kayla is determined to be a new kind of Dark Lady and to make her new world better than it is when she arrives in it. This was an engaging story with well-rounded and interesting characters including a ten-year=old brother who wants to do magic so that he can make things explode. ( )