Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/01/2023 Gr 5–8—Kayla Jones, along with her brother Delmar and mother Rikki, have just arrived at the State Fair when the story begins. At 14, Kayla is more interested in tinkering with her newly acquired school-issued tablet than the fair. The day is proving to be perfectly normal until the family is approached by a strange man who tells Kayla that, at last, he has found her. Then, with a touch to her hand, the man pulls the family into an entirely new dimension. In this new world, called Zaradwin, Kayla discovers she is Xavrielina, the daughter and heir to the last, and greatest, Dark Lord Xavriel. Wrede crafts a well-written story with an intriguing medievalesque land of magic, divided between light- and dark-magic users. The premise of the story concerns Kayla's journey to become a successful "Dark Lady'' in this new world, along with a fun cast of characters. While this plot stands on its own, it is without a major adventure or the high stakes that would make it a hero's journey, and instead veers into a cozy fantasy. VERDICT This title may not grab readers looking for more exciting and fast-paced tales but will appeal to fans of other high fantasy stories with magic, like the "School for Good and Evil" series.—Hannah Pohl - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 08/08/2023 Fourteen-year-old Kayla is visiting the Minnesota State Fair with her younger brother and Riki, her adoptive mother, when they are magically transported to a medieval-like realm by Waylan, a sword-wielding “commander of the Dark Hordes.” Having sworn allegiance to Kayla as “the Dark Lady of Zaradwin,” he informs her that she has magical powers and is the heir to her father, the previous Dark Lord, now deceased. Curious about her birth parents and this magical realm, but also dealing with Riki’s rules, her safety concerns, and her determination to take her kids back home, Kayla wonders what kind of Dark Lady she could be. Given her ancestors’ cruel, violent governance, she hopes that she would do better. Within the fantasy, one inventive premise is that objects transported between worlds transform into their cultural equivalents: a cellphone turns into a “messenger mouse” and Kayla’s tablet computer is transformed into a talking-monkey familiar, seated on her shoulder and dispensing information upon request. With believable characters and interesting dialogue, here’s a fresh, engaging fantasy with a sequel to come. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.