Anne Ursu

Marya Lupu's parents has always believed that her older brother Luka is destined to be a sorcerer and make the family's fortune, so when the day he is tested turns into a disaster, and the Guild declares that he has no magical talent, they find it easier to blame Marya for upsetting the test than admit the truth, and she is sent to the Dragomir Academy, a school for wayward girls--but a school where she finds friendship and ultimately discovers her own talents.

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

Carrington Kinslow

So, I really enjoyed this book. The prose is stunning, and it really carries a powerful feminist message that is articulated perfectly for a middle grade audience. 

Men with power are to be revered, and women with power are to be feared.

This is incredibly relevant, and so so empowering. I absolutely loved what this book was saying, and I wish I had read it as a young girl. This book teaches that women are intelligent, brave, powerful, and deserving of every opportunity imaginable. 

But, I couldn’t give it 5 stars. For a book that is so passionately about powerful women, hardly any of the girls ended up having magic in the end. In fact, only two were confirmed, and the main character was not one. It was unsatisfactory and an anti-climatic character development. Magic was talked about far more than it was shown, magic in use was hardly ever on the page. It was a let down for something that could’ve been a great fantasy. 

And also, there was a severe lack of the found family trope. It’s advertised as being such, and there is one strong female friendship in the story, but most of the time, the girls are acquaintances at best and usually arguing. Anne Ursu had an amazing opportunity here to tell a story about the power of female solidarity, and unfortunately, she really dropped the ball with that. It was very disappointing. This could have used way more friendship and loyalty, it was kind of shoved into the last 20 or so pages without any development showing how dedicated the young girls were to one another.

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy - 3.5 Stars

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

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