Review by Booklist Review
Plunder and thunder! Dice-playing, carriage-robbing, axe-wielding orphan Rosebud and her wildcat-taming accomplice, Wilda, have been fighting back against the soldiers terrorizing their village. When a perfectly good highway robbery turns into a rescue mission to help the crown prince, Rosebud realizes she finally has a chance to live up to her father's memory. Break the prince's curse, restore the throne, get revenge for her father's murder--how hard could it be? But their path through the magic forest is anything but straightforward, waylaid as it is by all manner of high jinks, including a giant who follows "the bro code," mechanical insects, several kidnappings, and a long-lost adventurer on mushrooms. Along the way, Rosebud wrestles with her late father's legacy and what doing the right thing really means. Award-winning author Bennett (Grumbones, 2023) delivers adventure and eccentricity in this middle-grade fantasy packed with personality, plus a touch of self-awareness. Great for readers who love a colorful fantasy setting with modern humor and dialogue.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Two years before this book's start, the tyrant known as Otto the Torch and his army of Firebrands conquered the kingdom of Rin, slaying many of its defenders and imprisoning the surviving royal family. With her knight father dead, 12-year-old Rosebud and her best friend Wilda make a living as the Blackheart bandits, covertly stealing from greedy tax collectors and the like. Then they try to hijack a royal carriage, only to discover it contains Prince Timo, cursed by Otto the Torch to wear a wolf's head mask. The Blackhearts reluctantly agree to help Prince Timo track down the one magical artifact capable of breaking his curse so he can claim the throne, depose Rin, and restore the kingdom to its former glory. But their quest takes them deep into the monster-infested Nowhere Wood, a place of dark enchantments and deadly surprises from whence adventurers rarely return. Bennett (Always Jane) balances danger and humor in this fast-paced fantasy, crafting a world of memorable magical creatures and constant twists. The formidable heroes rise to every occasion, confronting both tangible threats and their own flaws with equal strength, making for a wholly enjoyable adventure. Rosebud and Prince Timo cue as white; Wilda's skin is described as "the warm shade of turning leaves." Ages 8--12. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A pair of bold girls, a wildcat, and a fugitive prince team up to reclaim a kingdom. Twelve-year-olds Rosebud and Wilda make it their mission to steal from the army of their kingdom's tyrannical usurper, Otto the Torch. Their small gang, known as the Blackhearts, is accompanied by Wilda's "mostly tame" lynx, Wryclaw. Otto's reign has been marked by the burning of much of the country of Rin and the murder of its citizens, including Rosebud's father, Sir Herman the Loyal. The girls agree to journey with Prince Timo, who's fleeing from Otto, into the enchanted Nowhere Wood to find the magical object that will remove the hexed wolf mask from Timo's head and thwart Otto's plans to execute Queen Gisela for witchcraft. Nowhere Wood is satisfyingly full of menace and wonder, including a friendly (if slightly dim) giant, a crowd of tiny fairies who capture and plan to deliver the Blackhearts to the vicious Huntsman, a village where the adults have disappeared, a blind clockmaker, a man lost in the mines and subsisting on a fungus called Blue Shroomies, and an irascible albino dragon. Among the sly easter eggs for older readers are mentions of Rik Rolls, dice game cheats named after the bard Rik from Astley Isle. The descriptions of the humans suggest a mostly white cast of characters. Cleverly crafted and convincingly episodic, with a dose of madcap humor. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
