The Dark Lord Clementine

July 15, 2019
A daughter must fill in for her indisposed Dark Lord father. Twelve-year-old Clementine's father has been cursed by the Whittle Witch and is being slowly whittled into a wooden puppet. While he locks himself away in his laboratory to try to find a way to stop and reverse the curse, it's up to Clementine to keep their farm running, a task that becomes harder as her father's magic begins to fail. Helping her are a talking black sheep (who used to be a boy and isn't so sure he wants to be human again) and a local boy who dreams of heroic knighthood. More worryingly, letters start arriving from the Council of Evil Overlords, instructing Clementine to carry out and report Dastardly Deeds to fulfill their family's Dark Lord obligations. Shifts in viewpoint reveal the dangerous witch to be after the Dark Lord's title and their mountain's unicorn; also after the unicorn is a huntress named Darka, who neglects to give her true motivation when befriending Clementine. After luring readers in with wordplay and tongue-in-cheek, genre-savvy humor, the plot takes an emotionally rich thematic turn, dwelling on community and forgiveness--all the while building toward a mythical, mystical arc involving the unicorn. The few action sequences are mined for utmost impact, as are the slice-of-life scenes and flashback vignettes. The characters seem to default to white. Absolutely delightful. (Fantasy. 8-14)

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September 16, 2019
“Clementine Morcerous awoke one morning to discover that her father had no nose.” With her opening sentence, Horwitz (the Carmer and Grit series) primes readers to expect the unexpected—and delivers. After Clementine notices that something is “chipping away” at her parent, the fearsome Dark Lord, he corrects her: “Not. Chipping....Whittling.” Such droll wordplay punctuates the labyrinthine narrative, which reveals that the Dark Lord has been cursed by his archnemesis, the Whittle Witch, who carves a wooden-doll replica of her victims and reduces them down to nothing. Horwitz’s ingenuity for bizarre enchantment and characterization proves boundless: Clementine’s confidantes include a boy transfigured into a witty black sheep, a paper chicken that morphed from the family spell book, an amorphous snow figure who protects the area, and a huntress searching for a powerful unicorn. Anchoring the tale are the sensitive girl’s conflicted feelings about inheriting the Dark Lord title, since she prefers flowers over weeds and spells that involve sunshine rather than darkness. In a wry, satisfying ending, Clementine hints at future enchantments ahead. Ages 10–up. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Agency.

November 1, 2019

Gr 4-7-Clementine has always tried to be as bad as possible, following the example of her father, the Dark Lord Elithor, who strives to terrify the local villagers with dastardly deeds. Everything changes when Lord Elithor starts to lose his power at the hands of a mysterious witch. Clementine's quest to save her father brings her a host of new experiences and leads her to question her commitment to being truly evil. Horwitz has created a perfect blend of wit and heart in this fresh fantasy adventure. Even secondary characters are given intriguing personalities and well-developed back stories, and the plot is paced just quickly enough to keep young people guessing. Fans of Shrek-style fractured fairy tales will especially enjoy having their expectations upended. VERDICT Highly recommended, this title will keep a wide variety of readers entertained with its compelling characters and witty twists on the fairy tale universe.-Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2019
Grades 5-7 As the only child of the Dark Lord Elithor, Clementine will someday inherit the Evil Overlordship. That's a terrifying prospect for a 12-year-old, especially now that the Whittle Witch has cursed her father, weakening his body and his once-powerful dark magic in a bid to take over his title and dominions. Even more disturbing, Clementine begins to realize that her own emerging powers spring from light magic, which seems downright traitorous in the Dark Lord's heir apparent. Still, the girl is determined to protect the villagers, the castle, and the mysterious mountains. And though she feels isolated and uncertain of her path, she finds unexpected allies along the way. Written in third person from Clementine's point of view, the narrative gradually introduces characters and builds tension, saving the real fireworks for the satisfying conclusion. The descriptions of magical beings are fittingly awe-inspiring (the unicorn, the Lady in White) or amusing (the Gricken?a spell book transformed into a chicken). This inventive fantasy twists conventions while involving readers through good storytelling laced with irony and wit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020
Clementine's father, the Dark Lord Elithor Morcerous, has been cursed by the Whittle Witch and is unable to fulfill his dastardly duties. Clementine takes it upon herself to run Castle Brack, with its eerie silence and magical libraries, but the enchantments around her home have begun to wane and she needs help from the village outside the castle's bounds. The more she learns about her father's subjects, though, the more Clementine begins to doubt that wickedness is her true calling. With the help of a talking sheep, a duplicitous unicorn hunter, and a boy who wants to become a knight, she embarks on an adventure to rescue her father and new friends from the Whittle Witch and perhaps change her destiny in the process. The castle is full of sorcery and cleverly devised magical objects, and the legends about the mountains surrounding it give Horwitz's imagined world a unique history. Over the course of Clementine's adventures, she learns that morality is not black-and-white for anyone, good or evil. The story has plenty of heart and charm, including entertaining chapter titles such as "A Stranger Comes to Town, or Why All Hair Ribbons Should Just Be Black and No One Should Talk to Anyone Else, Ever." Themes of trust, forgiveness, and belonging deepen this enjoyable fantasy. Sarah Berman

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2020
Clementine's father, the Dark Lord Elithor Morcerous, has been cursed by the Whittle Witch and is unable to fulfill his dastardly duties. Clementine takes it upon herself to run Castle Brack, with its eerie silence and magical libraries, but the enchantments around her home have begun to wane and she needs help from the village outside the castle's bounds. The more she learns about her father's subjects, though, the more Clementine begins to doubt that wickedness is her true calling. With the help of a talking sheep, a duplicitous unicorn hunter, and a boy who wants to become a knight, she embarks on an adventure to rescue her father and new friends from the Whittle Witch and perhaps change her destiny in the process. The castle is full of sorcery and cleverly devised magical objects, and the legends about the mountains surrounding it give Horwitz's imagined world a unique history. Over the course of Clementine's adventures, she learns that morality is not black-and-white for anyone, good or evil. The story has plenty of heart and charm, including entertaining chapter titles such as "A Stranger Comes to Town, or Why All Hair Ribbons Should Just Be Black and No One Should Talk to Anyone Else, Ever." Themes of trust, forgiveness, and belonging deepen this enjoyable fantasy.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)