This was a really cute classic fantasy adventure that I really enjoyed! I loved the sweet and go-getting heroine, and her adventure across the country to save the young queen from an evil plot is full of excitement, magic and humour. It's a great one if you like stories of girls taking the lead and standing up for themselves - for me, this is middle grade catnip so I had a great time!

OH THIS WAS CUTE. From the beginning of the book, I really enjoyed the story world setting. Lawson did a great job of getting it set up from the first pages. I also enjoyed how magic is viewed in the story that simply isn't understood yet. I've always found that to be a fun angle to take with magic.
The plot was fun and well-paced and I think that young readers will enjoy this fantasy story of girl power and social justice. The supporting cast were all wonderful, mirrored by a handful of dastardly villains who don't back down easily.
Full review to come on YouTube.

A cute but slow one for middle grade fantasy fans. Kids with some patience for a slow start may really enjoy it.

This was a delightful Middle Grade Fantasy novel, that I enjoyed reading! I liked the characters in it, and I liked the ending! I would definitely recommend trying this MG book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher,

This story is not nearly as silly as I assumed it would be from the set-up. I mean, we have a naked-necked chicken, a pocket sized wizard, and a child called Stub. That sounds like it's designed for mad-cap nonsense. But really, it takes it self pretty seriously. There's a genuine threat to the throne. Conveniently, the characters natural talents are perfectly suited to deal with the challenges they encounter. The characters don't really need to challenge themselves, only to trust each other. A bit too simple in the long run.

What an unexpected treasure! There is something tongue-in-cheek about Lawson's style that I appreciated. I was unfamiliar with her work, but look forward to reading her back catalog and any future releases.

This had promise from the synopsis but once you read the book it is way to slow to start and I think will loose many middle grade readers that may not be patient enough to keep reading.

Overall a good middle grade or upper elementary fantasy novel. I found it rather slow to start and nearly quit while Stub was still in Matron Tratte's "care." The story picked up once Stub, Beamen, and Orlen hit the rode and began their (admittedly surprisingly short) journey to Maradon Cross. The world building was interesting and I'd genuinely be willing to read more books set in this unique world.

The middle dragged. The ending conflict was confusing, and the ending action was difficult to picture. The whole thing reads like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with multiple unrelated problems being thrown at the protagonist until we arrive at a fairly satisfying, but poorly supported, conclusion.