I was hooked from the first chapter! Not only is this a story about intelligent, curious, capable girls, but it's also written in a very engaging way. I couldn't put it down. This is the book I wished I could have read as a young girl, and I know my students will love it.

Thanks to NetGalley & Walden Pond Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

After a disastrous attempt at raising the family to popularity, Marya is sent by her parents to Dragomir Academy to be trained to become a proper lady. Problem is, no school will be good enough to get rid of Marya's curiosity. She digs deep into the history of Dragomir Academy and finds some disturbing secrets...

What a great novel! I couldn't put it down! Marya is a great and inquisitive protagonist who deals with anxiety/confidence issues which is really relatable. I was enthralled by the mystery and it had me so hooked...

I actually would consider this to be more of a mystery/social issues novel rather than exclusively fantasy. It's a unique book and the genre "fantasy" doesn't really cover it too well. It's not like Marya's got a talking dragon with her and can control water. There's real issues here that are investigated by Marya and her new friends at the academy.

Definitely a darker kind of novel and there's a ton of gaslighting done by the adults, so be forewarned.

A great fantasy take on how our history is very male dominated and a look at how that may have happened using another world.

“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” -Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

This book is a loud cry for all the times females have been told they were trouble or too loud or had too many opinions or talked too much or asks too many questions or is too bossy or… or… or… Because of the patriarichal nature of our society, many girls will hear these thrown at them over and over again because in society’s eyes, it is our job to comply. Marya lives in a society that her job is to not only comply but to also fade into the background, so many of those who read will automatically connect with Marya’s plight and her personality trait of wanting to push back. Marya doesn’t want to just be in the background.

I do not want to share much more about the book than what the summary includes because it was such a pleasure to read–I am envious of all of you who get to read it for the first time! Anne Ursu’s ability to craft a fantastical world that is easy to imagine, write lyrically yet precisely, and create this narrative filled with twists, turns, and a protagonist you will be rooting for lends itself to just a fantastic read. This will definitely be one of my favorite reads of the year!

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy may be categorized for young readers, but the feminist themes empower young girls not to fear their voices and question injustice.

Excellent Story for Young Girls
Ursu did a fantastic job of putting this story together and creating an empowering narrative for young girls.

In the world that Ursu has created, girls are often overlooked. Girls like Marya are treated less than because of their gender. No one notices her. No one expects anything of her. In contrast, everyone expects things from her brother. They expect him to be a sorcerer, to be somebody in the community.

Moreover, when Mayra is summoned to the Dragomir Academy for Troubled Girls, the reader sees how the school systematically tries to silence the girls, to break them of their “troublesome” behavior.

These are young girls who ask questions, voice their opinions, and seek to carve out futures for themselves outside of the constraints society has set for them.

However, more importantly, they are trying to silence the fire within these girls. Nevertheless, Marya will not let herself be silenced. Her voice is her power, her eagerness to learn more, to see past all the lies masqueraded as pretty words.

This is a world that fears women with power and calls them a witch. But what if a witch is just another word for a sorceress?

It is incredibly humbling and empowering to read this narrative, to see Ursu fight to give young girls a voice, one that teaches them to step out of the mold society deems “appropriate.” Ursu is encouraging young girls to learn, ask questions, trust their guts, and see past the pretty words people throw at them. She is encouraging girls to love the sound of their voices and fight against being silenced.

Final Thoughts
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy is an empowering read. The scene structure, the world-building, and the character growth are reachable to young readers. It is an accessible story that older audiences can appreciate as well.

As a thirty-year-old woman, I wish I had had something like this to read as a child. However, it is encouraging to read a story about girls from different backgrounds put into a school because of their outspoken minds and fire.

It has the depth and maturity to stand out to readers and empower young girls to find their voice even when they think they have one.

This book had a great storyline even though it went a bit wonky at times. I enjoyed the realizations the the feminist undertones of the entire story. Down with the patriarchy! Overall, I really liked this book and would read more if this were a series.

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu; Walden Pond Press, 432 pages ($17.99). Ages 8 to 12.

...

The remarkable Anne Ursu (author of "Bread Crumbs," "The Lost Girl," and National Book Award nominee "The Real Boy") here crafts a wondrous fantasy set in a colorfully described medieval world of sorcery and magic, yet conveying a very contemporary-feeling and empowering feminist message. It's a thrilling coming-of-age novel featuring a feisty heroine, an ornery goat, an insufferable headmaster and intricate tapestries with coded messages.

As the novel begins the Lupu family is awaiting the visit of the Council for the Magical Protection of Illyria to test their 13-year-old son Luka's potential as a sorcerer, a choice that could lift the family's fortunes. Sorcerers are the only protection the kingdom has from the growing threat posed by the Dread, a "monstrous force that lived in the forest and roamed to nearby towns to devour them whole."

His 12-year-old sister Marya, who knows very well that sorcery potential is limited to males, is scrubbing out the chicken coop in preparation for the council's arrival. Unbeknownst to her family, Marya has been taught to read by her neighbor, Madame Bandu, a weaver who has told her when questioning the official version of events to always ask: "Who does the story serve?" The council's visit to the Lupu household is a disaster, and Marya is ordered sent to the remote Dragomir Academy for Troubled Girls to learn proper behavior.



Here girls are stripped of their personal possessions, forced into uniforms, deprived of meals for the smallest infraction. In history class they are taught that witches are to blame for the Dread, that any female might be guilty of witchcraft. Grieving separation from their families and feeling guilt over being labeled "troubled", some girls fall prey to hallucinations and are sent away for treatment.

Ursu writes: "There were few women pictured in the great tapestries of Illyria – besides the witches, of course...That is not to say that girls and women did not matter to Illyria: behind every great tapestry was a woman who wove it, just as behind every great sorcerer was a wife to tend to his domestic affairs, a governess to teach his children, a cook to warm his gullet, a maid to keep his fires lit."

Marya, who blames herself for the death from fever of her younger brother Pieter, slowly makes friends with her classmates and reconnects with her brother Luka as she investigates the secrets behind the history of the school. The Transylvanian flavor of the character and place names adds to the fun.

Anne Ursu is an undisputed champion of kidlit fantasy. I've devoured The Real Boy and Breadcrumbs and am in awe of how she creates these incredible worlds with characters that are so realistic, so well-written, that looking up and realizing I'm still in my living room, dog across my legs, with a book in my lap, can be a little jarring. Her latest story, The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, is kidlist feminist fantasy at its best. Taking place in a fantasy world and time, Marya Lupu is a girl living in a kingdom under attack from an army called The Dread. Her parents are straight-up awful; they dote on her brother, Luka, because in this world, the young men are sent into service as sorcerers to fight the dread while, if they're lucky, the girls and families get to live off the sorcerer's reputation. This sets the siblings up against each other, which never ends well: sure enough, on the day Luka is to be evaluated by the sorcerers for his skill, chaos ensues and it leads right back to Marya. The next day, a letter from a school called the Dragmoir Academy shows up for Marya: it's a school for wayward girls, and her parents can't pack her off quickly enough.  What she discovers at the Academy, though, are a group of young women who are far more than just a bunch of "troubled" young women, and the Dragomir Academy has a darker history than they're owning up to. 

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy is about women, power, and fear. It's a school story, with different personalities and the conflict that comes with putting that many personalities together under stressful circumstances; it's also a story of hidden women, hidden messages, and who really controls the dialogue, whether it comes to today's news or a high-fantasy novel about a land under threat from a horrific enemy that devastates everything in its path. Brilliantly written, with characters that readers will love; Marya is a smart young woman who's been beaten down for a long time; unlike many of the other girls in the novel, though, she refuses to second-guess or question herself when it's time to take action, and she motivates her schoolmates to own their own power, too. 

Anne Ursu is an award-winning, National Book Award-nominated fantasy author. Visit her website for more information about her books and teacher guides, and upcoming events.

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy has a starred review from Kirkus and is an Indie Next pick.

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu

My daughter read this book and loved it. This is her review. “Marya’s brother is going to be a sorcerer. When an accident happens, Marya is sent to Dragomir Academy. It is a place for troubled girls.

When she is there, the Dread attacks. The Dread is a cloud-like creature that can spawn itself and destroy villages.

I really liked this book because I love magic and the girls at the school work together as a team. This book was exciting and I want to read the next one.”

I went into this book intrigued by the premise and expecting it to be good. Instead, it kind of blew me away. I was totally hooked when I met Marya and her awful family. From the beginning, I knew there was more to her than meets the eye, and I felt like I just had to keep reading to find out what it was.

Also, the tapestries! Okay, so in the book, the weavers and embroiderers have a secret language. They use symbols to mean different things– like a crescent moon placed near the artist’s signature means she doesn’t believe the story the tapestry tells. An embroidered cushion might tell a whole family’s history. I’ve never seen anything like that in a book before, and I LOVE it! I love the way that secret impacts so many parts of the story.

The way that Marya and the other girls wrestle with the way they’re treated just broke my heart. Watching them take courage and band together and be one another’s strength was so awesome. It reminded me a little bit of the spirit of GIRLS WITH SHARP STICKS, but written for a younger audience. I loved that vibe about it, though.

I think readers who enjoyed THE RAVEN HEIR or THE OTHER SIDE OF LUCK will really enjoy this one and its celebration of friendship, equality, and courage.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

This had an unexpected punch for me that left me thinking about the story and the characters and the outcome for a long time after I closed the book. While written for middle grade readers, I'd love to get this into the hands of teen girls, young adults, and even older adults - and then talk about it. There's a lot here about family and gender and misogyny that begs to be discussed. Don't miss this one! (TW: gaslighting)

First and foremost I really enjoyed the world that Anne Ursu created in this story and could see other stories set in it, the world building and setup were really wonderful (even if the society didn't have the best standards or norms when it came to the place of females). I enjoyed the theme within this book where Marya isn't will to accept what society expects of her and other females. It very much lends to breaking expected gender role and challenging societal norms. She's not willing to just go along with things and is constantly questioning the expectations set upon her.

Ursu's writing is beautiful and while the pace isn't super fast, the language used and phrasing is a pleasure to read. There were a few sections that I felt were a tad slow, but the writing more than made up for that. The characters are fully fledged and have multiple layers to them, making them seem more real and easier to identify with.

This story is full of strong themes of feminism, knowledge is power and bucking societal norms, which was nice to experience in a fantasy setting. Though it is longer than most middle grades, it is a great story that I'm sure younger readers will devour.

Such a strong allegory about power: what people will do to keep it, whom they will oppress, the lies they will tell.

Set in a world built beautifully in the early centuries of what feels European.

Beautiful character development. Such a wonderful rounded novel that kids will devour.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel. The free copy did not influence my review.

This is an interesting novel set in a fantasy world touching on themes such as gender roles and friendships! Mayra's brother, Luka, is the favorite child in her family. He is training to become a sorcerer, an elite class in Illyria. The sorcerers are the only ones who can repel "The Dread" which attack (and kill) entire villages. When Mayra receives a letter saying that she has to go to Dragomir Academy for Troubled Girls, she ends up going on an adventure that uncovers many sinister secrets - about herself and the school.

This was such a good book with amazing world building! Mayra was very realistic character and the combination of fantasy and mystery was a delight. I did love the touch of the medieval time period that this had in it. Overall, a great book, and I will be picking up some of Anne Ursu's other works!

Ages 11+

A world where magic belongs only to men, where sorcerers visits houses with potential new wizards, observing and then bringing them for training. A world where women don't have magic... right? Unbeknownst to the sorcerers (and other men), the women who create the gorgeous tapestries that hang in many houses, who embroider clothes and other fabric items, have a secret language of symbols that tell the truth about events and people the men want covered up.

Marya's been neglected by her parents, whose hopes are all hung up on their son Luka's. When those hopes are dashed, thanks to Marya, they're elated when she's sent to Dragomir Academy, a place for "troubled girls." How troubled? Enough for the men, and sorcerers, to send away far away to a remote place. The question is, why.

Unlike most of the "girls who are somehow troubled/trouble/potentially trouble but there's a secret" books, this one doesn't bring its secrets fully to the fore until late in the book. Readers discover the truth as Marya and her friends and teachers do, making this a nice change and allowing us to feel truly along her journey. Currently a standalone, it'd be great to read more about this world and its history.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

This fantasy adventure tale is told from the perspective of Marya Lupu. No one notices Marya because all of her family's attention is focused on her brother, Luka who is clearly destined to become a sorcerer and help protect the citizens of Illyria from the terrifyingly named force: "The Dread." Unlike her brother, Marya can never seem to do anything right, according to her family. But, when she is sent away to a school for 'troubled girls', she starts to question the ideas about her role as a girl in her society that she had always assumed were a given. Deep themes about sexism, power, and oppression are written in a way that is relatable and meaningful to young readers. I highly recommend this for fans of magic-filled stories with strong female characters who question authority.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The thing you would like to know about me is that I'm a cover-buyer aswell as a cover requester. I had high hopes for this book but it did not deliver. The plagiarism in this book was so blatantly obvious. The Troubled Girls Of Dragomir Academy follows the same plot as Chris Colfer's 'A Tale Of Magic'. It could be that the author just had this idea of the book but it was hard to ignore the plagiarism because it felt like reading A Tale Of Magic all over again. We have the same women oppression scene and then women empowerment by the end of the book. We have the same "Troubled Girls" concept as in A Tale Of Magic. I really liked this book but because of the obvious plagiarism, I couldn't.

2.75 stars!

After being sent to a school for "troubled girls," a twelve year old realizes that the society that taught her that girls have little value might have been lying to her about many things, including the magical threat destroying the kingdom.

My new favorite Anne Ursu book! Ursu tackles systemic sexism through the lens of a medieval-based fantasy world. Laced with humor, heartfelt relationships, and well-developed secondary characters, the immersive world is one I was reluctant to leave when the book ended. The story itself is a powerful allegory for injustices in our modern world that asks young readers to consider “Who benefits?” from lies and mis- (or dis-) information. As a librarian, I swooned for Ursu's accessible and subtly-incorporated guidance on how to evaluate historical sources (in this case, tapestries) for bias. But all of this comes within the package of an imaginative boarding-school-fantasy that is as fun as it is thought-provoking. Pick this one up for your middle grade reader or your 4th-7th grade book club!

Interesting world-building and a strongly rendered main character bolster this middle grade fantasy, which is well-written and long on message if a bit slow/minimal on action and which might have benefited from a bit more attention to the secondary characters. The ending leaves an opening for further stories in this world; I'd certainly be interested to see what might come next. Fans of Ursu's other work as well as Gail Carson Levine, Shannon Hale, or the Sisters Grimm series, or those looking for magical boarding school stories or thoughtful fantasy, might enjoy.

I've had the pleasure of reading a few of Ursu's other books, Breadcrumbs, The Lost Girl, and The Real Boy and have always enjoyed her writing and characters. She's written a few empowering girl stories and her latest book, The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy is such a book. Ursu focuses on the power imbalances or inequities that exist between various genders and explores this in the way that the boys of Illyria, like Luka are meant to grow up and become sorcerers, revered for their strength in battling the Dread, while some of the girls, like Marya are troubled and need to be reeducated into proper ladies.

At the beginning of the story, Marya doesn't appear too upset about her lot in life, males and females each have their own roles to play. Marya and Luka have a grudge that dominates the first quarter of the story where they're focused on getting even with each other by pulling pranks meant to one up the other. Marya puts honey in Luka's shorts and he ruins her dress. Marya grumbles about how her parents see her as being unladylike, unable to do anything right, or how she essentially has to stay out of her dad's way, while her mom dotes on Luka, and is way stricter on her. Throughout the story, the girls thoughts are manipulated in a way that causes them to doubt their own worth, at first believing that they're troubled and can never do anything right. It's really sad how their parents disown or allow them to be taken to this Academy. Marya is treated so unfairly and you can't help wanting to give her a hug, or send her another letter from her next door neighbor, Madame Bandu, who was such a delight by the way. I loved how she was the one who taught Marya how to read and write, offers to apprentice her as a master weaver, and keeps telling her that she did nothing wrong. She's such a support to Marya and her kindness just radiates in the story. Now Luka was interesting. At first he was sort of stuck up, nose in the air kinda guy. When he didn't get asked to be a sorcerer he doesn't seem too surprised, almost relieved. Partially because his parents have put so much pressure on him to be the great sorcerer and bring pride to their family, and partially because of the amount of time/energy he put into preparing for his new role. Once Marya is sent away, he changes for the better and I couldn't help wondering why? Like why didn't he spill the beans about Marya knowing how to read? I liked how Marya described him as having many sides, "the gifted, dutiful, cruel and one of fear," and maybe he's meant to represent that people are more complex than you think. Lastly, I enjoyed how the story is meant to question "who does the story serve?" and "who benefits?" For the girls of Rose Hall, is was through their being educated at the school and daring to question what they were being told from the men around them. I'd pair this with Miss Ellicott's School for Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood.

** A huge thank you to Sabrian Kenoun from SparkPress for the E-ARC via Netgalley **