A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying
by Kelley Armstrong
Puffin Canada (Penguin Random House), 2019. 280 pages.
Starred Review
Review written October 31, 2019, from a library book
At the beginning of this fantasy adventure, thirteen-year-old Rowan is complaining because she wishes she were destined to be the Royal Monster Hunter instead of the Queen. But because she was born two minutes before her twin brother Rhydd, she gets the throne and he gets the job of monster hunter – even though their aptitude is the opposite.
But when a battle with a gryphon – the same type of monster that killed their father – badly injures Rhydd so he’ll always walk with a limp, they can get the council to agree to a switch. However, if Rowan is to step into the Royal Monster Hunter position, she’s going to need to train quickly, because an uncle has his own children in mind for both positions.
This begins a quest to get training to fight monsters – and ends up being a story of being set upon by one monster after another.
I love the imaginative monsters the author has besetting this kingdom. There are things you’ve heard of like gryphons and firebirds and pegasi, but also warakins, manticores, and a jba-fofi (giant spider). Rowan even stumbles on a baby jackalope who decides to adopt her and thinks he is more ferocious than he is.
There’s also plenty of tension in this story. The gryphon battle at the beginning makes us understand how truly fearsome it is, and further creatures that come after Rowan or her companions have us wondering how she’ll manage to escape in one piece. More than once, the minute she escapes one disaster, a new peril attacks.
I do like the way the Royal Monster Hunters consider it a failure when they have to kill a monster. Their goal is to drive them back into the mountains. If they get a taste for livestock or endanger people, the monsters do need to be killed. But I like the way Rowan and her family consider every other option first.
This is a suspenseful tale about a girl fighting – literally – to prove herself and help her kingdom. And you’ll enjoy the characters and critters you’ll meet along the way.
kelleyarmstrong.com
penguinrandomhouse.ca
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