Fantasy

The Dark Lady

The Dark Lady

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-29 00:52:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Akala
  • ISBN：1444943693
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Summary

A natural storyteller with a vision of his own， The Dark Lady， Akala's debut novel for teens will enthuse and entertain teenagers and young adults， showing that reading is a true super-power。

A pickpocket with an exceptional gift。 A prisoner of extraordinary value。 An orphan haunted by dreams of the mysterious dark lady。

Henry is an orphan， an outsider， a thief。 He is also a fifteen-year-old invested with magical powers。。。

This brilliant， at times brutal， first novel from the amazing imagination that is Akala， will glue you to your seat as you are hurled into a time when London stank and boys like Henry were forced to find their own route through the tangled streets and out the other side。

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Reviews

Helen Precious ，

The Dark Lady is a Dickensesque escapade following the lives of three street pickpockets as they navigate the backstreets of London。 Henry is many things; a thief; an orphan; literate and distinguished by his race。 The three characters expose the reader to the 'charms' of London - from dog fighting to the Globe。 Akala intersperses the vividly imagined streets with Shakespeare's sonnets as the cultural world surrounding Henry is revealed magically behind his eyes。 None of the characters are as st The Dark Lady is a Dickensesque escapade following the lives of three street pickpockets as they navigate the backstreets of London。 Henry is many things; a thief; an orphan; literate and distinguished by his race。 The three characters expose the reader to the 'charms' of London - from dog fighting to the Globe。 Akala intersperses the vividly imagined streets with Shakespeare's sonnets as the cultural world surrounding Henry is revealed magically behind his eyes。 None of the characters are as straightforward as they first appear as they struggle to negotiate the everyday necessity of survival， but when a robbery goes wrong， Henry is given a a glimpse into a world that was previously cut off from him。 But will the choices he makes and the trust that he places be the correct ones？This book will draw you in and speed you along to a remarkable conclusion。。。。here's hoping there will be more。 。。。more

B。S。 Casey ，

Release Date: 22nd April 2021Genre: Young Adult | Fiction | Historical FictionWho is Henry？ An orphan， a theif， an outcast。 And a boy with extraordinary gifts。 Living in a quasi-elizabethan London， Henry lives with his cousins Mary and Matthew in the slums after being abandoned by his Mother who could be anywhere。 Haunted by the dreams of a mysterious dark lady， Henry has to navigate his newfound gifts， his power over words and language while still trying to navigate the racial and societal prej Release Date: 22nd April 2021Genre: Young Adult | Fiction | Historical FictionWho is Henry？ An orphan， a theif， an outcast。 And a boy with extraordinary gifts。 Living in a quasi-elizabethan London， Henry lives with his cousins Mary and Matthew in the slums after being abandoned by his Mother who could be anywhere。 Haunted by the dreams of a mysterious dark lady， Henry has to navigate his newfound gifts， his power over words and language while still trying to navigate the racial and societal prejudices threatening to erase him。 Henrys story started off as a slow-moving， leisuirely stroll through days long in the past， gaining momentum with every turned page until I was thrown into a new world。 The narration was full of slang and shakespearean dialogue which may confuse some readers but only pulled me in deeper。 I had high expectations opening up this book， Akala is a master wordsmith and I wasn't disappointed at his first foray into the written world。 The Dark Lady was beautifully poetic and enchanting - each voice unique and spell-binding。 I expected a full fantasy going on here but instead found a magical historical tale that was realistic and other-worldy at the same time。This book may be for children on the cover （which is just stunning！） but this is definitely not just for teenagers - I can't wait to learn more about the world of The Dark Lady with Henry。RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Thank you to Akala and Hachette Childrens Group for an ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more

Alyssia Cooke ，

This is a good debut novel that is written very well， with a strong lead character and a well drawn setting that is let down by weaker secondary characters， an unexplored magic system and a rather muddled narrative that doesn’t really go anywhere。 It’s one of those books that you enjoy whilst your reading it， but have to wonder what the point was。 I also didn’t really get the point of the poetry verses interspersed between chapters， I suspect that they are intended to build on Henry’s abilities This is a good debut novel that is written very well， with a strong lead character and a well drawn setting that is let down by weaker secondary characters， an unexplored magic system and a rather muddled narrative that doesn’t really go anywhere。 It’s one of those books that you enjoy whilst your reading it， but have to wonder what the point was。 I also didn’t really get the point of the poetry verses interspersed between chapters， I suspect that they are intended to build on Henry’s abilities or his fascination with Shakespeare and to give a little background to his mother perhaps， but it isn’t made clear even by the end of the novel。In terms of what the novel does well， it is very readable and Akala writes well。 Henry as a character is well developed and I appreciated how Akala used the racial prejudice of the time to build his character and the setting。 The descriptions of Elizabethan London are well done， and there is a clear juxtaposition between the haves and have-nots。 And despite the plot not really going anywhere， I was interested in what was going on particularly at the moments where the pace moved a little more quickly。 The problem is that generally the pace of the novel is undeniably slow， and it doesn’t really seem to go anywhere。 This isn’t helped by the fact that the novel ends on a cliff hanger without really managing to resolve any of the main narrative threads properly。 The secondary characters are incidental rather than important， with very few of them bringing anything crucial to the story。 Whether noble of thief， they are all just background characters。 And then you have the magic system。 Another reviewer has described it as window dressing and I can see why。 It isn’t explored and aside from Henry’s gift of reading any language by closing his eyes being what makes him ‘valuable’， it doesn’t add anything to the narrative。 So there’s a lot of potential here， but it didn’t quite work for me。 More work needed to go into building up the secondary characters and the magic system so that they didn’t feel like incidental add-ins。 More importantly though， there needs to be a main narrative hook and I suspect that won’t materialise until the sequel， as this is certainly not a stand alone。 It’s almost like it’s a prequel to the action really starting rather than a full novel in and of its own right。 Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title。 。。。more

Suzanne Bhargava ，

Black Tudors， magic， sonnets， secret societies， Elizabethan street slang， and what it’s like to be overqualified for pickpocketing。 👍

sassafrass ，

It took me a little while to get to grips with the Elizabethan slang， which I felt was a rather fun and authentic touch once you settled into it。 The only real issue I had was， unfortunately， with the magic - Henry has the ability to translate any language written on paper， a feat that - as far as the many European characters are concerned - is something wholly unique and unheard of before。 His adoptive mother figure， Joan， also seems to have the ability to perform actual magic， including 'chi b It took me a little while to get to grips with the Elizabethan slang， which I felt was a rather fun and authentic touch once you settled into it。 The only real issue I had was， unfortunately， with the magic - Henry has the ability to translate any language written on paper， a feat that - as far as the many European characters are concerned - is something wholly unique and unheard of before。 His adoptive mother figure， Joan， also seems to have the ability to perform actual magic， including 'chi blasts' where she can telekentically hurl people and objects。 His other step-mother， Agnes， is also able to actively curse people。 It's real magic， which is at complete odds with the rest of the setting。 No one seems to be too alarmed by Henry's ability， and he isn't particularly shy about hiding it either - Joan and Agnes' abilities are also treated as witchcraft， yes， but。。。standard witchcraft。 It feels like you're missing something， and it makes it very hard to judge the stakes。 No one seems to be either horrified or too impressed， and the world's axis doesn't seem to be tilting （as it would if these magical abilities were discovered even now， never mind in a time where people didn't know what a germ was）。 Should I be alarmed when Henry tells someone about his power？ Apparently not。 And if everyone else is acting so blase， should I be impressed either？ Also， apparently not。 It really feels like the magic was added in as window dressing， because fantasy is a subject that sells in YA。 The larger implications， or impact， don't seem to be getting addressed， and it doesn't seem like the author cares overly much for them either。 I get it， this story is about other things， but if you're not going to develop your magic or the world it's living in， don't bother using it at all。 The parts without the magic were great！ Genuinely！ For a YA book aimed at the younger end of the spectrum it was a fun historical adventure， but whenever the magic reared it's head I just felt disappointed。 Other books have done this sort of thing - Sorcerer to the Crown， for example， or Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - and done it far better， but if it's a teen's first journey into historical fantasy it's definitely a good leaping off point。 。。。more

CerysAnne ，

The Dark Lady was a surprising read for me， but not for the reasons that you're probably thinking。It's not because the story itself took a different turn that I wasn't expecting - though that's definitely one of the reasons why。 It's because even though I was very excited to dive into this book， I was only three chapters in when I was already considering DNFing it。 It was slow-moving almost instantly， and I just found that I was not connecting with this story whatsoever， and I could just feel it The Dark Lady was a surprising read for me， but not for the reasons that you're probably thinking。It's not because the story itself took a different turn that I wasn't expecting - though that's definitely one of the reasons why。 It's because even though I was very excited to dive into this book， I was only three chapters in when I was already considering DNFing it。 It was slow-moving almost instantly， and I just found that I was not connecting with this story whatsoever， and I could just feel it putting me into a reading slump already; I just knew that this book was not for me。Plus， I'd reached that fifty page mark where， if I reach that point of the story and I still want to stop reading it， then I give myself permission to do so。 But because of how slow-moving this book is， I wanted to read on to at least a hundred pages of this story， just to see if things would then pick up。。。And I am SO GLAD that I did， because that is when this book started getting much， much better。 So much so that by the last page， I had a huge smile on my face and a craving for more。Henry is a poor， uneducated orphan who's just trying to find his place in a world that doesn't seem to want him。 If they don't want him because of his social status （or lack thereof）， then it's because of the colour of his skin。 But when a ransack on a Duke's house goes wrong and Henry finds himself captured， he finds that what keeps him alive isn't his ability to lie， steal， and deceive his way out of trouble， but is thanks to the magic that runs through his veins - magic that makes it so that he can read and understand any language， and even translate an entire book in an hour。Whilst at first that did not sound impressive to me whatsoever， it's as the story goes on that you realise the significance of such a talent in a world - but more so， in a time - such as this one。Set in Elizabethan London， The Dark Lady was an enjoyable and original historical poetic fantasy that may have started off with an unpromising beginning， but it progressed into an engrossing story that then finished off with a surprising and climactic ending， and I could not get enough of it。Yet despite all my praise， it definitely had its flaws that were unignorable - flaws outside of the constant slow-pacing that made getting into this story very difficult。 To me， I felt that the storyline itself wasn't greatly developed in the long run， and that there was no real motive to this plot whatsoever。 The side characters had no real purpose to this story as a whole， and despite the fact that this is a fantasy， it's clear early on that the magic of this world - but more so， of Henry and his foster aunts， Agnes and Joan - are not a main focus nor a top priority for this story at all。I just feel like， had Akala put more focus on the magic of this world - maybe even explained it and developed it a little better - then this book would've been an outstanding read for me。 But he didn't， so that definitely made this story fall flat in that aspect。But at the same time， that's simply my own preference to see in a novel like this one。If I put that aside， I can't ignore the fact that The Dark Lady was a really enjoyable book to read。I enjoyed the historical setting， I enjoyed the poetry that grows and evolves throughout， and I enjoyed the mystery to this story surrounding Henry's mother， the woman haunting his dreams， and those bold paragraphs in between each chapter - paragraphs that felt out of place with this book at first， but now that I've finished this story。。。 I completely understand their significance， and they've made me very excited at the prospect of more to come。If you're looking to read a story that isn't necessarily a life changing one to read， but is an impactful one nevertheless - one about growth， mistakes， race and poverty， and finding power in words - then you should definitely give The Dark Lady a go。 It has its flaws （as I've mentioned in this review）， but overall， it is an amazing story to read， and I'm now so excited to see what it is Akala delivers next when it comes to Henry's journey。TW: （view spoiler）[in this novel are scenes of animal abuse and racism （hide spoiler）]ARC provided via Amazon Vine for honest review 。。。more

Nemesia ，

The world is a bit too classic for my taste - maybe because I was expecting a fantasy novel。 There's too much slang when it's not needed and not enough action - things begin to happen halfway through the book。But I loved the writing （especially the poetry bits） and I wanted to know what would happen to the main character。 （Not badly enough to make me finish the novel though。） The world is a bit too classic for my taste - maybe because I was expecting a fantasy novel。 There's too much slang when it's not needed and not enough action - things begin to happen halfway through the book。But I loved the writing （especially the poetry bits） and I wanted to know what would happen to the main character。 （Not badly enough to make me finish the novel though。） 。。。more

Blue ，

Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you Hachette for this book in exchange for an honest reviewSo I wanted to like this book。 I really did。 Pickpocket， prisoner， orphan that has haunted dreams， this has every concept to make an interesting story but I overall felt like the author was beating me with a Shakespeare novel and I wasn’t impressed。 If I’m to have books shoved in my face， its book I choose。 Don’t get me wrong， I like Shakespeare but I felt as though this was the main thing th Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you Hachette for this book in exchange for an honest reviewSo I wanted to like this book。 I really did。 Pickpocket， prisoner， orphan that has haunted dreams， this has every concept to make an interesting story but I overall felt like the author was beating me with a Shakespeare novel and I wasn’t impressed。 If I’m to have books shoved in my face， its book I choose。 Don’t get me wrong， I like Shakespeare but I felt as though this was the main thing that carried through the book and the characters， plot and story got left behind， behind Shakespeare。 The pace of this book was off and at times you are stuck with intense dialogue that makes you sigh， put the book down to make a coffee and prepare yourself for what’s to come。 I found that the last few chapters of the book had an interesting pace that should have been carried across the whole book。 The slang was over use。 Again。 A way to slap you with Shakespeare。 I understand that it was crucial to the time and somewhat for the story but I can’t help but feel that if all the Shakespeare elements were withdrawn from the story it would have been better。The plot was…。 Two plots？ There were story lines that didn’t mesh well and seemed to be throwing Shakespeare shade at each other throughout the whole book。 They didn’t work well together and kinda ruined it。 I think this book isn’t a young YA book but more of an adult kinda books。 I seriously will buy ice-cream to the younger generation that read this book。Can I finish with， hey the characters were good though， and the setting was detailed？ Unfortunately this was one of those books where the negative outweighed the good。 。。。more

Tracey S ，

I received a free arc of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。I wanted to read this book as I admire Akala as a musical artist and an activist， and was confident in his ability to be a good fiction author。 I was not disappointed！This book was nothing like I expected - we open with three young people， one black and two white， in Elizabethan London。 The language they use is quasi-Elizabethan and it works to anchor the reader to the time period， while still be I received a free arc of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。I wanted to read this book as I admire Akala as a musical artist and an activist， and was confident in his ability to be a good fiction author。 I was not disappointed！This book was nothing like I expected - we open with three young people， one black and two white， in Elizabethan London。 The language they use is quasi-Elizabethan and it works to anchor the reader to the time period， while still being believable and understandable dialogue。Henry is a disillusioned teenager living in the London slums with his extended family as his mother who is from Benin has seemingly abandoned him as a young child， and is possibly dead。 Henry and his cousins Mary and Matthew pass the time and earn some precious money by robbing more well to do houses in London。 One night Matthew tells of a commission he's had for them to steal a particular item of jewellery from a Duke's house。 They get disturbed， Matthew gets away but Mary and Henry get caught and their lives change forever。 Henry has a 'gift' that the Duke exploits， but will he conform to the high life at the expense of his heritage and true family？This book was well written and well paced - I very much enjoyed it and will look forward to more of Akala's fiction。 。。。more

Book Bazaar ，

I wanted to like this more but I didn't warm to the main character terribly well。 I loved the special skill of instant translation and the historical characters that floated through， but unfortunately， I really didn't engage。 I wanted to like this more but I didn't warm to the main character terribly well。 I loved the special skill of instant translation and the historical characters that floated through， but unfortunately， I really didn't engage。 。。。more

Lucy ，

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。This book is a great start to what I assume is going to be a trilogy/series。 Henry is an engaging protagonist and the world of an alternative Elizabethan London is fleshed out well。 I would have liked a little more investigation of the magical element of the plot but can only assume that might be coming in future books。 The discussions of race， family and belonging were also done sensitively and well。 Akala is a fluid writer and I'm looking forw Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。This book is a great start to what I assume is going to be a trilogy/series。 Henry is an engaging protagonist and the world of an alternative Elizabethan London is fleshed out well。 I would have liked a little more investigation of the magical element of the plot but can only assume that might be coming in future books。 The discussions of race， family and belonging were also done sensitively and well。 Akala is a fluid writer and I'm looking forward to the next installment。 。。。more

Carolyn ，

*Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Childrens for sending me a digital ARC for review*What looks to be the start of an interesting historical series， encompassing magic， race， class and literature （I would dearly love Henry's ablility to translate anything）， with language as rich as its themes， including not only poetry but Elizabethan street slang。 There was a glossary for the slang but it was a little awkward to go back and forth to it in a digital format; shouldn't be a problem in the printe *Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Childrens for sending me a digital ARC for review*What looks to be the start of an interesting historical series， encompassing magic， race， class and literature （I would dearly love Henry's ablility to translate anything）， with language as rich as its themes， including not only poetry but Elizabethan street slang。 There was a glossary for the slang but it was a little awkward to go back and forth to it in a digital format; shouldn't be a problem in the printed version。 All in all， definitely recommended。 。。。more

Simone ，

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review。3。5 stars rounded up。I enjoyed reading this。 A lovely little adventure with a historical fiction background。 There's lots in here for young people to think about; identity， loyalty and consequences of ones actions。 Back to the historical fiction element， I really like what Akala has done here。 He's choose a time in history that Black people being in London are not often associated with。 And he's also chosen to i Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review。3。5 stars rounded up。I enjoyed reading this。 A lovely little adventure with a historical fiction background。 There's lots in here for young people to think about; identity， loyalty and consequences of ones actions。 Back to the historical fiction element， I really like what Akala has done here。 He's choose a time in history that Black people being in London are not often associated with。 And he's also chosen to include the often not talked about aspects of Elizabethan society and European history， like the prejudice and persecution of foreigners and different religious groups。 I love that the main character Henry is a nerdy pick-pocket， but the ending。 That can't be the ending。 Surely this is just the beginning of Henry's story and assume there is a sequel coming， that I am eager to read。 A good read for young adults and fans of young ault fiction。 。。。more

gemsbooknook Geramie Kate Barker ，

'A PICKPOCKET WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL GIFTA PRISONER OF EXTRAORDINARY VALUEAN ORPHAN HAUNTED BY DREAMS OF THE MYSTERIOUS DARK LADYHenry is an orphan， an outsider， a thief。 He is also a fifteen-year-old invested with magical powers 。。。'I didn't love this book。I went into this book after reading Natives by Akala， unfortunately I was a little disappointing by his debut novel for teens The Dark Lady。While I feel that Akala is a natural storyteller this book just didn't work for me。 I had issues with the 'A PICKPOCKET WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL GIFTA PRISONER OF EXTRAORDINARY VALUEAN ORPHAN HAUNTED BY DREAMS OF THE MYSTERIOUS DARK LADYHenry is an orphan， an outsider， a thief。 He is also a fifteen-year-old invested with magical powers 。。。'I didn't love this book。I went into this book after reading Natives by Akala， unfortunately I was a little disappointing by his debut novel for teens The Dark Lady。While I feel that Akala is a natural storyteller this book just didn't work for me。 I had issues with the pacing at the beginning of the story which made it difficult for me to stay engrossed with the story。 This problem was resolve during the second part of the novel when the paced pick up and the story started leading somewhere。I also had a real issue with the old Elizabethan language and slang used in this book。 Most of the story was easy to read yet the flow was interrupted by the addition of words and phrases that were unfamiliar to me。 I had to continuously turn to the glossary at the back of the book to find out what was being said。 This caused a stop start issue for most of the story。As for the story itself， I feel like it was suffering from an identity crisis。 There felt like there were two stories being told。 Each of these stories could have been interesting but they didn't really mesh well together。 I found myself moved by the emotional human side of the story but the magical elements just seem slightly unnecessary。I think there is definitely people out there who will absolutely love this book， I am just sad that I am not one of themThe Dark Lady by Akala is a magical yet very human story that needs to be read to be believed。Geramie Kate Barkergemsbooknook。wordpress。com 。。。more

Clark ，

On the surface， this book seemed to offer everything I like: Shakespeare， pickpockets， references to Moll Cutpurse， and Elizabethan London。 The title refers to the mysterious 'Dark Lady' referenced in Shakespeare sonnets and a few of his plays （I think Rosalind in Love's Labour's Lost， for example）。 However， the lady herself didn't play much of a role in this story， and I'm assuming a sequel will come。The excess of Elizabeth jargon was a fun addition， though it petered out fairly quickly。 Akala On the surface， this book seemed to offer everything I like: Shakespeare， pickpockets， references to Moll Cutpurse， and Elizabethan London。 The title refers to the mysterious 'Dark Lady' referenced in Shakespeare sonnets and a few of his plays （I think Rosalind in Love's Labour's Lost， for example）。 However， the lady herself didn't play much of a role in this story， and I'm assuming a sequel will come。The excess of Elizabeth jargon was a fun addition， though it petered out fairly quickly。 Akala is clearly a Shakespeare nerd， but sometimes the detail given about Elizabeth London felt more like research being demonstrated than seamless musing by the protagonist。Where Akala shines is in his painting of Henry's outsider status， and the links between Henry's experience of discrimination and contemporary prejudices doesn't feel overwrought。If this book seems almost to be written for study in class， it's still a page-turner， and ages 12+ will enjoy this foray into a London at once materially different， and socially identical to the one we live in now。 。。。more

Melissa ，

Mixed feelings on this one。 The world building was interesting; but it felt incomplete。 The characters felt a little one dimensional; I didn’t feel an emotional connection。 The language also felt inconsistent。 I didn’t feel ‘mum’ would be used， but maybe that’s just me！Not a bad read overall; thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Tricia ，

Excellent YA Historical fiction - enjoy！

Georgina Kamsika ，

I was interested to read The Dark Lady because of the author， Akala。 I like Akala and was intrigued to see him move into YA， especially a book set in the Elizabethan era。 He does a fantastic job of bringing the reader into that world， with a faux-Shakespearian dialect that is much easier for younger readers to parse。 The protagonist， Henry， is a biracial boy living in poverty after he was abandoned by his mother the eponymous Dark Lady。 He has a secret that helps his survival， he has the magical I was interested to read The Dark Lady because of the author， Akala。 I like Akala and was intrigued to see him move into YA， especially a book set in the Elizabethan era。 He does a fantastic job of bringing the reader into that world， with a faux-Shakespearian dialect that is much easier for younger readers to parse。 The protagonist， Henry， is a biracial boy living in poverty after he was abandoned by his mother the eponymous Dark Lady。 He has a secret that helps his survival， he has the magical power to read and translate any language。 I enjoyed the book and thought Henry and his friends were unique and interesting。 I loved Akala’s style of adding in poetry and couplets as Henry composed them。 The Dark Lady is a mystery and that combined with the ending sets up a sequel。 。。。more

Catrina ，

I received an ARC through Netgalley。 I am a massive Akala fan and recently finished Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of the Empire， so I was geeked to see the email that popped up with mentions of this book。 Honestly， initially hoped that we were going to see a merge of Akala literary rapping skills and a contemporary native。 Understanding Akala， then it makes logical sense that he would choose to write a book set in the Elizabethan era and explore his love for Shakespeare。 As a YA fantasy， I received an ARC through Netgalley。 I am a massive Akala fan and recently finished Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of the Empire， so I was geeked to see the email that popped up with mentions of this book。 Honestly， initially hoped that we were going to see a merge of Akala literary rapping skills and a contemporary native。 Understanding Akala， then it makes logical sense that he would choose to write a book set in the Elizabethan era and explore his love for Shakespeare。 As a YA fantasy， this book plays with race and class in Britain and the wider Black British diaspora in an interesting manner and he does not back away from issues of mixed race identity and history。 However， it feels too much is explored in this short book without any real depth to the characters， I finished the book not really liking any of the characters。 The protagonist Henry fits well into the context of the narrative but his poor choices and little consequences felt unrealistic。 The use of the sonnets gave us a little inside look into Akala as a young man his passion for all things Shakespearean。 The Dark Lady remains to be a mystery， there is this underlying narrative of Henry mother and the sacrifices she makes to protect him， which sets us up for a series of book。 This book feels like a passion project， but I’m not sure who the audience is for this book。 I cannot see many young black boys within inner cities in the U。K。 pick this book up and relate to the characters。 Essentially， it feels like a Children of Blood and Bone， without the underpinning of a real West African cultural context with which many young black kids could relate to。 。。。more

Jess B ，

（As a warning I want to make it clear I review this with my professional hat on not personal。 Personally， I thought this was pretty good but I review this in a professional capacity and as such must keep that in mind）:Some would argue that using his mainstream appeal to young people as a tool to get them to read what is essentially educational historical fiction is very clever。 Some would argue it will inspire today's youth to view Shakespearean language and culture with new eyes。 However， I， so （As a warning I want to make it clear I review this with my professional hat on not personal。 Personally， I thought this was pretty good but I review this in a professional capacity and as such must keep that in mind）:Some would argue that using his mainstream appeal to young people as a tool to get them to read what is essentially educational historical fiction is very clever。 Some would argue it will inspire today's youth to view Shakespearean language and culture with new eyes。 However， I， someone who has lived and worked among London teens for many years say differently。 This is a book lovers book。 By which I mean it will appeal to children who love to read and don't really care who the author is。 In my work I need books that entice the book haters， the boys who resent the things that don't reflect their realities。 The idea of having a book by Akala to call upon to tempt those boys was a god send！ So imagine my sadness when instead of a novel that speaks to these children， I got yet another （very good but wholly unnecessary） historical/fantasy/adventure。Please don't misunderstand me authors should be able to write whatever they want， and Akala shouldn't be pigeon holed because of this musical career。。。 But I had such hope that he would take his passion for politics and activism and use it to write something powerful and relatable that would inspire the children who need a push。 The ones who might only pick the book up because he wrote it， not one's who are already in the Library everyday looking。 I hope he keeps writing YA， because he has real power， and I will keep my fingers crossed he uses his talent to write me the kind of book I need。 。。。more

Meg ，

An intriguing story about magic， race， and family in Elizabethan era London。 Akala brings to life a world through the eyes of a poor black boy with exceptional gifts， gifts that would shape his future and mark his worth to London’s aristocracy， while also painting a target on his back。 I enjoyed reading this book， its well written and the mystery surrounding Henry’s gift and origins kept me engaged and eager to get to the end。 I would have liked some of the side characters to be fleshed out a bi An intriguing story about magic， race， and family in Elizabethan era London。 Akala brings to life a world through the eyes of a poor black boy with exceptional gifts， gifts that would shape his future and mark his worth to London’s aristocracy， while also painting a target on his back。 I enjoyed reading this book， its well written and the mystery surrounding Henry’s gift and origins kept me engaged and eager to get to the end。 I would have liked some of the side characters to be fleshed out a bit more to make them more dimensional， but for a debut novel Akala did a great job。 。。。more

Trisha ，

Sophisticated engaging historical mystery， with many gaps I suspect will be filled in future books。 It doesn't feel like a standalone。 Sophisticated engaging historical mystery， with many gaps I suspect will be filled in future books。 It doesn't feel like a standalone。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dark Lady

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dark Lady&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dark Lady&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0