The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

by Anne Ursu

Hardcover, 2021

Call number

JF URS

Publication

Walden Pond Press (2021), 432 pages

Description

Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. Folklore. HTML: From the acclaimed author of The Real Boy and The Lost Girl comes a wondrous and provocative fantasy about a kingdom beset by monsters, a mysterious school, and a girl caught in between them. If no one notices Marya Lupu, is likely because of her brother, Luka. And that's because of what everyone knows: that Luka is destined to become a sorcerer. The Lupus might be from a small village far from the capital city of Illyria, but that doesn't matter. Every young boy born in in the kingdom holds the potential for the rare ability to wield magic, to protect the country from the terrifying force known only as the Dread. For all the hopes the family has for Luka, no one has any for Marya, who can never seem to do anything right. But even so, no one is prepared for the day that the sorcerers finally arrive to test Luka for magical ability, and Marya makes a terrible mistake. Nor the day after, when the Lupus receive a letter from a place called Dragomir Academyâ??a mysterious school for wayward young girls. Girls like Marya. Soon she is a hundred miles from home, in a strange and unfamiliar place, surrounded by girls she's never met. Dragomir Academy promises Marya and her classmates a chance to make something of themselves in service to one of the country's powerful sorcerers. But as they learn how to fit into a world with no place for them, they begin to discover things about the magic the men of their country wield, as well as the Dread itselfâ??things that threaten the precarious balance upon which Illyria is built… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member sennebec
Marya feels unloved, unwanted, and less than. All attention is on her older brother, Luka who has been groomed and prpared for the day a sorcerer will come to assess him and select him for training as one to protect the kingdom. Luka's treatment of Marya is cruel and selfish, but when he does
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something humiliating on the day the selection is to happen, it backfires big time. Imagine a panicked goat, yelling at a sorcerer, and massive chaos. Next thing Marya knows, she's shuttled off to the Dragomer Academy for Troubled Girls, a place no one in her village has ever heard of.
Imagine Hogwarts if it were run by The Wicked Witch of the West, and you'd be in the ballpark. There are six levels of girls, all supposedly there because they are unable, or unwilling to act appropriately. The longer Marya is there, the more she begins to wonder what's really going on. With help from another first year student, she begins to uncover secrets, not only about the school, but about the kingdom and what magic truly is and can do.
There villains aplenty, unlikable parents, heroes, and one person who does a complete about-face in behavior and attitude by the end of the tale. This is a great story for teens and mature tweens who love intrigue and want a story with a strong feminist thread.
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LibraryThing member bibliovermis
This was one of the most stressful middle grade books I've ever read. I worried so much for Marya and the other girls at the academy, and in fact, all the girls in their fictional fantasy country. I really thought it was going to turn into a series, because I thought the issues in the book were so
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incredibly large that they could not possibly resolve them all by the end of this book. And they weren't all resolved, but things surprisingly went in a better direction than I'd anticipated, and while there turned out not to be a setup for one, I would definitely read sequels!
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LibraryThing member GRgenius
From the moment I met Marya, I knew she would be a special girl. Despite all the attention being hefted on her brother, despite all the grief her parents give her, despite all the hard times, heartless moments, and a general lack of love displayed, I just knew that her story wasn't meant to end
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there. She was meant for bigger things, and whether or not her own brand of magic was recognized, one day she'd be seen for who she was.

Lucky for her, she has a select group of people that believe in her, and no matter how small, or distant that support may be, it matters. SHE matters. In fact, all the girls dumped or rounded up at this girl matter SO MUCH MORE than they can even fathom. With those tenuous bonds of friendship made frayed to their ends, the quest to uncover the why behind the school, the curriculum (or lack thereof), and just why that terrible Dread is acting more our of sorts than usual seem like a lost cause, but I beg you, put your trust in those that you're told to not trust. Give a chance to those that have been written off. Use your noodle and gather your courage for all the times you were second guessed or under minded, and take heart because their world hadn't seen anything yet...and the best kept secret of all is the one hidden in plain sight.

I loved the story, and the characters. Trying to figure out the angles along the way kept you going, and just when you thought it would go one way, you were back to square one, but if you follow Marya's trail wherever it may lead, you'll be THAT much closer to the answer....and the discovery that she makes that no one saw coming. I can't wait to see what might be in store for future tales!


**copy received for review; opinions are my own
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LibraryThing member Jonez
4.75

Anne Ursr has done it again! This is a fabulous and female positive read for young and old alike. This book touches on so many things, but I think central theme running throughout it is about empowering yourself when everyone around you (including yourself) doubts (and tries to get you to tamp
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down) your own capabilities and power.
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LibraryThing member deslivres5
In reading this one, had similar feeling of anger I had when I read Vox: the world in this one is also very male centered, with sorcerers and noble counts making up the higher echelons of society. Females get the short end of the stick.

Some girls, like the protagonist, Marya, are singled out and
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sent to Dragomir Academy, a school for "troubled girls" to study and to learn how to be of service to their country's sorcerers who are deep into overcoming a magical entity called the "Dread".
But the school and the premise for the girls being sent there isn't what it seems at face value.

I enjoyed the magic and boarding school aspects of this story which ultimately is about female empowerment. Just expect to be indignant at the way the girls/females are treated in the society before the enlightenment happens.
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LibraryThing member bookwyrmm
While some major plot points were expected, the journey to them was not, and that made this story incredibly deep while still maintaining the fun.
LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
This is a delightful story with a plot set in the context of magical adventure. The story has great originality in carrying a subtle feminist theme underpinning a novel written for the Middle-Grade crowd. It can also be a compelling tale for adults who enjoy reading about young people discovering
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their capabilities, learning the wisdom of critically examining the pronouncements by those in charge of their schooling, and overcoming the dysfunctional aspects of a society holding them back.

Marya is an engaging female protagonist, downtrodden and undervalued by unlikable parents. Sisters with pesky, overindulged brothers will especially appreciate her trials as a twelve-year-old on the brink of becoming a young adult and discovering her talents. Her sibling rivalries with Luka will especially resonate for girls who feel overlooked in their own lives. The family dynamics were well-drawn by Author Ursu.

An especially endearing supporting character for Marya is the mother in her neighbouring family. Lucille Bandu is a master weaver and exquisite embroiderer. She carries an aura of affection and safety for Marya and strives to show her that she does have value and opportunities. From Madame Bandu, Marya learns many new ideas along with learning to read: the secrets woven into tapestries, the strength to follow your own insights and, to trust yourself to know when the people around you "speak pretty words, with hidden meanings". She learns, when an adult in charge proclaims a suspect truth that she ask herself the question: "Who does the story serve?"
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LibraryThing member quondame
This is a romance free YA about a fantasy kingdom with a privileged Guild of sorcerers draw from a few boys each year selected across the kingdom. Marya's brother Luka is to be examined but after his examination goes wrong it's Marya who is sent off to a school for troubled girls. Decently paced,
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and interesting, it is very heavy handed on the things aren't what they seem, and the ending is pretty insubstantial.
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LibraryThing member ecataldi
The book was charming and honestly one of the best middle grade fantasies I've read in a while! Marya Lupu has been ordered to Dragomir Academy for troubled young ladies. She is sure it's because she inadvertently messed up her brother's chances of becoming a sorcerer (really though, it was the
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goats fault!) so she resignedly goes. Her parents are glad to be rid of her but she will miss her brother and Madame Bandu down the street. Bandu taught her to read and write and told her the secrets that can be weaved in the tapestries. At Dragomir Academy she finds lots of other "troubled" girls like her, but she can't help but make a few friends and stumble upon a mystery or two. A fantastic feminist fantasy filled with girl power, friendships, and adventure. So much fun. I wish this were a series!
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Awards

Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2024)
Kirkus Prize (Finalist — Young Readers' Literature — 2022)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2021)

Pages

432

ISBN

0062275127 / 9780062275127
Page: 1.6232 seconds