Review: A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying

Title: A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Puffin Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Monster hunting isn’t for the faint of heart—the first in a brand-new middle-grade series by NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.

Twelve-year-old Rowan is next in line to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the rule is, the oldest child is next in line, even if she is only older by two minutes. She resigns herself to admiring her royal monster hunter aunt’s official sword and having tea with dignitaries with her mother, the queen. But a tragic event breaks up longstanding rules, and now Rowan finds herself in hunt of a dangerous gryphon.

Accompanied by a feisty and determined baby jackalope and a giant wolf that barely tolerates her, she sets off on a journey that will see her join forces with other unlikely allies: a boy who has ambitions of his own to hunt monsters, and a girl from a nearby clan with hidden motives for befriending Rowan. It will take all of Rowan’s skills, both physical and diplomatic, to keep this journey on track. The future of the kingdom depends on it.

Review:

This is a great adventure story!

I loved the character of Rowan. She is a strong girl who fought for what she believed in. Even though she was destined to become a queen, she wanted to be a monster hunter. She then had to prove that she was up to the job.

Some parts of this story were a little slow paced. There were long battles between Rowan and the monsters. She also met some monsters over and over again, but it was nice to be reminded of these different beasts.

I really enjoyed this middle grade story!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying? What did you think of it?