School Library Journal Starred Review (Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

Gr 5 Up "The Adventurer's Guild" co-author has created a new fantastical world where The Empire reigns watchfully supreme over their nation's witches and wizards, and is in the midst of a magical battle with the outlying (older) elemental magic of the Ley Coven, who threaten it at its self-imposed borders. The tale opens in Merrytrails Orphanage, where readers meet an unbelievably noxious and temperamental cat named Abraxas, and a diverse band of foundlings under the supervision of a benevolent mistress, Mrs. Harbargain. One orphan, Melanie Gate, has the special power of unlocking or confounding any lock she encounters. One night a strangely sentient automaton, a "gearling" known simply as Traveler, visits the orphanage to recruit a foundling as a witch's apprentice, setting Melanie on her transformative adventure. Clark has woven a compelling story as intricate and sparkling as the magical spells he describes, and manages to combine high fantasy with a heart-wrenching passageway through adolescence, queer awakening, and existential mysteries with ease. The cast of characters is deeply knowable, and its worldbuilding aches for more adventures in this setting. Readers will cheer and weep with Melanie and Traveler as they discover who they are in the face of doubt, illusion, and betrayal. Clark has crafted one of those special books that only comes around every so often, a delicately balanced fantasy and coming-of-age novel that will resonate with adults and children alike. VERDICT A must-purchase for a middle school library, this philosophical fantasy is an absolute revelation for an adolescent child yearning for adventure and knowing oneself. Rachel Joiner, Advent Episcopal Sch., Bessemer, AL

Horn Book (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)

When a gearling (a mechanical clockwork man) shows up at the orphanage in search of an apprentice for his witch mistress, Melanie Gate (an orphan with a talent for opening locked things) embarks on the adventure about which she's always dreamed. Once outside the city gates, however, the gearling, newly named Traveler, reveals that the witch is a fiction, that he himself is far more than the mindless automaton he'd initially seemed, and that he needs a human to front for him. Traveler can't remember his past, but he's able to do remarkable feats of magic, and he both teaches Melanie and sets her up to appear to be the magical prodigy Lady Porta the Periwinkle, a role Melanie is happy to play. When they run into a real aldermage, however, the man sees through Melanie's impersonation and blackmails her into using her talent to steal a hidden treasure. Strong themes of belonging and identity inform the narrative: Melanie is torn between her drive for excitement and her longing for the warm and cozy friendships she made at the orphanage; Traveler questions how "real" he is and fears being used as a weapon. Both characters' origins have roles to play in a conflict between two magical factions, and Melanie's fellow orphans swoop in for a rescue at just the right moment. Although lighthearted, this inventive fantasy nonetheless plumbs areas of darkness and loss, with those serving as a bracing counterbalance.

Kirkus Reviews

An orphan is-quelle surprise-an extremely special magical girl with a mysterious past.Melanie thinks she's being escorted from the Merrytrails Orphanage for Girls by gearling Traveler, a clockwork magical construct, in order to become a witch's apprentice. But as he explains to her once they've left the city, that story was a bit of a fib. Traveler, who awoke in a destroyed laboratory with no memory of his own life, needs a human chaperone in order to remain under the radar, as a "thaumaturgically animated clockwork retainer" is not supposed to be a thinking person. Melanie, excited to disguise herself as the "stupendous magical prodigy Lady Porta the Periwinkle," agrees to the plan. It's a thrill to learn magic, to enchant her cloak into a donkey, and to get a gorgeous new wizard's outfit from a crushworthy girl tailor. But an imperial aldermage hijacks Melanie into his own nefarious journey. (On top of having clearly villainous ends, the aldermage continually harasses her for wearing a boy's coat instead of "gender-appropriate clothing," though many others praise Melanie's fashion.) Although the orphanage girls, including Melanie's best friend who has light brown skin, are racially diverse, Melanie and almost all nonorphan humans seem to be White.A charming entry in the magical foundling genre that satisfies without standing out. (Fantasy. 9-13)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Featuring expansive adventure, intricate worldbuilding, and a memorable cast, Loran Clark-s (the Adventurers Guild series) solo debut is a cozy fantasy set amid the beginnings of a wizard war. -With a gaze set forward rather than back,- Melanie Gate is one of the foundlings at ethnically inclusive Merrytrails Orphanage for Girls, run by motherly Mrs. Harbargain. One stormy night, a -thaumaturgically animated clockwork retainer, colloquially called a gearling- stops by, asking to apprentice one of the foundlings for its witch mistress. Given Melanie-s uncanny penchant for opening things-and the gearling-s offer of much-needed coin-she-s chosen for the situation. But once away from Mrs. Harbargain-s watchful gaze, the gearling, known as Traveler, proves to be not a mindless machine but an inexplicably sentient being in need of a human chaperone to avoid drawing aldermage attention. Taking on the mantle of Lady Porta the Periwinkle, magical prodigy, Melanie acquires a dashing coat -clearly made as part of a boy-s ensemble- that makes her feel, and look, the part. Centering lessons about pacifism and kindness to sentient beings, and featuring close friendships and a sweet queer crush, the book employs a flowing, vivid prose style to immerse readers. Ages 10-up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Jan.)