Reviews

No Humans Allowed! by Madeleine Roux

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ohemgeebooks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

motherbooker's review

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4.0

I was excited to pick this up because it just sounded like so much fun. Especially as it focused on the monsters instead of the adventurers. Not only did this mean a lot of fun but it provided plenty of great themes. This book proves you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The book's protagonist, Zelli, knows this better than anyone. She's a human masquerading as a minotaur at an academy for monsters. An academy where being a human would be dangerous. Zelli was abandoned as a baby and adopted by two minotaurs. Her mothers raised her and helped her hide her true colours with a pair of fake horns and a tail. Zelli tries to keep to herself but often finds herself getting in trouble. Until one of her lessons gives her a clue to her past. A clue that will take her out of school and into the world of adventurers. Can she find her real mother or will she just get into trouble?

Zelli doesn't embark on her journey alone and is joined by some of her fellow students. There's the vegan owlbear, a kobold looking to prove himself, and a mimic. Together they will form an unlikely group of misfits. A group of misfits that isn't ready to get caught up in a dangerous showdown with somebody powerful. The chemistry between the group is a lot of fun and their friendship is a joy to see develop. These people become part of Zelli's found family and accept her for who she is. They are also funny and bound to be a hit with younger readers. Each has their own personality and brings something unique to the book. I can't wait to see more of what this group can achieve.

The story itself is full of fun and adventure. It's got some darkness but is still light-hearted. There is enough excitement for young readers and a fair amount of world-building. It doesn't go too deep into the way the Dungeon Academy works or the wider world. I guess it's mostly because of the age of the intended reader. It doesn't want to go into too much detail and overwhelm them. It also introduces plenty of themes and ideas that will be relevant to these readers. It's about not fitting in and having to decide who you are. Zelli is also coming to terms with her adopted family and how she fits in. This could easily be written off as a fun adventure story but there is also plenty of depth here.

This book is a great read and could be a great introduction to Dungeons & Dragons for younger readers. If I had one criticism it would be that some of the elements could be explained better. Children who are familiar with the world of D&D would possibly be okay with the constant references to certain creatures. However, I'm sure there will be plenty of readers who might not. Maybe it would have benefited from an introductory Creatures Guide with images and descriptions of the various beasts. Just to further flesh out the world. I found a few other aspects of this book weird and there were some things that I didn't agree with. For example, the fact that the illustrations don't always match up to the story. Still, I think as a book for children, these are forgivable.

This isn't the perfect book but it is an entertaining one. I have hope that the rest of the series will get stronger and delve deeper into this world and these characters. It won't surprise any older readers but should keep younger ones entertained.

blitzzz's review

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

manwithanagenda's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A really cute start to a middle grade series for the growing number of young readers who are getting interested in Dungeons and Dragons and other roleplaying games. It's on the younger end of the spectrum and had plenty of illustrations.

The story takes place at a Dungeon Academy in Faerûn (the Forgotten Realms world) and imagines that many of the classic monsters of campaigns past are trained in evil and various other nasty things at a school. It plays with a lot of the usual funny villain tropes in that friendship is discouraged and good deeds of any kind can lead to detention.

Our main character is the adopted daughter of two professors who are minotaurs. She wears false horns and a tail and is supposed to hide her human identity. She unwittingly recruits some other misfits such as a mimic that doesn't like turning into gross or scary things, a smaller than average kobold and a vegetarian owlbear.

Like I said. Cute.

I hope the series finds an audience as it was enjoyable enough, but doesn't have enough grit in to hold on to older readers.

Dungeons and Dragons: Dungeon Academy

Next: 'Tourney of Terror'

caitlin_lore's review

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4.0

A really cute, inclusive adventure into D&D. Great for young readers who are just starting or interested in learning about the tabletop game. This will get their imaginations flowing for game play!