A review by thestorydragon
Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

 Pros:
✨Interesting Magical Scenarios
✨Distinct Characters

Cons:
✨Audience Level (Should be middle grade) 
✨Flat Characters
✨Lack of Character Growth 
✨Poor Craft 
✨Needed another round of polishing 
✨Trauma as Plot Device 
✨Underwhelming / Lackluster Conclusion 
✨Abrupt Ending 
✨Insta-Love 
 

Mullory is warned to run when the strange finds her. She was meant to run away from it, and instead, she runs towards it. Right into a deadly game of magical inheritance hosted by the now-deceased Xavier. It’s an inheritance meant for Lyric, the unwanted and unloved grandson of the powerful man.

This felt half developed, and there would have been a quick fix to that problem: Play down the romance, then mark this as middle grade. As a YA, this novel didn’t work. The characters were distinctive due to their caricature quirks, but they were surface level with little-to-no character development. The plot was whimsical, but simple and relied on awe factor resolutions that speak more to a juvenile audience. The villains were cartoonish in nature. Mullory’s mother was little more than an off-screen catalyst who’s reputation loomed larger than the character herself. Even the writing style fell short, using a plethora of cliche phrases, which can help young audiences with comprehension, but that stood out like a glare as is.

This was less about the story, and more about the magic and the adventure. It’s simply too young for the themes needed in a YA novel. We skipped all over the place, chased POVs that depended on character traits more than substance and development, and had an abrupt ending that would have been a spot of wonder for a younger audience, but felt wholly lacking as a YA. No one here acts older than twelve. Not even the adults, at times.

I don’t read middle grade, but this felt like a middle grade novel. A few tweaks and it would have been perfect for that age group. I’m not quite sure why it was nudged into the YA sphere because it simply doesn’t work well here.