The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

Written by Anne Ursu

Narrated by Elise Arsenault

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 Academy—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 itself—things that threaten the precarious balance upon which Illyria is built.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063135680

Anne Ursu

Anne Ursu is the author of the acclaimed novels The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, The Lost Girl, Breadcrumbs, and The Real Boy, which was longlisted for the National Book Award. The recipient of a McKnight Fellowship Award in Children’s Literature, Anne lives in Minneapolis with her family and an ever-growing number of cats.

Reviews for The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

[julia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I loved the magic, the female empowerment and the mystery. The writing was spectacular. 10000000000000/10 stars. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and mystery.

[X · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Definitely a great read/listen. It definitely has potential to he a series. I would LOVE to read about the future of the school and girls and the country.. like a war to change the way things are essentially. It would be way cool.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This latest Anne Ursu story may be the best. It doesn't have the sort of magic that I appreciated in Breadcrumbs and in The Real Boy, rather, it reads *at first* more like a typical fantasy adventure, the kind that fans of Harry Potter want.

However, it doesn't take long for the reader to realize that it's even better, not only because is it a compelling story, but also because it avoids common clichés such as a stereotypical Chosen One, 'mean girls' and hazing, and other burdens of the usual fantasies. Instead, it gracefully integrates girls and women as the main characters, fighting to gain their powers, with a thrilling mystery set in an original world w/ a fresh take on a magic system.

Speaking of it being a thrilling mystery, that's the reason that I can't say anything else!

Highly recommended to all feminists and to all boys, girls, and parents & other educators of them.

[jonez-6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 down) your own capabilities and power.

[grgenius_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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, and interesting, it is very heavy handed on the things aren't what they seem, and the ending is pretty insubstantial.

[bibliovermis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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!

[sennebec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.