Majestica by Sarah Tolcser

Majestica takes readers on a thrill ride through a wildlife park filled with magical creatures.

Majestica by Sarah Tolcser. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (PRH), 2024, 307 pages

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-15

Hattie Swift is a maid-in-training at the Majestica Hotel, the crown jewel of Ridgewell’s Fantastical Creature Park. The hotel is as elegant as its name suggests, but the Park is the main attraction: a wildlife sanctuary for feathered, scaled, and four-footed legends from around the world. Visitors come for the opportunity of viewing a griffin, three-headed triger, lightning monkey, wyvern, or unicorn in their natural habitat. Guests who are especially lucky might even catch a view of the park’s one remaining dragon. All are temperature controlled and safely confined by The Caretaker, a mysterious maintenance machine invented by owner and operator Clive Ridgewell.

Hattie doesn’t mind her lowly position. The park is in her blood, as her late father was its first gamekeeper. Mr. Ridgewell is like an uncle to her, and head housekeeper Mrs. Galliforma the next best thing to a mother. It’s Mrs. Galliforma who recruits Hattie to go along on the famous Wilderness Tour, a three-day exploration of the entire park and its inhabitants open only to elite visitors. The catch is that Hattie must accompany Mr. Ridgewell’s niece Evelyn, who seems like a willful, spoiled snob.

But there’s more to Evelyn than first appears, after a disaster on the tour train puts all the tourists at the mercy of the elements. Besides the danger of people-devouring trees and prowling triggers there are poachers on the loose. Worst of all, the Caretaker seems to be malfunctioning, or possibly even broken, resulting in foliage going wild and Agnes the dragon making menacing moves. The two girls must find their way back to the hotel to get help—and, ultimately, to unravel secrets hidden long ago.

The pacing is a bit uneven: the story sags a little in the middle and revelations come thick and fast at the end. Jacob, a magician’s apprentice, doesn’t have as central a role as the gorgeous cover image suggests. But Majestica is an intriguing premise well executed, with satisfying character arcs and a resounding conclusion. The map of the park, bestiary of its inhabitants, and character list are fun additions also.

Bottom Line: An engaging magical adventure with genuine thrills and chills.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Betsy rounds up some Popular Middle-Grade Fantasy Series; be sure to skim the comments for reader suggestions, too!
• Reflection: Where Does the Magic Come From?: thoughts about magical realism in children’s fiction.

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