It took a little while for me to engage with this book. In the beginning, I found the constant use of Elizabethan slang distracting. As I was reading an electronic version of the book, flipping back and forth to the glossary was impossible, so in the end I just had to make an educated guess at what was meant. I appreciate that it was necessary for accuracy's sake and after the initial chapters, I was so engrossed in the story, that it no longer bothered me. I liked the way that the history of Henry's mother was told in short stanzas throughout the book, and I liked the links with Shakespeare and his sonnets. By the time I got to the end of the book, the title made a lot more sense! All in all, a very good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book is a great start to what I assume is going to be a trilogy/series. Henry is an engaging protagonist and the world of an alternative Elizabethan London is fleshed out well. I would have liked a little more investigation of the magical element of the plot but can only assume that might be coming in future books. The discussions of race, family and belonging were also done sensitively and well. Akala is a fluid writer and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Childrens for sending me a digital ARC for review*

What looks to be the start of an interesting historical series, encompassing magic, race, class and literature (I would dearly love Henry's ablility to translate anything), with language as rich as its themes, including not only poetry but Elizabethan street slang. There was a glossary for the slang but it was a little awkward to go back and forth to it in a digital format; shouldn't be a problem in the printed version.
All in all, definitely recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I enjoyed reading this. A lovely little adventure with a historical fiction background. There's lots in here for young people to think about; identity, loyalty and consequences of ones actions. Back to the historical fiction element, I really like what Akala has done here. He's choose a time in history that Black people being in London are not often associated with. And he's also chosen to include the often not talked about aspects of Elizabethan society and European history, like the prejudice and persecution of foreigners and different religious groups.

I love that the main character Henry is a nerdy pick-pocket, but the ending. That can't be the ending. Surely this is just the beginning of Henry's story and assume there is a sequel coming, that I am eager to read.

A good read for young adults and fans of young ault fiction.

‘The Dark Lady’ is a novel for children that features an intriguing blend of historical adventure and fantasy. It’s written by rapper and Shakespearean scholar Akala and draws on his knowledge of the bard and Elizabethan London, as well as his experiences growing up black in the UK. This is his first novel, although he has written non-fiction, including the excellent ‘Natives’, which eloquently unpacks attitudes to race in post-imperial Britain.
It’s a good attempt at creating a kid’s book that informs as well as entertains. The book has a great sense of place. I don’t know enough about the subject to comment with authority, but the depiction of16th century London felt real and was certainly vibrant and richly colourful. The hero of the tale is a teenage pickpocket named Henry who has the magical ability to read any text, no matter the language it is written in. When this ability is discovered, he is forced to help a nobleman translate the texts he owns.
Henry isn’t the only character with magical abilities, there are also healers, but his talents are certainly not common and the mystery around them and his absent mother infuses the book. The other key theme is race. Henry is black and his treatment by other characters, which ranges from outright hostility to a dismissive refusal to believe that he has any intelligence or value, give the book many of its most effective moments. It’s the kind of institutional bigotry that still infects British society centuries later, and which Akala wrote about so effectively in 'Natives'.
So the book does place brilliantly, has a strong and engaging lead (and a good supporting cast), an interesting take on magic and some well thought through and conveyed messages. Unfortunately, what it lacks is a strong plot. The story is fine, but it never really gripped me, and it certainly isn’t a match for the book’s better qualities. This is a novel that feels very much like part one of a longer story. It never really gets going, with too much time spent on scene setting and not enough action. There is certainly a lot about it that I really liked, but the lack of a compelling narrative was disappointing.

An interesting read! Henry’s powers, complexity, and development throughout the story is one that captures your attention. The setting of England, the era that is depicted, and the general intrigue of the plot illustrates a great debut!

Mixed feelings on this one. The world building was interesting; but it felt incomplete. The characters felt a little one dimensional; I didn’t feel an emotional dept. And language - also felt inconsistent. I didn’t feel ‘mum’ would be used, but maybe that’s just me!

I enjoyed reading this book. Coincidentally I had just finished Patrice Lawrence's "The Diver's Daughter". Both are about a coloured person in Elizabethan times. It is an aspect of history that I am interested in.

The book is well written with limited elements of fantasy. The ending was rather surprising with a number of twists which I did not expect to see. The characters are all well drawn as are the descriptions of the Duke's house and London itself. The poverty of London, the pickpockets who could have as equally been in Victorian London are well researched and described well. I like the recurring theme of the sonnets throughout and always expected that Henry's own sonnet was important for the rest of the book. This did not seem to be the case until the very end. The other theme which continued throughout the book was the tale of the General from Benin and his daughter.

These are the questions which were not answered and some might be viewed as plot spoilers, I hope not. Was the family from Benin Henry's real family? This was a question I was asking myself all the way through the book. Does Lord Wilmslow follow Henry to Venice? Does he know more about Henry than he admitted to? Again I was asking myself this all the way through, I did not expect part of the answer. What was it that Joan wanted to tell Henry at the end? Why did Shakespeare help him and what does he know about Henry's mother? As you can see I feel that there are many questions which could be answered in a second book.

A book full of twists, revenge which proves that actions have unwelcome consequences, scheming and many unscrupulous characters. For me this works very well but unfortunately historical fiction does not seem to be popular in my school library. I would try to promote it to the readers who are enthusiastic and are willing to read books which are outside their comfort zone.

I was interested to read The Dark Lady because of the author, Akala. I like Akala and was intrigued to see him move into YA, especially a book set in the Elizabethan era.

He does a fantastic job of bringing the reader into that world, with a faux-Shakespearian dialect that is much easier for younger readers to parse. The protagonist, Henry, is a biracial boy living in poverty after he was abandoned by his mother the eponymous Dark Lady. He has a secret that helps his survival, he has the magical power to read and translate any language.

I enjoyed the book and thought Henry and his friends were unique and interesting. I loved Akala’s style of adding in poetry and couplets as Henry composed them. The Dark Lady is a mystery and that combined with the ending sets up a sequel.

I received an ARC through Netgalley. I am a massive Akala fan and recently finished Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of the Empire, so I was geeked to see the email that popped up with mentions of this book. Honestly, initially hoped that we were going to see a merge of Akala literary rapping skills and a contemporary native. Understanding Akala, then it makes logical sense that he would choose to write a book set in the Elizabethan era and explore his love for Shakespeare. As a YA fantasy, this book plays with race and class in Britain and the wider Black British diaspora in an interesting manner and he does not back away from issues of mixed race identity and history. However, it feels too much is explored in this short book without any real depth to the characters, I finished the book not really liking any of the characters. The protagonist Henry fits well into the context of the narrative but his poor choices and little consequences felt unrealistic. The use of the sonnets gave us a little inside look into Akala as a young man his passion for all things Shakespearean. The Dark Lady remains to be a mystery, there is this underlying narrative of Henry mother and the sacrifices she makes to protect him, which sets us up for a series of book.
This book feels like a passion project, but I’m not sure who the audience is for this book. I cannot see many young black boys within inner cities in the U.K. pick this book up and relate to the characters. Essentially, it feels like a Children of Blood and Bone, without the underpinning of a real West African cultural context with which many young black kids could relate to.

(As a warning I want to make it clear I review this with my professional hat on not personal. Personally, I thought this was pretty good but I review this in a professional capacity and as such must keep that in mind):
Some would argue that using his mainstream appeal to young people as a tool to get them to read what is essentially educational historical fiction is very clever. Some would argue it will inspire today's youth to view Shakespearean language and culture with new eyes. However, I, someone who has lived and worked among London teens for many years say differently.
This is a book lovers book. By which I mean it will appeal to children who love to read and don't really care who the author is. In my work I need books that entice the book haters, the boys who resent the things that don't reflect their realities. The idea of having a book by Akala to call upon to tempt those boys was a god send! So imagine my sadness when instead of a novel that speaks to these children, I got yet another (very good but wholly unnecessary) historical/fantasy/adventure.
Please don't misunderstand me authors should be able to write whatever they want, and Akala shouldn't be pigeon holed because of this musical career... But I had such hope that he would take his passion for politics and activism and use it to write something powerful and relatable that would inspire the children who need a push. The ones who might only pick the book up because he wrote it, not one's who are already in the Library everyday looking. I hope he keeps writing YA, because he has real power, and I will keep my fingers crossed he uses his talent to write me the kind of book I need.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Henry is a thief, a pickpocket and a boy with magical powers, whose talent attracts an important duke's attention, forcing him to work with and for him. Abandoned by his mother, he's left to live alone in London's streets and forced to cheat or be cheated, to lie, to steal and to do anything he can to survive. He's brilliant, resourceful and he faces an impossible situation. Who is the dark Lady he's dreaming? What does she want? What about the duke?

I was really impressed by Akala's writing style and storytelling. The Dark lady is an amazing story, full of adventure, action, mystery with extraordinary characters. I absolutely loved Henry, he's intriguing, a book lover and really complex. The duke is cruel, knowledge hungry and scary.
I admire Henry's stubborness and loyalty and I was intrigued by this story, the worlbuilding and the setting.