Hattie Swift is a maid-in-training at Majestica, a resort and nature preserve where visitors come face to face with rare magical flora and fauna. She’s thrilled to be invited along on the park’s famous wilderness train excursion for the first time, but there’s a catch: she has to accompany Evelyn Ridgewell, the hotel owner’s haughty niece, who wants nothing to do with her.
Soon after embarking, Evelyn overhears a man who aims to hunt the park’s creatures for sport, and Hattie meets Jacob Threadborne, an apprentice magician sent by a foreign government on a top-secret mission. Then, the magical fences keeping guests safe stop working, and the train breaks down in the most treacherous part of the jungle. Faced with poachers, man-eating trees, and a dragon on the loose, Hattie, Evelyn, and Jacob must stick together to figure out what’s gone wrong at Majestica. That is if they want to make it out alive.
The Majestica is Jurassic Park with magical creatures. There is a mix of well-known magical creatures, like dragons and unicorns, and a few creatures I think the author made up, like trigers (three-headed tiger) and lightning monkeys. My favorite magical creature was Jeffers, Hattie’s leaping lemur, and his ability to teleport wherever he wanted.
The book includes a map, drawings of the magical creatures, and a list of the cast of characters. I wish more books had character lists to help the reader keep track of who’s who.
There is so much going on in this book. You’ve got poachers, unethical practices coming to light, and danger around every corner. So exciting!
I like the dual narrative of Hattie and Evelyn. Hattie Swift was raised by the staff at the Hotel Majestica. It was hard to see her heartbroken when she learned the truth about the Majestica she loves. Evelyn Ridgewell starts out as an entitled, obnoxious person. I enjoyed watching her grow into a strong, capable person. The two girls come from very different lifestyles, but they put their differences aside to work together to save the hotel and the animals.
Overall, this is a thrilling fantasy adventure with complex world-building.