A Dark Inheritance

Unicorne Files #1

by Chris d'Lacey

When Michael Malone unexpectedly saves a dog's life, he discovers something extraordinary: He can alter reality. He is quickly recruited by UNICORNE, a secret organization dedicated to investigating strange and paranormal phenomena. He agrees to join under one condition: UNICORNE must help him find his father, who vanished three years ago.

Michael's first task is to solve the mystery of the dog he saved -- a mystery that leads him to an eccentric and sickly classmate and a young girl who was killed in a devastating accident. But the deeper Michael ventures into the strange world of UNICORNE, the quicker danger seems to find him. Is Michael strong enough to harness his newfound ability, complete the tasks set before him, and find his father?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Adventure, Middle Grade, Paranormal, Science Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2014

About the author

He was born in Valetta, Malta, but as a child moved first to Leicester and then to Bolton. After gaining a degree in biology from the University of York, he returned to Leicester and got a job at the University of Leicester in their Pre-Clinical Sciences department.
Originally his writing was confined to songs and he didn't turn to fiction until he was 32. His first piece of work was a 250,000 word story about polar bears for his wife, Jay, to accompany a stuffed polar bear he had bought her as a Christmas present.
He didn't write another story for seven years, until he heard about a competition to write a story for young children with a prize of £2,000. The resulting book, A Hole at the Pole, also about polar bears, didn't win - but he sent it off to a publisher, who accepted it.
His first children's novel, Fly, Cherokee, Fly, was published in 1998 and subsequently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was inspired by the time he found an injured pigeon in Victoria Park and nursed it back to health at home. It became a family pet and lived for 14 years in a birdbox attached to the back of the house. All of its offspring were given the names of different Native American tribes, which is where the title of the book comes from.)
He has since written over twenty children's books, including Pawnee Warrior (a sequel to Fly, Cherokee, Fly), a collaborative novel with fellow children's author Linda Newbery (From E To You), and the best-selling, award-winning The Last Dragon Chronicles. His books often contain environmental themes, and events based on things that have happened to him.
In July 2002 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Leicester for his contributions to children's literature. Although writing is now his main source of income, he still works at the university as the operator of the confocal microscope.
His favourite children's books are the Paddington Bear series and The Hobbit, and his favourite children's authors are Allan Ahlberg and Roald Dahl. Chris D'Lacey has written many books like Ice Fire and Fire Star, but his most famous book was Dark Fire, the fifth book in The Last Dragon Chronicles.

Reviews

[jv poore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three interminable years ago Michael’s father left for a business trip, never to be heard from again. That dilemma, however; is not the strangest quandary in Michael’s life. Since his father’s disappearance, he has become aware of seemingly small, random but wacky occurrences. Being a logical kid, he was able to theorize and dismiss these happenings…..almost. Now, the incidents happen all too often, and there is truly no explanation. Assuming that the oddities and his father’s vanishing are related, Michael determinedly searches for answers.

This engrossing, brisk Book One of the Unicorne Files treats the reader with intriguing speculations such as time travel, mental telepathy, and ghosts. There are so many paths and parallels that if Mr. D’Lacey wasn’t so ridiculously gifted, the tale would look like a giant, sloppy knot. In his more than capable hands, however, it becomes an intricate, fascinating and beautiful tapestry.

Taking an extreme implausible concept; say time traveling five years into the past, and whittling it down to something more palatable, like jumping mere seconds into the future, is one way that this author could easily have any skeptic second-guessing. Setting the scenes by painting pictures with words had this reader envisioning jagged cliffs, hearing the loud crashes of a churning, belligerent sea pounding against unforgiving rocks. The sprinkling of subtle hints throughout kept me engaged and invested. Tiny twists kept me going in different directions and rethinking theories.

While this is indeed highly entertaining, it is more than just “mental popcorn”. Michael’s saga is an active adventure in which readers will quickly embrace this troubled young man and cheerfully root for him to solve the mysteries that plague him. I am already looking forward to the second book.

This review was written for Buried Under Books Blog.

[Nazlıcan Kabataş · Rating 5 out of 5]

İlk uzun soluklu çevirimin bitirmenin bir huzuru bir şaşkınlığı var üzerimdeeeee.
Şansıma inanılmaz eğlenceli, akıcı ve merak uyandırıcı bir kitap denk geldi. İiiinş basıldığı günü de görürüm. *-*

[Serap(Agresif Spoiler Kraliçesi)]

DNF 100... cocuk kitabi (ortaokul) cok basit kurgusu var

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an impulse checkout from the library. I've been doing audiobooks while I do stuff at home. Audiobooks allow me to get some reading in and have time for completing tasks that would seem very lonely or boring if I wasn't reading as I did them. The story sounded interesting on the blurb. This was pretty good. An interesting idea, although after finishing the book, I don't feel that much more informed about the situation. It ends with a lot of questions unresolved. It's an interesting mix of science fiction and supernatural elements.

Michael's father disappeared a few years ago, and the family has been left to deal with the upheaval his disappearance caused. When Michael saves a dog from falling or leaping off a cliff, he becomes a local celebrity. The manner in which he did it, using an previously unawoken ability to bend and manipulate time and reality, brings him to the attention of a secret group called Unicorne, which seems to know more about his father's disappearance than anyone else. Michael is unwillingly drafted by this organization to solve the question of why that dog was on the cliff and how it's related to a strange Goth girl at school

I liked the creative nature of this story more than the execution. I don't care much for stories where you don't get any answers to the important questions, especially when it's done that way to keep the reader reading. I would have liked to have gotten more breadcrumbs about Michael's father, and I want to know what's going on with Amadeus Klimt.

I do think this had some thrilling and creepy moments and that was fun. The reality of the situation was especially chilling in that human evil is always disturbing to me.

Some parts were cute. I loved the camaraderie between Michael and his younger sister. I always appreciate a strong sibling bond in a book since I'm close to my sister. I think Michael's relationship with Freya had some lost opportunities. With the bombshell dropped at the end of this book, I'm guessing that will be explored further in the next book.

Let's hope my library gets the next volume.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

[Ezgi Şenel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sevgili Nazlıcan Kabataş’ın çevirmeni olması vesilesiyle tanıştığım Kara Miras, fantastiğe giriş yapan okurlar için hayli uygun bir kurguya sahip. Ana karakterimiz Michael’in yaşı sebebiyle kurgu biraz daha gençlere yönelik bir eser olarak anılsa da paranormal olayların ve hikâyenin finalinin seviyesi düşünüldüğünde işlerin yanlış anlaşıldığı malum. Yazarımız henüz ilk kitapta gözü pek acımasızlıklarla bizi ele geçiriyor.

Kitabın yaş grubunun yanlış belirlenmesi unsurunda yönlendirmeye dayalı bir akış tercih edilmesi olduğunu düşünüyorum. Sürekli ipuçlarını takip ettiğimiz, yoktan var olan işleri kabul ettiğimiz bir düzlemdeyiz. Kurgu içerisinde cevapsız soru bırakılmasa da bazı noktalarda yazarın evet burada bir açık kalacak diyerek eklediği nüanslar olduğunu sezebiliyorsunuz. UNICORNE kısaltmasını pek sevmekle birlikte finale vardığımızda kurgunun derin işleri müjdelediğini görüyoruz.

Sürpriz bozanlara fazla girmeden devam etmek istesem de favori karakterim bin yüzlü tanrıçamız Chantelle’den bahsetmek isterim. Kurgunun mihenk taşı diyebiliriz sanırım kendisine. Girdiği her kılığa ayak uyduruş biçimi ve acımasız mizah anlayışı kurgudaki eğlencelerin başını çekiyordu. Bunun dışında Michael’in gerçekliği değiştirme biçimi bana Ursula K. Le Guin’in Rüyanın Öte Yakası’nı hatırlattı. Kitap içerisinde sıkça vurgulanan Klimt’in varlığını çözdüm diyemiyorum. Bu da kurguyu hafife almamla ilintili bir durumdu. Şüphelerim ayyuka çıksa da irdelemek yerine hafif bir akışta yüzdüğümü sanmışım. Hazindir ki Chris D’lacey’den yürekleri burkan bir sille yediğinizde kendinize geliyorsunuz. Kara Miras’ı paranormal olaylara ilgisi olanlara lise zorbalıklarıyla kesişen bir X-Files vakası olarak önerebiliriz.

[Reading is my Escape · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audience: Middle Grade
Format: Audiobook/Library Copy


It was the day Mom took the coast road to school.
- first sentence

Michael discovered his unusual ability quite by accident when he saved a dog wandering near the edge of a cliff. He isn't sure exactly what happened, but somehow he moved across the field in the blink of an eye. Soon afterward, he met Amadeus Klimt, head of the UNICORNE Society (UNexplained Incidents, Cryptic Occurrences, Relative Nontemporal Events) and Chantelle who also works for UNICORNE and keeps an eye on him. Amadeus gave Michael a mission - to find out about the dog and if he succeeds, he may eventually be able to find his father...

I enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

[Caedyn Hooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!!! I have no idea where to even start with this book.

This book was so good!! I loved how Micheal could change reality! That is so cool!! It was a little weird in some parts but I think that's what makes this book so enjoyable. It's so clean. It's probably the cleanest book I've read this year. It is definitely a mystery genre and it keeps you on the edge of your seat! The ending ended with a cliffhanger so you kinda have to read the next book and that is also something I really enjoyed about this book. If your really into mysteries and lots of suspense, this is your book to read!!

[AuroraIce]

This book was a reminder that Middle Grade gets things done. It tells its story, has full development, not lagging in pace, good story structure, almost everything it includes matters. Main character Michael and his sister Josie had a good relationship despite also annoying each other to the point where getting to see her for 10 minutes when he was grounded was considered a reward by their mom. The siblings can fight and pester each other but never be against each other, and Josie was still willing to do what he asked without explanation, and she was good at it. The story didn’t tell me she was good at it, it showed it by his belief in her and her telling him in exasperation exactly why she couldn’t do things in the simplistic way he imagined, and which useful method she actually used.

The story starts with them running late for school because the road they take is having problems, and police are blocking it off near the ledge because a dog has gotten loose there. Michael senses it’s going to jump and flashes across the distance to hold it back. He is lauded a hero, but everyone’s confused by how fast he moved.

Reality has changed now. Before his sister was lying to the police about why they couldn’t be late for school because of her flute(?) audition since she’s really good, but Michael and his mom know she can’t play instruments. Yet when he gets back in the car, she has a flute case, and later he sees her playing it at school and questions the teacher, who finds it weird he would ask since Josie has always played the flute and is indeed really good.

Their dad went missing a few years ago and it’s a complete mystery. The newspaper comes to take a picture of the dog hero, and inform him the dog belonged to his classmate Freya. He worries this might be why the dog was trying to jump, and Freya doesn’t show up at school. Everyone laughs at Freya because she’s pale and has spiky hair, always drawing dragons, and just doesn’t act normal. The teachers say she has to look after her sick dad.

Suddenly a french lady shows up on a moped and everyone is enthralled by her beauty. She calls to Michael, and he’s so mesmerized he goes with her, claiming to his peers she’s his au pair, since his family is well off. Once they’ve ridden for a while, the enchantment wears off and he’s horrified to be with her and they nearly crash, but she’s delivering him to Amadeus Klimpt, who says he knows Michael’s dad, who used to work for their secret organization, Unicorne, possessing powers similar but lesser than Michael’s, and it’s suspected that’s why he disappeared.

Michael jumps through multiverses when he gets breathless and other such hints that indicate what’s happening, which had been starting for a while but never to that point. However, he somehow gets to control the verses, and whatever he’s thinking of at the time becomes reality, like the flute. Their dad had a lesser variation of that, and it’s believed he got caught in a different plane and couldn’t return. He could also see lights in people’s eyes to read emotions and lies and such, so Michael starts trying to train that skill.

In the middle of their talk, another car shows up and shoots Klimpt. The french girl (I forgot her name) tells him to run before she’s shot. He teleports to her moped and flees, but gets found by a cop who it turns out is working with them and that was a ploy to test his power through adrenaline. The girl is mad she wrecked her moped during his escape, as if that’s his fault. She is now his au pair thanks to his teleportation changing reality again, but it’s like she knows he caused it.

He’s in a lot of trouble and grounded and has to repay for the bike, which annoyed me because the girl knew she was partly to blame for that, and for abducting him using her own charm power.

Working for Unicorne will give Michael the chance to learn more about his dad, but the mission they give him is just to find out why the dog was going to jump. He starts by discovering the dog doesn’t belong to Freya, but does seem to adore her. It belongs to these other people and often escapes to go find Freya. He tries to question Freya at school, but she panics and doesn’t want to talk about it, and everyone thinks he started a fight and shoved her down because a red spot appears on her head, but it’s later gone.

He goes to visit the real owners while the wife is home, and she’s very welcoming and thanks him for his heroics. He learns she had a daughter, Rafferty, who had a bike accident and died around the same spot he saved the dog. He is doing all this with french girl’s help, but secretly since he’s grounded and suspended from school.

He decides to question the reporter some more, but a car comes at him on his bike and he wrecks. He changes reality again to save himself somehow, I’m not sure what he does, but he wakes up in a specialty hospital a week later, and was never grounded and apparently lied that he was meeting classmate Ryan Garvey. I can’t tell if Ryan is actually his friend or just a popular and loud classmate. He was moved from the regular hospital under the claim that his dad had things set up for the family’s convenience when really Unicorne brought him here, and later sneak him out to test his ability to travel different planes.

His alteration of reality has turned Freya into his girlfriend, as he had sent Josie to gather information about her before, which made Josie assume he likes her, and he thought it would be easier if they were a couple to ask her questions. However, the reporter he was supposed to meet and get info on Rafferty sent the articles she had previously written to him, and Freya finds them and gets really upset and betrayed.

During the experiments, he’s supposed to visualize a unicorn to stay stabilized, but Rafferty’s ghost shows up and takes him away. They have to work to pull him back, and she gets his promise that he’ll bring her Freya before she lets him go. He see Klimp in another tank with an octopus creature and his face seems to implode, then stuff is done to make Michael forget. Later Klimpt is fine.

Apparently Freya has dumped him without a word and started dating Ryan instead by the time he returns to school, and won’t talk to him. I find it confusing how everyone is treating him so harshly and with expectations and not worry when he was apparently in a coma for a week. At least his mom is nice now, when she was really harsh during the grounding that has now been erased from existence.

French girl helps cause a break up by enchanting Ryan to be temporarily obsessed with another girl, offending Freya, who is now popular since Michael punched Ryan, meaning boys were fighting over her. He makes a chain of paper dragons as an apology and she finally talks to him again, calling him at night when she’s feeling awful because Rafferty is partially possessing her.

In truth, Freya’s dad was never sick, that was the cover story so people wouldn’t say anything about her health. She had to get a heart transplant, and her new heart came from Rafferty, but it had memory transference or something, so Rafferty has some access to her. Rafferty likes dragons and drawing, so Freya developed the ability to draw and always does dragons. The red mark that appeared on her head is the wound Rafferty suffered.

Michael convinces her to go see Rafferty’s mom to try to work things out so maybe this will free her from Rafferty. While there, Klimp calls to experiment on forcing him to the ghost plane using a noise frequency, possible because of the tattoo they put on his ankle and claimed just had a location chip for his safety. Rafferty lures him to follow a unicorn because they lead important places. She says cryptic things, then promises she won’t hurt Freya too much before tearing at her own chest.

He snaps back to normal just as Rafferty’s strict doctor step-dad comes home and Freya has a heart problem, which is enough to clue the mom in that she might have Rafferty’s heart. They rush her to the hospital and Michael’s furious with Klimp, but he also gets Freya’s sketchbook, where she replicated Rafferty’s lost sketch from before she died, where she drew something she saw and went to the police but they didn’t believe her, but someone did and took her notebook after she crashed.

Michael figures it out and talks to the reporter, then sneakily uses her phone to message her cameraman and meets him at the cliffside to confront him. Rafferty had seen strange lights he thought was a UFO, but when he followed her and wanted to see, she refused. More lights came and startled her, along with him driving alongside, and she wrecked. Her head hit a boulder, and he assumed she was dead and he would be questioned, so he took her notebook and left. But she was still breathing and died at the hospital. Later, whether because he thought Michael was asking too many questions or by accident as he claims, he ran down Michael too before switching cars.

He starts to get threatening as Michael says he’s partially to blame for Rafferty’s death, but Michael foolishly reveals he’s been recording their conversation, which did get a confession. He tries to take the phone, but Michael throws it onto the bluffs below. The guy almost throws Michael over, but he swaps reality to switch them places and the guy dies instead. The Unicorne cop and french girl arrive and help retrieve his phone, then his mom calls and reveals Freya died.

Michael had been relying on Rafferty’s presence to control the dog as his protection against the cameraman, but Rafferty suddenly got alarmed and disappeared, and the upset dog ran off. She vanished because Freya died, and I don’t get what she even did by tearing at her own chest and causing Freya’s heart reaction, but that certainly did hurt her more than Rafferty claimed, so I’m just confused about that.

Michael blames himself. They go to the funeral and later leave a rose at her grave. He’s made amends with Ryan, who often got used as an excuse for where he was going. He wants to stop working with Klimp, who he no longer trusts, but is told he is powerless now. Klimpt promised to tell him about his dad once he completed this mission, but now says after the next one. Michael figures out Klimpt is an android his dad built, since Amadeus is from his favorite classical musician and Gustav Klimp painted the Tree Of Life painting in his dad’s office.

When he’s at Freya’s grave alone, a bunch of black birds show up, and then Freya appears, saying she and her accompanying birds won’t hurt him because he’s her maker and she’s his dark inheritance, apparently understanding more about whatever’s going on that he does. So at least he hasn’t lost her, but it’s sad because her dad did.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A slightly confusing but unique first novel that captured my interest without really connecting to me.

Opening Sentence: It was the day Mom took the coast road to school.

The Review:

Michael’s family is pushing themselves through the grief of the loss of his father. When they take an alternate route to school the next day to escape a flood, he saves a dog that was seemingly about to commit suicide off a cliff. Michael exhibits a rush of superhuman speed and powers that suggest he is more than the ordinary boy, which quickly catches the attention of an organization called UNICORNE, that invests in supernatural activity. More surprising still, his father was a part of it. In order to help a ghost girl find peace and set things right where he lives, Michael must delve into parts of himself he didn’t know existed. And maybe, just maybe, he could find his dad at the end of it all.

This author has a previous series called The Last Dragon. I’m sure you’ve seen the covers at one point, with the dragon’s eyes peering up at you and a scaly background, in all different colors? I read most of them, and let me tell you, they just get more and more confusing as they go on. The first I enjoyed, as did the second and third. I went so far as to order the whole series from the library and try to marathon them in my youth, but in the end, the things that happened were too odd and confusing and strange for me to continue. Maybe it was my age. Nevertheless, I knew many people enjoyed these books (why else would there be seven?!) so I forged ahead and began to read this one, hoping for a better outcome.

I will say that D’Lacey’s books have plenty of originality. His first series, while odd, was super interesting and unique. This one had that same spark, because no one done anything quite like it before. We’ve got Michael’s strange powers, the trust issues with this UNICORNE organization, the connections between a dog and a dead owner, cellular memory… It’s all rather intriguing. But it’s also all rather jumbled together. Though (thankfully!) I mostly understood this book, it’s sort of difficult to get through such a dense plotline with the readers having to draw more inferences then it being explained. I’m all for showing and not telling, but if the plotline is as strange and new as this one, I’d like a little clarification of whether my thoughts about just went down were correct.

Though the overall concept was fun and the characters were interesting, there was still a disconnect I felt between me and the book. I couldn’t really connect to the plot and my emotions weren’t in tune with the characters. Yeah, I finished it, and it was good enough, but I just wasn’t invested enough to say I loved it. I think that others, particularly fans of D’Lacey’s others books who enjoy his writing style, would have lots of fun with this novel. But me? I didn’t get into it. Wasn’t connected to the characters or moved by the suspense, action, romance… And I found the way the plotline was structured a little weird and confusing.

Notable Scene:

“Wh-where are you taking me?”

“That won’t matter till we get there. Hold tight.”

She kicked away the stand.

“What? What’s he doing?” Garvey screeched. “Hambleton is gonna go nuts.” But the wind was already in my face, and school now seemed a tame alternative. We sped away, mocking the lines of traffic, and headed off into the flickering sunlight. I had no idea what was waiting for me. All I could think about was holding the girl and breathing her scent, which only seemed to add to her air of mystery — that and the creature inked on her shoulder. Just below the blowing collar of her dress was a small tattoo. As we slowed for a traffic light, I let go with one hand and touched a finger against the design, feeling the shock of her smooth white skin. She parted her lips and looked back, but said nothing. I took my hand away as we picked up speed, thinking about the book I’d been reading, how the tattoos found on The Illustrated Man were still by day but alive by night, foretelling grisly tales of death. What story did this creature tell? I wondered.

Who was the girl with the rearing black unicorn on her shoulder?

FTC Advisory: Scholastic Press provided me with a copy of A Dark Inheritance. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Reda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Malone is supposed to be an average kid, but he is not...
One rainy day on the way to school he rescues a dog. It brings attention of the police, media and a strange organisation called UNICORNE.
This organisation is dedicated to investigate strange and paranormal phenomena. Michael becomes part of it, because UNICORNE are the only ones who can give him answers.

"A Dark Inheritance" is a first book in the " The Unicorne Files" trilogy by New York Times bestselling author. It is a juvenile adventure- paranormal fiction and it is really good.
I definetely did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. There are twists and turns, some shocking reveals, mystery and all other elements of a good mystery book.
I am definetely not a target audience for this book, but it did not stop me to enjoy it. Definetely will continue with the series, because I want know what happens next.

[ZacharyRawlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

In case you didn't see, I gave the book 4 stars.
This book has an epic premise, but it's a little confusing. The way Michael's ability works is a little vague, which is good because it adds to the mystery, but perhaps not so great because it confuses the reader. I do like that little bit of character development that is evident in the book, even though it happens pretty suddenly right in the middle. I also like that Michael isn't just an idiot. He thinks through things. His personality is such that he doesn't want anyone's plans to work out if he doesn't know them. He throws wrenches in other people's carefully thought out plans twice. The writing is good in that I can tell what's happening in good detail - in a way that allows me to visualize everything that happens - but the plot moves a bit too fast.

I would recommend this book to people I know who like the modern-day setting magic books. I want to read the rest of the series, and if it's good, then I'd definitely recommend this book to others.

[Paula Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael’s father disappeared three years ago. He very much wishes he could find out what happened. He might get that chance. He finds he has the ability to alter reality. Michael is recruited by a mysterious group, UNICORNE. They claim that his father worked for them and he can hopefully find his father.

Great middle school book.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unicorne Files
book one - A Dark Inheritance
book two - Alexander's Army
book three - A crown of dragons
by Chris D'Lacey

I love this series its across between X-Man and the X-Files, super powers, ghosts and unexplained events make this a great series.

[Vincent Ripley · Rating 4 out of 5]

First posted on http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.com/

When Michael saves a dog in a clifftop rescue is the opening line to the synopsis on the back of the book. You may be forgiven for thinking that this book sounds unappealing and pass this one by, but you would be sadly mistaken....

This is a cracking book by Chris D'Lacey. It has been about two years since his last published book. He has since moved house and county which has perhaps had some influence on his latest book. This is the first book in The Unicorne Files entitled A Dark Inheritance - the next installment has already been written and is called ALEXANDER’S ARMY which I'm eagerly waiting for.


What is the series about?
It’s about a young boy called Michael Malone, who is recruited by UNICORNE because he has an extraordinary ability to alter his reality. At the start of the series Michael’s father, Thomas, has been missing for three years after disappearing during a business trip. What Michael doesn’t know, however, is that his father was also a UNICORNE agent. Michael’s quest to find out what happened to his father forms the general arc of the series.

The narrative takes the reader through a twisting and gripping story that hooks you the further you explore the story. You are transported into a supernatural thriller full of danger, action and teenage reality. This makes a fantastic blend that anyone can relate to regardless of age or gender.

Who are the main characters? The principal character is Michael. He lives at home with his mum, Darcy, and his younger sister, Josie. Michael is recruited into UNICORNE by the smooth-talking Amadeus Klimt, who claims to have information about Michael’s father. Klimt is aided by two other agents, a feisty young French woman called Chantelle and an ex-marine who is only ever referred to by his surname, Mulrooney. During the course of his first investigation, Michael also meets the principal female character, Freya Zielinski, a goth with a troubled past and a dark secret…

You will love both the male and female characters in the book as they are well represented and well written. They are not written about in too much detail, which gives them a sense of mystery, and the character dialogue is just enough without detracting from the story.
Why should I read this book? This is a quick paced walk down the fantasy paranormal; a journey of action, reality and a spoonful of the dark and mysterious. It is a well plotted story for fans who enjoy exploring their imagination. Whilst the ending introduces a shadow of what is to come in the next book. More UNexplained Incidents Cryptic Occurrences and Relative Non-temporal Events coming your way soon.....

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Malone is going to school just like any other day except his mom is driving an alternate route to escape a flooded street so he and his sister, Josie won't be late for school. However they are stopped in traffic when Michael knows that a dog is going to commit suicide by jumping off the cliff. Knowing this he runs out of the car and teleports to the top of the cliff where the dog is. He saves the dog but at first doesn't understand or know how he got to the top of the cliff. This is not a normal day anymore. He gets the headline and his photo in the newspaper. His classmates tease him about it. He meets a mysterious man, Mr. Amadeus Klimt and his assistant Chantelle. Mr. Klimt tells him about the secret organization called Unicorne (the e stands for events). Michael finds out that his father was part of this organization and decides he wants in and will be a member. He asks Mr. Klimt if he knows anything about his father's disappearance, Mr. Klimt tells him he will let him know after his first assignment. Mr. Klimt agrees telling Michael that due to his ability, he may join even though he will be their youngest agent. With a cliffhanger in that you know this is only the. Michael has several close calls to being murdered and ends up in a private clinic where he discovers he has been tattooed. His father went to New Mexico for his work and disappeared. He was never found yet Michael believes his dad is still alive. Through working for Unicorne, his first assignment is to solve the mystery of the suicidal dog. It is a mystery that involves a classmate, Freya and a dead girl named Rafferty. Michael must learn to how to use his new "ability" to hopefully find out about his father's disappearance.

This novel is complex but easy to follow due to the author's writing. Included in the story, are paranormal events (besides Michael's abilities), a ghost, mystery, family issues, teen issues and alternative realities. I enjoyed the story. It ends with a new mystery for Michael. I am looking forward to reading this series.

Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this book free from the publisher from NetGalley. I was not obliged to write a favourable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always debated about adding books that I read with the kids here to my own page, and I've always declined in the past, especially when doing short, little books like all of the Roald Dahl books or E.D. Bakers Frog Princess trilogy. But then when we got into "real" books -- of length -- like Tuck Everlasting, Narnia, and Harry Potter, I thought man, I'm reading these entire things, word for word, aloud, why shouldn't that count on my list for what I read for the year? (Frankly, I'm wondering if I should put The Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, Animal Farm, and To Kill a Mockingbird on my list as well; I read those word for word every year in class...)

So this was our new trilogy after finishing Harry Potter in the summer. I was looking up ideas, and Camille had read d'Lacey's "Fire Within" series over the past year, so I thought she would like another series by him, and the premise seemed mildly interesting for me as well, kind of a "secret agent kid" in an organization, and that's about all I knew.

And it was pretty interesting for me to read to her, and she really got into it. It was unique, adventurous, plot driven, and very rapid. It's not big on characterization -- kind of flat characters all around: the boy who gets in fights at school, the mom who shakes her head, the sister who texts and whines -- but the story was pretty thought-provoking as the reader is exposed to this underground organization. It's revealed that his dad -- who was thought to have disappeared -- had ties to the organization, and now Michael apparently has some special ability that the Unicorne organization wants to help him develop and potentially utilize.

It's no "instant classic" by any means, but it was pretty fun to read with my ten year old and discuss every night. It definitely had us thinking back and debating and predicting, and it didn't have me falling asleep while reading like Narnia.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Michael Malone miraculously manages to save a dog's life things in his life take an unexpected turn. He discovers that he can alter reality and joins the mysterious agency UNICORNE (a secret organization that is dedicated to investigating strange and paranormal phenomena). As Michael learns more about his powers more and more questions arise about UNICORNE. What does UNICORNE have to do with his father's mysterious disappearance and what is their real purpose?

I personally found this book to be a little fast at some points and confusing at others. Michael jumps at the chance to join a secret organization that he knows absolutely nothing about after being tricked by said organization. He hopes to gain information on his father so he makes a deal to go on a mission in exchange for the information. Despite holding up his end of the bargain very little satisfactory information is given. Now I know that this is only the first book in a series but still I can't help but feel bad for this kid as he is promised information and only ends up having that information used against him.

Many weird things happen in the book and it seems like they are trying to incorporate too much in a relatively short book. Ghosts, dragons, superpowers, aliens(?)..... All of these are introduced but very little is explained. I found myself getting frustrated with this plot point, but the charactes also led to some frustration. Without giving too much away, they always seem to be at exactly the right spot at the right time without any explanation.

Overall the book was good, but I am not sure if I will continue with the series.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC/Fantasy: This was a children’s book and I understand I cannot compare it to an adult’s fantasy book. But I did have problems with it.

I really wished the whole UNICORNE was not in the book. It really wasn’t needed for the second half of the story. (I can’t help it. I like the Odd Thomas novels). I just thought it would have made a better children’s story if the hero learned his powers and solved the case by himself. UNICORNE really didn’t do anything. Michael would just report to them. Chantelle and Klimt were pretty useless when it came down to it. Another part I didn’t like was Klimt demands respect from Michael, but Klimt hasn’t earned that respect. Klimt is obliviously lying by omission or just plain lying throughout the whole book. Then Klimt doesn’t keep his end of the bargain at the end.

Next, I work for a newspaper, not a rag, a real newspaper like the “Holton Post” depicted in the book. Things may be different in England, but here in the USA, if you were to alter a photograph, it would be instant termination. I learned this because there was a community piece in our newspaper that had some T-shirts the picture’s background. There was some profanity on one of the shirt and I asked the editor why the words were not blocked out or cropped out. She said that was against journalistic ethics. You either print the whole picture in its entirety or you don’t print it at all. Both Candy and Eddie should have lost their jobs.

I hated the ending, nuff said. It wasn’t happy and leads to another book. I just can’t recommend it.

[Ravencrantz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Maybe it's because it was meant for a younger audience, but I didn't like the writing style at all. Nothing felt realistic, and I don't mean the paranormal aspects. Character interactions never felt real and I never felt connected to anyone. When people died, I didn't cry, I didn't care. It was just one less character to have to follow. Not that deaths seem to mean anything here. I get this is a children's book, but children can handle death. You don't need to magically bring everyone back and say Just kidding!! They're alive!!

Michael's ability to change reality is certainly interesting, but I feel like it was used as a way to fix problems without actually solving them. It seemed like a cheat code built into this universe. All of the build up throughout the book means nothing, because reality can change whenever. Michael doesn't really learn anything, because he can bend the world to his will. He has to build up a relationship with Frey, but instead, reality changes so they're already friends.

None of the questions were answered, I assume because this is meant to be a series. We find out how Rafferty died (which, by the way, is also incredibly dumb), but no other answers are given and I don't care enough about anyone in this book to continue the series. I don't know if it was because this was aimed towards younger readers, or what, but this was not a book for me. I can see my younger cousin enjoying it, and I usually enjoy middle grade books, but this was not one of them.

[AJ Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book A Dark Inheritnce by Chris D Lacy starts off with the main character Michel Malone going to school. For him it is just a normal day but he doesn't know that when he gets stopped at the bridge that everything will change. While driving to school he gets stopped at the bridge. The reason is because a dog is on it about to jump. With Michels Unknown powers he saves the dog. He soon figures out that the dog be longs to a classmate of his. Little does he known that she died in a car accident. What will happen next.

This book was definitely good. It had a lot of good traits. One of them was mystery. The mystery starts when Michel find s out he has powers. It keeps going when he joins UNICORN. Another good trait is action. Actin plays a big role in the second part of the book. Especially when danger strikes. And the last good trait was suspense. This book made it very had to guess what was next. You could never figure out what was coming up next, and I loved that. There was only one thing I didn't like. How long it was. This book could have been a lot longer especially if the author added a few more adventures.

Over all this book was a really good book. This book doesn't really have a grade set except for anything over 5th grade. If you like suspense and action then this is your book. Will Michael survive or will he die.

[Jonathan]

A dark Inheritance was a really unsuspecting book,this book is about a boy who finds out he inherited his fathers ability after he long goes missing.He then get involved with this organization named UNICORN which was involved with his dad.Michael the main character has to solve these supernatural mystery to get closer to his dad,In this book has to figure out why the dog was on the cliff,who the dog belonged too,and why Freya was involved even tho it was not her dog.The book has a lot of twist and turns.All in all it was a good book and i would read it again

[Aelvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Malone is just trying to get to school when he encounters a dog in distress. Little does he realize that meeting will change his life. In more ways than one. Michael possesses a power that can alter reality itself, a power that has come to the attention of secret groups like UNICORNE. He might delve deeper into the mystery of his father's disappearance, but first, he has to figure out what's up with that dog . . .

This was a lot of fun. Michael has one of my favorite types of powers: the ability to twist up the reality he's in to reflect the things he's thinking about. Only, as the plot shows again and again, he doesn't have a lot of control over unintended consequences. Things that get jokingly mentioned suddenly become fact, the way things always have been. I loved the way this played out throughout the story. Michael's clearly got power, but given the consequences, it's always a gamble for him to try to use it.

The mystery was also well done, with the layers slowly revealed and a mostly satisfying resolution. The only thing that disappointed me was that it was hard to figure out just why this had the effect it did on Michael. Is he sensitive to ghosts as well as able to manipulate reality? And what, exactly, happened with that ending? I'm just hoping Michael was as clueless as I was and someone next book will explain it to him. The only thing I can figure is that something he was considering during that final confrontation ended up becoming an additional side effect.

I was also hoping to see more strangeness than just Michael, although I admit I don't know how the plot would have worked it in without feeling like it was a tangent. We get a few hints at other things, but nothing more than a really vague idea. But that's something that could easily be picked up in a future book, so I'll just hope it follows through.

Overall, I would have liked this better if it had been clearer why the dog's problem resonated with Michael the way that it did, and if the end had been a bit less vague. Still, I'm interested to see where this goes in future books. I rate this book Recommended.

See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....

[Lorna Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review now up on the blog: https://www.thewritinggreyhound.co.uk...

Gripping and immersive, A Dark Inheritance is children's literature at its very best.

The story focuses on Michael, a schoolboy whose world turns upside down when he rescues a dog one morning. There is plenty of world-building and character introductions at the start, setting things up for both this book and the rest of the series. However, it's expertly woven into the story to add colour and detail, rather than simply padding out the book.

The characters are interesting and three-dimensional; from Michael and his sister to Freya, Chantelle and the mysterious Mr Klimt, each has bags of personality. This makes the characters more relatable and also shifts the focus from being too action-focused. Instead, the book strikes a fine balance between action and emotion.

Although this is a children's book, there are some quite adult themes present in the story. Grief and loss run throughout, and these difficult themes are addressed with the utmost sensitivity. The smallest details add up to paint a picture of grief and coming to terms with loss, whether it's a flower placed on a grave or a room preserved in someone's memory. It's beautifully written.

The second book in the series has just zoomed to the top of my to-read wishlist, and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

[Brown Guy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three years after Michael Malone’s father had gone missing, he finds out that he can bend and manipulate time and reality, when he miraculously saves a dog from a cliff when he was on his way to school. The event brings him to the attention of UNICORNE(UNexplained Incidents, Cryptic Occurrences, Relative Nontemporal Events), a secret group which seems to know more about the disappearance of his father. Michael is then unwillingly recruited by Amadeus Klimt, who then gives Michael a mission to find out about the dog and if he succeeds, he may eventually be able to dig deeper into the disappearance of his father. During his mission, Michael meets Freya Zielinski, a goth with a troubled past and a dark secret.
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Overall I’d say it was a fast read. The characters were well-written with good depth. Chris D’Lacey did so well with the pacing of the story. It kinda gave out the vibe of a crossover between X-Files and also X-men.

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[R1 Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I actually wasn't expecting this to be very good. But I was wrong. UTTERLY WRONG.

Better then Icefire, Fire Star, and Fire World, this book was set in modern times.

My favorite character was either Chantelle, a sassy French lady, Josie, an insanely popular fifth-grader (practically young Lucy Pennykettle minus the dragons), or Freya. At fist, I thought she was just going to be a knock-off Zanna (who I absolutely detest,) but it turns out she was actually really cool. That made it all the harder when she died.

Excited for Alexander's Army!

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had A Dark Inheritance on my bookshelf for a while after buying the trilogy and decided to read as I haven't been reading muxh recently and thought a relatively short, junior fiction novel would help.

I really enjoyed it. There were times when you needed to concentrate as some of the theories and explanations were complicated but once you got into the author's way of thinking, the plot flowed and made sense. On saying that, I am unsure how many younger readers would understand and be able to follow it all.

The most obvious comparison I could make is to the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz as both feature a teenage main character with a missing father figure who worked for a shady organisation at the time of their disappearance. This is where the similarities stop, but I am sure Alex Rider fans would enjoy this, and vice versa.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was rather surprised to find that I really, really enjoyed this story!

It's mainly about a family still struggling to come to terms with the mysterious disappearance of the father three years previously. Thrown into the mix is the unexpected manifestation of Michael's ability to teleport and alter reality, a conspiracy linked to a devastating tragedy and a super creepy secret organisation. There is a tangible level of grief and sorrow both human and animal (I find animal grief almost impossible to cope with; I have seen too much of it) and a rather startling and unexpected relationship with Goth girl at school.

I am glad it's the weekend; I plan to tackle the next book in this rather awesome series!

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly enjoyable - dare I even say edgy? - juvenile supernatural fantasy that ended up being a perfect read for this time of the year! I honestly wasn't expecting much when I found it on Overdrive, but right from the beginning I was pretty well hooked. Dogs and ghosts and strange occurrences? Secret agency trying to suds out The Unexplained? Yes please!

In a vaguely X-Files meets X-Men sort of way (but only if you squint), it reminded me a lot of a show that was on briefly in the late 90s/early 2000 called Mysterious Ways. I actually suspect the author may have also been a fan considering one of the big plot points.

The characters are well developed, the sibling and family interaction is adorable, and did I mention the dog? And the ghost?

[Max]

“A Dark Inheritance” by Chris D’Lacey is a fiction novel about a boy named Michael who finds out he can alter reality. After saving a dog from a passing car, he was taken to an organization after being suspended from school. They plan on solving who owns the dog and how he did it if they promise to help find Michael's father who mysteriously disappeared long ago. This was a great book, the beginning I thought was slow. But as I got more into the plot I became more interested. I rate this book 4.5 stars out of 5 because I felt it didn’t go straight into the plot and there was a slow start. But it is a great book overall. I think the theme of this book is to never give up because even though he is under investigation by a secret organization he is still trying to find his father.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book, and the best part by far was the extremely talented and expressive Jim Dale-esque reader. Had I just been reading this book myself, I don't think I would have finished it. The premise and plot were creative and clever, but the story meandered the way that books in a series sometimes do -- like the author knew he had to slow things down in order to have enough material for more books. That makes me crazy. The author definitely has a gift for imagery and beautiful phrasing, which I enjoyed. I think. some of my 7th grade girls who don't mind mild fantasy and are patient readers would enjoy this.