I think this was a fairly middle of the road book for me. It definitely has its charms and will woo any middle grader invested in a fantasy that's slightly self-aware. I'd place it somewhere along the spectrum between Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett with its subversion of some fantasy tropes and poking fun at others.

The first half feels like mostly build up, while the rest is a mixed bag of satisfying/disappointing ends. For all that she was hyped up, we see very little of the Whittle Witch. We feel her presence as her curse taken over Clementine's father, there is even a chapter or two where we see her perspective as her plans slowly come to fruition. But by the time she actually appeared I felt...underwhelmed? It just felt like the tangible conflicts of the story felt a little less developed than the more emotional ones. 

The way she went out through was glorious. Love a unicorn avalanche. the visuals are very The Last Unicorn

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Clementine's internal struggles, what with dealing with her "evil" father, the expectation of her becoming a Dark Lord as well, and how she relates to her magic, were all engaging and did so much to round her out as a character. Darka as well is an interesting inclusion, her story and motivations bringing a darker and deeper dimension to the story. 

This is something I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel of, since there were a few things mentioned that didn't really have any payoff.