Book Review: Impossible Creatures / Katherine Rundell / 9 – Adult

Published by Bloomsbury

Not yet published: September 2023

There’s a retail phrase that I’m always a little suspicious about. The one that states that ‘If you loved this, then you will enjoy this too‘. Often, the truth is, I believe, that the reviewer hasn’t read either of the books involved. Has taken the brief details from the internet and deemed them similar.

That is what I think happens. Sometimes there is so little to compare that I wonder if the reviewer just decides that a book, that is a best seller, might ‘carry’ a book that is less well known.

That said, today I’m going to state that if you like Kieran Larwood’s Treekeepers, (in my opinion the best book that came out last year for this age group), you will probably (please note the word) enjoy this.

Periodically Waterstones run small competitions for staff, allowing us to have books for free – sometimes they are signed, at others, not. As a member of staff you send in your email and request and hope to be one of the ‘lucky’ people pulled ‘from the hat’. It is rare for me to do this, rarer still for me to be one of the fortunate staff who actually ‘win’ one.

I am so pleased I put in a request for a copy of this – it has come, sans dustjacket, and without the maps, and with one or two typographical errors that will be ironed out, but signed… My colleague was a little jealous. Actually very jealous…but we won’t go into that…

So, to the book. The first in a trilogy, that should become (and probably will) be the best seller for Christmas. It starts with Mal, a young girl who can fly and lives with her great aunt.

But they were busy, and people mostly let her be, to run and eat and fly. Except that day…

Christopher lives with his grandfather and where ever he goes, he is greeted by animals, all sorts of creatures come and make up to him. Squirrels will surround him and sit on his feet, if he lets them, dogs always welcome him and cats will go out of their way to curl around his legs…

‘Come to fight a murderer? “Please come to tea and by the way you hve to fight to the death?” Why would I say yes to that?’

Mal’s world is filled with ‘Impossible Creatures’, along with kankos (something that looks like a fox, but is the size of a mouse, with a split tail), griffins, kluddes (creatures similar to a fighting dog, but very large with blue flames where its ears should be), phoenixes and unicorns, amongst others. Truly Christopher would claim, impossible creatures.

When their lives collide (I won’t tell you how) and Christopher finds himself in her world – a world of fantastic and beautiful and fantastic and also not so beautiful creatures, hoping to eat them all…

This is certainly a stupendous adventure and if you did loved Treekeepers (Kieran Larwood) then you will almost certainly enjoy this one. Though I won’t guarantee that!

This is going to be a phenomenal trilogy.

Having just finished this proof I can certainly state that it is a Sue Stupendous title. Sadly at the moment I am unable to review on Waterstones.com – a technical issue, but will do as soon as I can – this is MARVELOUS!

Book Review: Prisoner of Ice & Snow / Ruth Lauren / 9 – 12

Published by Bloomsbury – Early September 2017

I really shouldn’t be writing this post – I should be trying to find a way of making some cash – ASAP.  Instead of which I have listed all the out going amounts (some are estimates; the house is peeling as though it has a bad case of eczema) and its beginning to worry me a bit – not the house, the finances. So I’m doing what I am good at, and sticking my head firmly in the sand, and writing about a proof that I have just finished and loved.

This is a tale of two sets of siblings. The first two are sisters – bound up with each other, getting one another into scrapes as they grow up amongst the higher echelons of society. That is they were, until one sister is accused and convicted of theft – and not just any theft. The other pair are a sister and brother. The sister to become queen, both though, secure and safe, or so one would have thought…

This is a brilliant adventure full of bravery, fear and a wonderful distraction from all mundane things like paying bills, doing the ironing, booking boiler appointments and other such interesting things…. It is a tale of friendship and is full of mystery too.

There is reference, on the back of the proof, to the book being for fans of Katherine Rundell, Eva Ibbotson and Cornelia Funke – and so it is, but I think it is also from a new unique author who is one to watch in her own right.

Also on the back of the proof is a note stating there is to be a second volume – which is marvellous – that is due out in 2018.

Wolves, adventure, mystery, bravery and treachery mixed – what more could you want?

A small comment about design. Each chapter starts with the notation of which it is, Chapter 1, 2 and so on, with an arrow design beneath. Someone somewhere in Bloomsbury has taken the trouble to ensure that the arrow on the chapter headings points one way on the verso pages, and the other way on the recto – which pleases me more than it should. I suspect its something to do with Dad, who designs books…

As always with proofs, I have no idea whether the picture above is the one that will be used on the cover…but it is a rather good one.

It would make a very good House of Ghibli animated film – perhaps someone will read it and do something about that. Sadly I don’t have any connections in the film industry, however, you never know who might just be reading this blog…

 

 

 

Book Review: The Wolf Wilder / Katherine Rundell

Published by Bloomsbury

With a back drop of the Russian landscape this is an extremely atmospheric tale of adventure. Feodora and Ilya, heroine and hero along with a small pack of  wolves are racing against time. There are rumbles of a revolution, whispers of people taking back control and ending the suffering that has pervaded the land for so long.

This is a wonderful adventure full of the smells of winter and wolves. Feodora’s life has been sheltered; she has had little to do with people, her life has been spent helping her mother ‘repatriate’ wolves no longer wanted by the rich of Russia’s elite. A repatriation  that is dangerous as wolves are intrinsically  not reliable, and people can’t be trusted, in certain circumstances either.

This is a book full of the stuff that fairy tales are made of. It certainly has the feel of folk lore and is a brilliant adventure. It will be one of those books to be read around a fire, with the snow falling in flurries outside a dark window…