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skyfluff's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Narnia vibes in the best possible way! Other than the Hedwig moment, I was all in and can't wait for the next installment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
lemonpip's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Animal death, Death, and Violence
mariannelwnicholson's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a fun read but really felt like the introduction to a world in preparation of the series. I liked the characters and the world but was underwhelmed by the way some of the creatures were listed in the front in the handbook but not all of them were? I dunno maybe that doesn't matter but it felt a bit like why would you bother if you weren't going to do all of them. I think maybe also because I'm not used to reading children's fiction (although I have read two in the last month!), I find it quite hard to wrap my head around the fact that the plots are often quite obvious and predictable. Anyway, it was fun and I maybe would buy it for a ten year old.
Oh also! It is quite violent and some of the violence is quite graphic so just be careful if giving to a younger child.
Oh also! It is quite violent and some of the violence is quite graphic so just be careful if giving to a younger child.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
unfiltered_fiction's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
celeste329's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.25
Prose wise, I thought it was all right. Given it is marketed towards younger audiences, I think the way the Chapters were split and the overall language and flow were all right.
Characters wise, the main cast I found was well developed, with reasonably clear motivations, ambitions and abilities. A few niggly things stood out in terms of abilities that I thought seemed pretty obvious, but I can see why their subtlety (for lack of a better word) might be a bit off-putting/jarring. Some side-characters were a bit...questionable? But that might also be because there is so little information about them, which made some of the interaction with the main cast a tad off. For example,Anja's motivation in ratting the main cast's location out is frankly rather silly. So, just because Mal might be able to remember something from Anja's past, she decides to share their info with someone who is quite clearly suspicious? Really? I mean, instead of maybe talking to her or even Nighthand, whom she knew beforehand? I'm sorry but it made no sense to me from the little screentime we've had of her.
Plot-wise: The main idea was quite good for me. One of the more standard ones with two linked worlds and magic being involved. I loved the integration with mythical creatures and the differences between the two worlds. I had some expectations on where the plot would be going and I was quite happy to see that I was right. Having said that, I did not pick up on certain things straight away but after enough coincidences, I think I got the gist of the plan about...45% in.
The Antagonist itself I found...odd? Their motivations were pretty basic, but their presence in the"tree of magic" felt like *such* a stretch. Even the connection with certain architects was also a bit of a stretch. Their whole existence was a surprise and not a good one, more like a head-scratching one where you look at something and wonder where/why on earth did the author decide to drop this. Also, some of the conflicts with side characters felt like they came out of nowhere.
Edit (because I forgot initially): I would have loved to see more scenes where the main cast had periods of reflection following certain events, and really get into their heads to see how their motivation changed as a result of those scenes.
Characters wise, the main cast I found was well developed, with reasonably clear motivations, ambitions and abilities. A few niggly things stood out in terms of abilities that I thought seemed pretty obvious, but I can see why their subtlety (for lack of a better word) might be a bit off-putting/jarring. Some side-characters were a bit...questionable? But that might also be because there is so little information about them, which made some of the interaction with the main cast a tad off. For example,
Plot-wise: The main idea was quite good for me. One of the more standard ones with two linked worlds and magic being involved. I loved the integration with mythical creatures and the differences between the two worlds. I had some expectations on where the plot would be going and I was quite happy to see that I was right. Having said that, I did not pick up on certain things straight away but after enough coincidences, I think I got the gist of the plan about...45% in.
The Antagonist itself I found...odd? Their motivations were pretty basic, but their presence in the
Edit (because I forgot initially): I would have loved to see more scenes where the main cast had periods of reflection following certain events, and really get into their heads to see how their motivation changed as a result of those scenes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Animal death
comfyhedgehog's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I was wandering through the book shop, and somewhere on the shelves surrounded by many other stories, I found this book. And I am so happy that I found this story. I absolutely love it.
We follow Christopher Forrester, who finds a baby griffin and rescues it from drowning in a hidden lake. From that moment, his life changes forever. An adventure awaits him. A journey that will lead him to the Archipelago, a place that almost can be seen as a secret, hidden from the world, an unmapped cluster of magical islands where creatures of myth still live together with humans. They have been protected of being discovered for thousands of years, but now they are in need of help. We also follow Mal, a girl with a flying coat who is from the Archipelago and who raised the baby griffin who Christopher just saved. Her adventure leads her to his world, and together, they go on an urgent quest to make an important difference.
Impossible Creatures is a story involving and following many characters, and I absolutely loved each one of them. We have Christopher, who is smart, brave, kind, open-hearted and curious. Mal, courageous, wise, and inspiring. Nighthand, the berserker turned pirate, funny and sarcastic, stubborn yet daring. And Irian, determined, loyal, loving and mysterious. These characters alongside with many mythical creatures, like unicorns, nereids, dragons and sphinxes, captured my heart and had all my attention. It is hard not to like them. The author has written them so vividly, that it's easy to make a connection with them. I enjoyed following their journeys. The book has many mythical creatures in them, but it never felt chaotic or too much. It was wonderful and lovely, just like the book itself! I find this book to very special. And especially I believe for a middle grade. This book is full of so many different sorts of raw emotions and themes, like that of the power of knowledge and power in general, love, friendship, doubt, courage, hope, life... And I think that's the beauty of this book: the story doesn't shy away from telling and showing these emotions and themes, and yet it is so filled with love, warmth, light, and hope and such a treat for the imagination. I love the whole of this book. And I hope and I believe many will too.
₊˚⊹♡ ''It is so difficult, to be alive. It is so difficult, and it is so beautiful.'' She looked full at him, and her face was blazing. ''Listen. I need you to tell people this; I need you, when you get back, to tell them: the brutality is terrible. And yes: the chaos is very great. But tell them: greater than the world's chaos are its miracles.'' ₊˚⊹♡
We follow Christopher Forrester, who finds a baby griffin and rescues it from drowning in a hidden lake. From that moment, his life changes forever. An adventure awaits him. A journey that will lead him to the Archipelago, a place that almost can be seen as a secret, hidden from the world, an unmapped cluster of magical islands where creatures of myth still live together with humans. They have been protected of being discovered for thousands of years, but now they are in need of help. We also follow Mal, a girl with a flying coat who is from the Archipelago and who raised the baby griffin who Christopher just saved. Her adventure leads her to his world, and together, they go on an urgent quest to make an important difference.
Impossible Creatures is a story involving and following many characters, and I absolutely loved each one of them. We have Christopher, who is smart, brave, kind, open-hearted and curious. Mal, courageous, wise, and inspiring. Nighthand, the berserker turned pirate, funny and sarcastic, stubborn yet daring. And Irian, determined, loyal, loving and mysterious. These characters alongside with many mythical creatures, like unicorns, nereids, dragons and sphinxes, captured my heart and had all my attention. It is hard not to like them. The author has written them so vividly, that it's easy to make a connection with them. I enjoyed following their journeys. The book has many mythical creatures in them, but it never felt chaotic or too much. It was wonderful and lovely, just like the book itself! I find this book to very special. And especially I believe for a middle grade. This book is full of so many different sorts of raw emotions and themes, like that of the power of knowledge and power in general, love, friendship, doubt, courage, hope, life... And I think that's the beauty of this book: the story doesn't shy away from telling and showing these emotions and themes, and yet it is so filled with love, warmth, light, and hope and such a treat for the imagination. I love the whole of this book. And I hope and I believe many will too.
₊˚⊹♡ ''It is so difficult, to be alive. It is so difficult, and it is so beautiful.'' She looked full at him, and her face was blazing. ''Listen. I need you to tell people this; I need you, when you get back, to tell them: the brutality is terrible. And yes: the chaos is very great. But tell them: greater than the world's chaos are its miracles.'' ₊˚⊹♡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Suicide and Fire/Fire injury
setaggu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
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