Thomas Taylor has most definitely done it again! Festergrimm is every bit a masterpiece of creative writing as the preceding three adventures, actually more so.

Our three favourite protagonists, Herbie Lemon, Violet Parma, and Erwin the cat, return to do battle with Herbie's nemesis, Sebastian Eels. Yes, the most despicable villain since Dick Dastardly, returns from the dead and walks casually into Eerie-on-Sea as though he hadn't tried to kill both Herbie and Violet in the previous books. This time, it seems to come in peace, repent, and benefit the townsfolk by opening an old and disused waxwork museum called Festergrimm.

Of course, where Eels is involved, things are never going to be simple or honest.

A brilliant rollercoaster adventure ensues as our heroes first seek to find the truth behind Eels' benign appearance, then later deal with the ancient monster unleashed on the town. All the favourite cast of extras are there too, some with secrets they really don't want exposing!

Top marks for a story so rich you can smell the adventure and fish and chips at Seegols Diner on every page.

Miss this one at your peril, as I have been promised by Thomas that "Lots will be revealed in Mermedusa." the final breathtaking book in this series.

Thomas Taylor does it again. I raced through this book as it was such a joy to be back in the company of Herbie & Violet & all the inhabitants of Eerie-on-sea; goodies & baddies alike. This is another wonderful fast-paced adventure in which clues are dropped like breadcrumbs & innocent comments become profound as the mystery unfolds. I am already longing for the next book!

I read this to my son. I have read all of the Eerie-on-Sea books to my son (now aged 12) as a wonderful shared experience.
We really cannot praise these books highly enough.
Herbie and Violet are total heroes in our book and in these books.

Herbie and Violet have to solve another dark mystery in Eerie on Sea. Mr Mollusc is still mean to Herbie, Sebastian Eels returns and the story of Fertergrimm’s monster is revealed by Wendy Fossil. All the favourite characters return to help solve the mystery.

As usual there are some spooky, scary moments as well as several hilarious lines which had us laughing out loud. We love the Thomas Taylor humour and sticky situations that Herbie and Violet find themselves in, time and time again.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

However, we are now desperate for the next book. I will be buying a copy of this (have already pre-ordered) for myself and also copies for my school. It’s a totally fantastic adventure.

The Eerie-on-Sea series is one that I know I am going to enjoy without having to look at the blurb so it was with much excitement that I discovered book 4, Festergrimm, appear on NetGalley. There was no doubt that I would be reading it and I was able to enjoy it in one sitting whilst lying around the pool on holiday last week.
At the beginning of the book Herbie and Vi are at Eerie's train station along with Mr Mollusc, the manager of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. They are there at Lady Kraken's request to welcome a VIP guest to the hotel. Curious as to who it will be, Herbie and Vi are both shocked and worried when they discover Sebastian Eels emerge through the smoke. The renowned local author has history with Herbie and Vi, so his arrival comes as quite the shock to both of them; however, it appears that he intends to reopen the long-closed Festergrimm's Waxworks museum and declares that his intentions are purely honourable. Despite what he is saying, Herbie and Vi are wary and fully intend to keep a close eye on him and find out exactly what is going on.

The narration of the book from Herbie's point of view is one I have always enjoyed with the humour that is interspersed with the adventure that unfolds and Festergrimm is no exception. Herbie is a joyous character and one I always love to read. He and Vi have grown since Malamander, but their individual characters still shine through and they work so well together. We also get to know more about some of the other villagers in this book which I enjoyed.

If you have read the other books in the series (& if you haven't, why not?) then you will know that Sebastian Eels will undoubtedly be up to no good, and I thoroughly enjoyed the anticipation of what he was doing and exactly what mischief he was up to.

Like the other books, Festergrimm combines adventure, darkness, peril and humour in just the right amounts to create a gripping read, and now I'm just desperate to read the final book in the series.

Absolutely loved my visit to Eerie-on-Sea as always. Herbie and Violet are brilliant characters and I'm eager to see their stories evolve. Thanks to @NetGalley for the sneak preview. Looking forward to 1.9.22!!
@ThomasHTaylor how long do I have to wait for the Mermedusa?
#RfP https://t.co/LGY0kbrOFs

I always recommend Malamander to our pupils and the series just keeps getting better and better!

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Even though I had never read any of the Eerie-on-Sea series, getting into this delightful book was easy. Taylor's background as an illustrator shines through as the world-building was amazing. That said, I felt like there was a tad too many elements within this book. Between the wax-work figures and the clock-work robots, I found it rather difficult to focus. That said, I believe that it sets things up nicely for the final instalment of the series which I am now curious about.

Given that the main character's name is Herbert Lemon, its similarities with Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is also noted. While there are many plot similarities like the parallels between Count Olaf and Sebastien Eels, I do find that the book sets itself apart sufficiently from Snicket's without being too much of a rethread of the iconic series through its evocative and beautifully-crafted setting.

Adventures at Eerie-on-Sea continue as Sebastian Eels is back in town and sure to cause mischief. Herbert Lemon is the Lost and Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel and this adventure sees him come face to face with haunted waxworks and a GIANT robot. It is just as well he has a group of friends (not your usual gang) who trust him and help him along the way.
This is the greatest Eerie-on-Sea adventure to date and while the story ends there is still more to come from this robotic waxwork spectacular. This is a book that older primary children will love and parents and teachers will enjoy reading to their kids too as it is interesting and captivating.

Sebastian Eels is back from the dead and this can only mean one thing for Herbie and Violet; he’s out to get them. But the rest of the town seem to welcome Sebastian Eels and his mission to bring to life Festergrimm’s abandoned Waxworks, filled with characters from Eerie Legends, including the Malamander! Hearing Festergrimm’s spooky legend, Herbie and Violet know Eels must be up to no good – but will anyone ever believe them?

Malamander was one of the first books I read when I was really starting to get into reading children’s books and since then I’ve been absolutely hooked on the Eerie-on-Sea series.  Thomas Taylor has created a spooky and ‘eerie’ seaside town, creepily reminiscent of my days growing up on the Isle of Wight and I just love reading Herbie and Violet’s adventures.  I know that if I pick up a book from this series I’ll definitely enjoy it and be left with more questions than I began with!  Festergrimm is pacey in exactly the right way, leaving the reader wanting more and making it absolutely unputdownable! 

Main characters Herbie and Violet continue to complement one another perfectly.  Violet makes Herbie braver through her daring actions and he is fantastic at getting her to stop and think before she acts (most of the time).  Their mysterious pasts still elude them, but the hints that we will find out soon definitely makes me desperate for the next in this series!  Always a fan of sidekicks, I love Clermit and Erwin – especially when the cat so sarcastically nudges Herbie and Violet in the right direction when they need him to.  He’ll always be a firm favourite of mine.  Sebastian Eels continues to be a dastardly villain playing up to that sliminess his name would suggest!  Readers love to hate him and cheer to see his plans foiled by our brave heroes. 

It's great to be back in Eerie-on-Sea and Thomas Taylor certainly does not disappoint with his creepy tale of waxworks and clockwork robots!  5 out of 5 stars.

I’ve just finished this… and what a ride!! Let me tell you, there’s something so gripping and OMG I HAVE TO READ THIS ENTIRE BOOK RIGHT NOW about this series. Festergrimm is a glorious mix of big iron monsters, familiar villainous faces and legend that just had me from the get go. I love Herbie and Violet so much… you wouldn’t catch me in the waxwork museum tho! These books are a glorious mix of detective mystery and a tiny little bit of horror in them too!

Book no.4 in the series - and they just keep getting better! Herbie is still after answers, Mr Mollusc is still on the warpath, and Sebastian Eels is back. He manages to dupe the townspeople into thinking that he is a decent, reformed character. They are thrilled that he wants to reopen Festergrimm’s waxwork museum for the good of the town. Obviously, there are ulterior motives, and Herbie and Violet are determined to stop him from finding the treasure that he seeks. I must warn readers that there are scenes, not just of biscuit dunking, but of fruit cake dunking. I know, very upsetting.
I am so looking forward to seeing how this twisty turny series unfolds with book 5 next year.

Delighted to get a chance to meet Herbie and Violet again! This time someone from the past makes an appearance, bit what are they up too? And what has it got to do with Herbie's past?

Just adore the adventures that they get up and so amazing to see their friendship growing and changing. Can't wait to see what happens next!

the next really fantastic episode of the adventures centred around the seaside resort of Eerie-on-Sea. Herbie (the Lost and Founder) at the Grand Nautilus Hotel and his friend Violet think they have got rid of the local evil author, Sebastien Eels, but they are in for a terrible surprise, when he turns up at the beginning of this latest tale. This time wanting to re-open the waxwork museum and ghost ride, called Festergrimms. We have a literal and literary roller-coaster as the two children try to save the town yet again, despite most of the adults being unaware of the danger. This series just keeps getting better and better and i absolutely love it.

The delightful duo of Herbie Lemon and Violet Parma are back in this thrilling Frankenstein – King Kong – Madame Tussauds gone wrong mash-up. My family adores this series but Festergrimm just might be our favourite (keeping a special place in our hearts for the original, Malamander.) This story is laugh-out loud funny (I’m planning to adopt the “Nopevember” mindset right from September), lightning-paced and packed full of old friends.

A surprise guest and old nemesis at the legendary Grand Nautilus Hotel pushes Herbie and Violet into an adventure they’ll never forget. It’s fantastic to see Clermit the wind-up crab, Erwin the wise cat, the one-of-a-kind Mermonkey and so many Eerie-on-Sea adult friends playing an even bigger role in this deliciously creepy, slightly macabre quest to solve another intriguing Eerie-on-Sea mystery.

There’s plenty of sneaking around, exploring dark tunnels and outsmarting hotel manager Mr Mollusc to keep readers gripped. I finished Festergrimm just a couple of sittings – my only chance to read it before my son came home from school and ran off with it! I found myself smiling, laughing and gasping at each twist and turn. Details from the three earlier stories have been woven together so cleverly, giving long-time fans the pleasure of making connections and enjoying those fantastic “Aha!” moments.

I can’t wait to add a copy of this brilliant book to our collection! Thank you to NetGalley UK and Walker Books for an early read!

It’s nearly the summer holidays and I was ridiculously excited to be granted an early mini-break in the legendary seaside town of Eerie on Sea. And my goodness… there was never a dull moment! Creepy wax works, a conniving villain a colossal clockwork robot reminscent of Ted Hughes’ Iron Man…adventure drips from every sea-soaked page. Oh, and watch out for the seagulls…you have been warned!

Our favourite ship-wrecked orphan Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, once again finds himself at the centre of an Eerie Mystery of epic proportions along with trusty side-kick Violet Parmer.

It’s late November and Herbie and Vi have been sent to greet a VIP guest of The Grand Nautilus at the railway station by morngy hotel manager Mr Mollusc. But nothing could’ve prepared the duo for who is about to step out from the swirling mist. A shocking blast from the past is back to wreak havoc on the town, plotting and scheming to their own gains and of course it’s down to the duo to save the town from disaster.

I feel the beauty of this series is that in each instalment, Thomas Taylor allows us to discover and explore different elements of the seemingly dilapidated town, steeped in myth and legend. As well as dropping into familiar locations such as Seagoll’s diner, Mrs Fossil’s Flotsamporium and paying the Mermonkey a visit at the Eerie Book Emporium, much of this adventure takes place in Fargarzi Round and the boarded up and very creepy Festergrimm’s Wax Works.

Formerly a hit with the tourists, the wax works has long stood derelict and abandoned, but it seems that amongst the dust and cobwebs is something of real value and key to unlocking the Great Legend of Eerie on Sea. And one cunning and conniving character is desperate to get their calloused hands on it.

The children break into Festergrimm’s and bravely explore (at night of course) you wouldn’t get me in there! It really is scary amongst the exhibits with their unblinking eyes and the ghost train that would whirr into action to transport tourists around the gallery. Bumps in the night lead our explorers to the cellar, where they discover their treacherous nemesis tearing apart the wax mannequins limb from limb, feverishly searching for something – it’s like a scene from Frankenstein!

After all the chilling thrills and spills, it’s time for cake and hot chocolate at Mrs Fossil’s and she sheds some more light on the legend. Turns out she has a personal connection to the wax works and is harbouring a shocking family secret. The answer lies in Festergrimm’s legendary robot and a missing part of the clockwork giant. It’s a race against time and Herbie and Vi must solve the mystery and set the cogs in action before their arch enemy gets there first…

This is my absolute favourite Middle Grade series. For me it has everything; gripping mysteries, just the right level of threat and such a well developed location and characters that each visit feels like returning to old friends at a much-loved childhood holiday destination.

Erwin the talking bookshop cat stole the show for me in this adventure. Always on hand to deliver purrrrrrls of wisdom in his trademark deadpan way, he dutifully directs the duo away from danger and hints at clues that they’ve missed. I imagine his voice to be that of Ian McKellen or Stephen Fry and I’d love to discover more of his back story – there is definitely a human trapped inside that feline body!

This is a series I don’t want to end, yet I am absolutely desperate to find out once and for all how Herbie came to be washed up in a crate of lemons in Erie on Sea and what happened to Violet’s parents. At the end of Festergrimm there is the usual teaser for the next adventure and I can’t wait to see how Thomas Taylor ties it all together in MERMEDUSA.

A visit to Eerie on Sea is like putting on your slippers, wrapping yourself in a throw & snuggling up in your favourite reading spot with a heart warming cuppa. Thank you to Walker Books and NetGalley for this return ticket.
Festergrim begins with a trip to Eerie's railway station and an unnerving incident with a seagull. This is a signal to the reader that the VIP that Mollusc, Herbie and Violet are expecting is going to be very unexpected. Thomas knows how to build an  atmospheric read and Festergrim does not disappoint. An unwelcome and unexpected guest has arrived at Eerie but this old nemesis is clearly still devilishly deceitful and is definitely up to no good. There's  the usual visit to the Mermonkey, a trip to Mr Seegol's fish and chip shop, guidance from Ermin and the return of a faithful friend. What follows is a wonderful suspenseful slightly creepy and macabre tale. This is a real page turner, read in a few sittings.
I cannot speak highly enough of this series and I'm looking forward to a return visit with the publication of MerMedusa.
I love the phrase 'Nopevember' and this is a phrase that I'll certainly be adopting from September as well as recommending this to the reading community.

Another roaring adventure on Eerie on Sea, with elements of The iron man, Herbie and Violet once again battle their arch nemesis.
This wasn't my favourite of the series but still really enjoyed it.

Thomas Taylor has done it again! What a sheer delight to be back in Eerie-on-Sea with Herbie and Violet ready for another adventure. This time, Herbie has declared he’s not doing any adventures in November, however just a few days before the end of the month the arrival of a VIP guest heralds the start of a new adventure. With their arch enemy Sebastian Eels set to reopen the old Festergrimm’s Wax Works, Violet can’t believe he’s not really up to no good. Get ready to join them in an adventure full of scary wax works, spooky trains and a giant robotic monster as the legend of Ludo Festergrimm resurfaces.
Everything’s we’ve come to love and look forward to in the Eerie-on-Sea adventures is packed in the pages and will delight its fans young and old. It’s a fast paced adventure, full of some wonderful twists and turns and some great edge of the seat moments.
I can’t wait to return for the next adventure and the Mermedusa!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a review.

Warning: contains spoilers for earlier books in the series.

It scarcely seems possible that it’s three years since I read Malamander – the first of the Eerie-on-Sea Mysteries – and yet here I am sitting down to try to capture my thoughts on this, the fourth and penultimate title. If, like me, you are an enormous fan of this brilliant series, you’ll know that this is going to be a fabulous story before you even pick it up, packed as it is with the author’s trademark humour, plays on words and the sort of familiar friendly characters so wonderfully crafted that you want to add them to your Christmas card list. You’ll also be anticipating a fearsome monster and the return of a certain notorious baddie and you won’t be disappointed in any way.

I do not mean to suggest by that that this series is formulaic or repetitive – that would be doing Thomas Taylor a serious disservice, rather I mean that while each book has its own unique identity they are still distinctly part of a whole, with threads from them all flowing into one another beautifully. They are also that extremely rare thing – a sequence of books written for children but equally as loved by adults, as the excitement generated on Twitter by this read being added to the virtual Net Galley shelf this week testified. But enough of my rambling, what can I tell you about it?

It is a cold, blustery day when we reacquaint ourselves with Herbie and Vi. Not, as you might expect, within Herbie’s cosy Lost-and-Foundery but at the Eerie-on-Sea railway station – a landmark so insignificant that until now Violet has been unaware of its existence. Accompanying the friends is hotel manager – and Herbie’s nemesis – Mr Mollusc, who is there at his employer Lady Kraken’s request to meet a passenger who is to be a special guest at the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Unimpressed when an old-fashioned steam train finally pulls into the station, Mr Mollusc huffs and puffs when he cannot at first see anyone alight from the train but soon assumes his smarmiest persona when a figure appears from the swirling smoke. The figure of famous local author Sebastian Eels.

With Herbie and Vi’s encounters with the amoral Eels fresh in both of their memories, the pair of them head to the Eerie Book Dispensary where they share their fears at the writer’s return with its owner Jenny Hanniver and locals Dr Thalassi and Mrs Fossil. While the two friends cannot think of any good reasons as to why Eels has returned once more, the doctor is more inclined to give him a second chance, annoying and frustrating them both greatly.

When Herbie and Vi go to see Lady Kraken in an attempt to find out why Eels has come back, the author himself explains to the three of them that he intends to reopen Festergrimm’s Waxworks – a once popular local tourist attraction – earning Lady Kraken’s approval as she considers how it might boost her trade. Investigating the waxworks with Dr Thalassi and Mrs Fossil, Herbie is scared by one of the old exhibits apparently moving and the doctor warns him and Vi to stay well away from both the attraction and from Eels. Determined to prove that Eels is again up to no good, the pair of them ignore the warning and before long it is clear that moving waxworks are the least of their worries. What is Eels up to? What is causing the waxworks to misbehave? And how are they connected to the story of master clockmaker Ludovic Festergrimm?

After the friction that arose between our protagonists in Shadowghast, it is good to see their friendship back to what it was in Books 1 and 2. With huge gaps in the histories of both characters, they have so much in common and complement one another perfectly. While Vi is still – at least on the surface – the braver of the two of them, Herbie knows that much as he would like to, he cannot hide away and say no to everything in life (I laughed out loud at his brilliantly named way of doing so) and steps up time and time again here. It would be unfair of me to tell you whether we are any closer to finding out how Herbie ended up in Eerie-on-Sea or what happened to Vi’s parents but I suspect there are scenes here hidden in plain sight that are crucial to the conclusion and we will kick ourselves when everything is pulled together in Mermedusa.

Unlike the titles preceding this, we know that Sebastian Eels is the bad guy from the off and as the story unfolds it becomes clear that what he does here is a stepping stone to something else – something only to be revealed in that concluding book. With so many questions to be answered and threads to be drawn together, I don’t think I have ever wanted the next read in a sequence as much as I want that and I know that I will not be alone in this. A must-read for fans of the books so far and perfect for readers aged nine to ninety-nine, if you have not as yet read Malamander you need to rectify that situation immediately.

The most enormous thanks must go to Walker Books and Net Galley for my virtual read in advance of publication on September 1st.