What I love most about Katherine Rundell's writing is the characters. Mal is a wonderful, slightly feral child who cares deeply about the things that matter to her. Things like the Griffin who has become her companion. While I wish that there had been more from her perspective in the book, I enjoyed getting to know her from Christopher's point of view. The few scenes that were from her point of view were some of my favourite in the book.

I loved all the descriptions of the creatures in through the story. It was nice to see the pieces about them at the start and then be reintroduced to them as we went along. I especially liked how alive they felt. This didn't feel like she was including the creatures just to bulk out the fantasy world or because she wanted to show off her creations. They felt necessary and important to the very core of the story and like I said, completely and utterly alive.

There's a few bits that disappointed me, which I can't really go into without spoiling the book, but at least one of them, I think will have disappointed a lot of readers. If it weren't for those bits I would give this five stars.

Read for inventive creatures and thrilling adventure.

If you love fantastical creatures, then this is the fantasy series for you. Inspired by an unfinished poem written by John Donne, Katherine Rundell combines unicorns with griffins with dragons and a plethora of other incredible creatures and whisks us away to a hidden realm: the Archipelago... When Christopher goes to Scotland to stay with his grandfather, he is startled to see a thunder of mythical creatures tearing down the hill towards the house, leaving his grandfather no choice but to reveal the truth: he is a guardian of a portal between the human world and the Archipelago, a place where creatures of myth are protected. But the magical protection is weakening and when he encounters a strange, flying girl called Mal who is in desperate need of help, Christopher accompanies her back to the Archipelago where a dangerous quest awaits them... This is a fast-paced adventure that moves at the speed of a dragon on a mission. The world-building is dazzling, the characters instantly loveable - Mal and Nighthand being firm favourites - and Gelifen, well, will steal your heart. There's sphinxes and manticores and karkadanns to reckon with as well as well as dark human power. As with other recent fantasies, one of the most prominent themes of the novel is the human destruction of the planet and the creatures within it. There's also an interesting exploration of the theme of power including, of course, the power of friendship. This first novel covers more ground than I initially thought it would, leaving it open for the next instalment to go in an unknown and exciting direction. There's certainly lots more places to explore and lots more creatures to meet. This is a different genre to Katherine Rundell's other fantastic novels: Rooftoppers, Girl Savage, The Explorer and The Good Thieves (Wolf Wilder being the one we haven't read) but the magical element is truly magic. I always enjoy Rundell's characters, including the adult ones she weaves into her stories, but this time it's the creatures that will make your heart soar, make your heart break and fill you with the wonder of imagination. A big thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for allowing me a review copy. Impossible Creatures is available to pre-order and is release

I didn't realise this was a sampler when I requested it, so a bit frustrating as the taster is great and left me wanting more. Will definitely want to read the full book.

Well, this is just a sampler of the first three chapters, but based on this and my reading of all of Katherine Rundell's previous books, I would say that this new MG novel (and future series) will capture the hearts of middle grade readers in the same way that another fantasy series from the same publisher did 20 years ago. The ingredients are all there for an epic read; animal loving child protagonist, hidden family secret, fantasy creatures, peril, bravery and a quest against dark foes. Layer on top of this, Katherine Rundell's uniquely exquisite writing and you have a book that will excite the creativity of every child.

I cannot wait for the full book to be released on 14 September 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Children's Books and Mr B's Emporium Bath (where I picked up a free sampler in addition to the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for a sample of this book,
I’ve only read a small sample but I definitely want to read the full book,
A secret world with magical creatures in danger, I absolutely need to find out what happens.
We are introduced to 3 characters, and I want to know more about all of them.
I can see there will be some good relationships in this book,
It’s difficult to give a full review or rating as I haven’t read the whole Book yet,
It seems very interesting and I want to know more so I’ll go with 4stars for now.

What an absolute teaser of a sampler. It has certainly whet the appetite with the mythical creatures and the intrepid characters who find themselves involved in guarding the gateway between our world and that of the "Archipelago" I really nee to gt my hands on the full book, in order to satisfy my need to know the full story.

Very good start to what will be an exciting middle grade adventure. Can't wait to read the whole thing. I expect nothing less from Rundell.

I have read and loved every book Katherine Rundell has ever written and cannot wait to read this next offering. Her writing is just sublime and the story sings. The sample is a great start and I am excited to read the full book when it is published.

Christopher's grandfather very rarely moves far from his cottage and has forbidden his grandson to climb the nearby hills. When an ordinary walk with his dog turns into a rescue mission Christopher discovers a lake he didn't know existed and an injured creature he is absolutely sure only inhabits fairy stories, myths and legends.

When he returns home, his grandfather tells him a tale of a magical archipelago, the creatures who live there, and his family’s role in keeping their location a secret. The magic is fading however, and now Christopher finds himself front and centre as, along with a new friend from beyond the lake, he fights to keep everything and everyone he holds dear safe and protected once again.

Impossible Creatures is the new book from brilliant children's author Katherine Rundell and unfortunately I only had a sample to read which ended on a cliffhanger!  Christopher is, it's fair to say, quite a confused main protagonist but I think that will soon change!  I will definitely be reading the whole book on its release as it has definitely grabbed my interest!

I was able to read a sample of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bloomsbury, but the opinions expressed are my own. This promises to be a great read and the short extract definitely piqued my interest.

Divinely magical and has the essence of adventure pouring out of it. I cannot wait to be able to read the entire book.

An intriguing start to what’s sure to be a popular middle-grade fantasy book!

Impossible Creatures starts with a boy named Christopher who goes for a walk and see some magical creatures that he didn’t think existed stampede toward him. After finding one of those creatures, a griffin, and saving it from drowning, he brings it home to his grandfather. His grandfather explains to Christopher that magical creatures have always existed but they’ve been protected for thousands of years on a group of islands called the Archipelago. How does he know all this? Because he is a guardian of a passage through from Archipelago to the non-magic world. This passage opens for a week every year, but this is not that week. The way between should not have been open.

Without giving too much away, the end of this sampler left me wanting more. The creatures, the myths, and the action-packed pages are perfect to keep a middle grade reader’s interest. The only critique I have is that the setting and characters aren’t very well established in the first couple of chapters and I would have liked to know a bit more about Christopher and Frank before the action started.

That being said, the premise of Impossible Creatures is very exciting and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the story goes. I also don’t think this book should be limited to middle grade audiences - I’m well past that level but the descriptions of the history and mythology of the creatures even had me hooked!

Thank you to Netgallery and Katherine Rundell for providing me with this sampler!

I don't care if this is a children book or if it's adult fantasy, I know I read the sampler and was sure I was going to buy this book.
Brilliant, can't wait to read it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The opening chapters of Katherine Rundell's new book, Impossible Creatures, does what every Rundell book does in its opening chapters - immerse you in a wonderfully vivid and exciting story, with likeable characters and a desperate need to just keep on reading. I'm so disappointed that only a sampler was given as I know I would have otherwise devoured the book.

The story starts with Christopher, who after almost being trampled in a stampede of mythical creatures, discovers that his family are the gatekeepers to a hidden world where magic and creatures believed to be mythical actually live. Add a sinister threat to the magical world, a cute but scratchy baby griffin and a wild-looking, dark-haired gold with streaks of gold in it, and you have the perfect opening and scene set for what I know will be a thrilling and wonder-filled adventure full of heart. The fact that Impossible Creatures is the first in a new series threatens that the story will end on a cliff-hanger but reminds us that we are about to embark on an adventure more epic and vast than we have been able to get in Rundell's standalone books. I can't wait for it.

I can't wait to read the rest of this! (5 Stars is given to what I've read so far.)

I only read the first chapter as this was a sampler.

I probably wouldn't continue reading this or buy it for someone of the target age group. Nothing in the sample lifted this book above the standard fantasy tropes it draws on. One place made me stop reading and make sure I was understanding the sequence of events. Frank goes to the kitchen (with a typo - “Then he crossed to kitchen” (p9)) and comes back with a glass of red wine and a roll of bandage. After Christopher comes back from a quick shower, the grandfather is finishing the bandaging, but there’s also a mug of hot chocolate waiting. Clearly, Frank took the time to pour himself wine, and make hot chocolate, before bandaging the griffin’s wound.

I also wasn't thrilled with the narrative intrusions, especially at the end of the chapter - the list of sentences that have the "power to change everything" (p29) include "I'm pregnant" and "I regret to tell you that this country is at war". These are jokes for adults, not for children, and they hurled me out of the story.

So excited for a new children’s adventure from Katherine Rundell as she never disappoints. From this sampler alone I’m hooked and can’t wait to read it in full. Thanks so much for the sampler!

Katherine Rundell is one of the best children’s writers in the game - this sample did not disappoint! Cannot wait to read the whole book!

This was super cute. The Fantasy and worldbuilding gives Percy Jackson vibes. I read the sampler as I was looking for a present for my nephiew and I think I found in.

Katherine Rundell is one of my favourite children’s authors and this book seems like it will certainly live up to her others. After reading this snippet, I cannot wait to read the whole story. While her other books are more grounded in the real world, I am looking forward to seeing the magical lands she has created in Impossible Creatures. This is sure to be a hit!

This Sampler is a beautiful introduction to what feels like an epic journey. The storytelling is magical, colourful and vivid. It's full of energy and excitement - this is a perfect middle grade magical story, but any grown-up magic lovers would love the in-depth world building and lore woven into the pages

I love Katherine Rundell and her books were some of the first ones to get me into reading, so I have been extremely excited for this book ever since I found out it was getting released. This sampler really had me hooked and got me excited for what'd to come as well as seeing where the story will go. I'm now anticipating the release of this title so much more than I was before reading this today.