Being back in Eerie on Sea with its assortment of unique residents with their histories, strange happenings and most of all their community was a perfect ending to these books. Throughout the previous books, starting with the brilliant Malamander there has been the thread running through of Herbert not knowing where he has come from and I was so pleased to find the answer to this at the end of Mermedusa. Not only that, but Thomas Taylor answers all those questions and unfinished threads of stories and mysteries really well and cleverly sorts out the terrible Sebastian Eels who has repeatedly been the best baddie to hate in a story! One thing I really liked in Mermedusa is that we find out more about Mr Mollusc and sort of the reason why he gives Herbert a hard time at the Grand Nautilus Hotel.
Like Mrs Fossil at the end, I had a bit to blink something from my eye.
Superb story!

I was excited for this fifth and final instalment of the Eerie-On-Sea mysteries. Having loved the first four, I was not disappointed. Herbie and Vi’s final adventure yet again pits them against their arch enemy and general uptonogooder Sebastian Eels. This book brought everything together in a nail biting, monster laden finale worthy of the series, which I think is a classic. Would recommend all 5 books to anyone.

I am very sad that Mermedusa is the last of the Eerie-on-Sea adventures as this is a series I have thoroughly enjoyed including reading Malamander to my class this year. But Thomas Taylor certainly doesn’t disappoint with Mermedusa. There’s a real sense of finality through the story as all the old threads are teased out and brought back to the forefront and we finally get some answers to some of the questions that have been frustrating me since the very first story! This is absolutely a satisfying and thrilling conclusion to a fantastic series.

Herbie Lemon continues to be the heart of the story with his gentle and cautious manner - though he has gotten a lot braver since the first mystery! He always shows his courage when it is most important. However, integral to this story are some of the side characters and I was particularly pleased that Mr Mollusc got some real depth in this tale as we found out more of his past and perhaps some of the reasons why he is as he is.

Mermedusa is a triumphant conclusion to an absolutely fantastic series. 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for the E~Arc in exchange for an honest review.

And just like that it was over, and what an ending it was, following Herbie & Violet on their final adventure was emotional on ALL accounts, this was a perfect ending for the series, where everything gets wrapped up nicely in a way that felt earned for.

A truly stellar 5-star finish to the greatest middle grade series of all time. With every new book the mystery of Eerie-on-Sea just got more intriguing and twisted and I could not have guessed the spectacular ending to Mermedusa, finally answering the readers' many questions. It is a sad day that the series is ending, but cannot wait to see what Thomas does next. My instant recommend series for kids.

It’s bittersweet to be back in Eerie-on-Sea for the final instalment of the one-of-a-kind Malamander series. Full of familiar faces and beloved places, Mermedusa brings everything together in one final epic adventure. And what an adventure it is!

Has it really only been a year since we first met Herbie and Violet in the Lost and Foundary at the Grand Nautilus Hotel? We had no idea how important the concept of being lost and then found again would become as our two heroes searched to discover clues to their own pasts while solving the mysteries of this charming town. Violet came to find her parents but found Herbie (and her true self) in the process. Together, they have become stronger, more confident and a key part of this unusual community.

In book five, a group of monster hunters from America have come to discover the legend of the Malamander and share it with the world. Despite the sea warning them to stay away, they find themselves face to face with this strange creature. An “Eerie hum” seems to be calling the Malamander from the deep and is causing things to go wrong in town. As always, the real monster of Eerie-on-Sea, Sebastian Eels, makes an appearance and shows his true colours even more clearly.

Herbie and Violet get closer and closer to understanding the Deepest Secret of Eerie-on-Sea involving the Malamander, his mate and the very special egg. Could this be the answer to all the questions their hearts desire and the reason why this misty seaside town is so very special. It’s all about being a Lost and Founder – which means it’s going to be up to Herbie to discover the truth.

Unforgettable characters including Erwin the talking cat, Clermit the clockwork crab, Jenny Hanniver with the Mermonkey, Wendy Fossil searching for treasures on the beach, Lady Kraken the eccentric hotel owner, and even Mr Mollusc the grumpy hotel manager each have their time to shine as they play a key role in the future of the town and care for Herbie and Violet.

Mermedusa is the most enchanting conclusion to what has been a wonderful journey overflowing with adventure, hope, peril and magic. Eerie-on-Sea will always have a special place in my heart and I’m sure the books will be reread for years to come. For our family, the first two in the series were lockdown books – carrying us away from a difficult reality into a world where a Mermonkey prescribes the books you need, not the books you want. What perfect medicine!

Thank you to Walker Books for an early read of this brilliant book! It will be published on 7th September 2023.

Herbie and Violet are back and we find them in Eerie-on-Sea in the middle of winter, normally a quiet time in the town but the team who put together the Anomalous Phenomena podcast have descended on the place, determined to find the malamander (or prove it doesn't exist). Herbie isn't happy about all of this but he and Violet grow even more concerned when an Eerie hum is heard which effects the whole town. What is causing it? Why is the Mermonkey behaving so strangely? And can Herbie and Violet finally discover the deepest secret in Eerie-on-Sea?

The Eerie-on-Sea series has been simply wonderful so it was with a mix of excitement and sadness that I began reading Mermadusa, the final book. I knew I wanted the answers hidden within the pages but also knew that I wasn't quite ready to say good-bye to Herbert Lemon and Violet Parma. They have made such a great team since their meeting in the fist book and the relationship that has developed has been a joy to read.

I could say so much more about the events that unfold in the book but I'm determined not to give away any spoilers so I'm keeping this review quite short. It's safe to say, however, that it's a glorious read. Yes the balance of humour is there again (which I have always enjoyed) but there is also definite tension and suspense (at times I found myself holding my breath as I read!). There's the return of some past characters and an ending that made me hug the book and quietly shed a tear.

In the words of Herbie Lemon, 'Bladderwracks!' I've now finished this wonderfully brilliant series but it's been my pleasure to have been on this journey with Herbie and Violet. Mermadusa is a superb and fitting ending to a brilliant series of books. Thank-you Thomas from bringing this pair and the town of Eerie-on-Sea to us, I know they are going to bring joy to readers for years to come.

My interest in series usually fizzles out by the time I get to the second book but this series is just exceptional. The writing is exquisite and it keeps me on edge all the time.

This is the final installment in the series and it answers a lot of questions that have been buzzing in my head.

Mermedusa is Book 5 in the Eerie on Sea series of books, which started off with Malamander. Thomas Taylor has written a humdinger of a book to finish off the quintet, and I’m thrilled to have had the chance to read it pre publication via Net Galley.
This story comes at the end of the year of Herbie and Violet’s time together in Eerie on Sea. It is almost a year to the day that Violet appeared in Herbie’s Lost and Foundery and all their adventures started. The townspeople throw a ‘berthday’ party for Violet, and it’s really touching to see how many of them have taken her to their hearts.
In this book we find out many answers to questions we have been asking since the series started, but it would be unfair of me to tell you which questions and what answers are given. Suffice to say, you will be happy. We also meet some monsters along the way too, thrilling encounters that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Thomas Taylor has delivered a fabulously written book, with many twists and turns and exciting surprises. All our old friends are present and correct and we find out some interesting things about a few of the residents of Eerie on Sea.
I very much enjoyed Mermedusa and raced through it to find out how everything is resolved. I now need to go back and slow read it.
Congratulations Thomas, the Eerie on Sea chronicles are a triumph. What will come next? I cannot wait to see!

MERMEDUSA is a triumphal ending to this middle grade spooky mystery series.

It's such an atmospheric series and this book opens right away with the mists and the beach and unsettling things happening. It throws you right in, setting the tone for another action-packed, spooky story.

This is the finale, so it's pulling together all the unsolved mysteries and hints of the previous books, bringing them together into a satisfying tale full of answers! Unlike previous entries, you do need to have read the previous books to really appreciate the scope of what's happening (and have the full satisfaction of finally getting to the bottom of the town's mysteries). However, the book does a great job of putting in enough memory jogging lines that you don't need to do a full re-read before diving in.

I loved that this series circles back around to the Malamander in this final entry. It feels so fitting to end with the first book's monster. There are new monsters this time - of course including the eponymous Mermedusa - but I loved the symmetry of returning to the malamander.

I am really going to miss this series (which I release has now accompanied me through five years of university) but it ended so well. It is sad that there won't be another one to enjoy next autumn, but I hope for another bookk by the author soon!

A fun, final adventure for Violet and Herbie in Eerie-on-sea.
A podcast crew appear in the town amid some strange goings on, sending the duo on another adventure as they try to find out what their arch nemesis, Sebastian Eels, is up to and what the strange hum in town is.
Really enjoyable ending to the series.

At the start of Mermedusa, Herbie reflects on what a not-quite-a-year it has been. His newer, braver self may not be hoping for any more adventures but they are certainly going to get one! Having battled a series of monsters - both human and legendary - through the first four chapters in Eerie-on-sea this is a perfect conclusion. I am going to miss Herbie, Vi, Erwin and all the fabulous supporting cast of friends. As Violet says, I wish everyone could visit Eerie-on-Sea at least once. If you haven’t already, start with Malamander and you’ll want to carry on. I challenge you to find a better series of adventures that is also endearingly funny and totally heartwarming.

We return to Eerie-on-Seas, this time in the hopes to discover the truth behind the Eerie Hum. But this adventure may also lead Vi and Herbie to uncover The Deepest Secret of Eerie-on-Sea, the one that has eluded them for so long.

Continuing on with the delightfully eerie charm of the previous books and compelling storyline with the ongoing mystery of Eerie-on-Sea. Again I was absolutely charmed by this series, this time we learn about the Eerie hum as Vi and Herbie try to find the cause. But this time they must contend with an old foe, less help from loyal friends, and new arrivals to their mysterious town.

This is the conclusion to this wonderful series and we get to learn even more about Eerie-on-Sea, its mysterious history, and the secrets behind it...and quite possibly the Deepest Secret that has been hiding in this eerie little town. It was satisfying watching all the threads Taylor has crafted slowly come together in this resolution.

This was another heart-felt story that really dives into the meaning of family - from the lost, to the found. This was another delightfully charming adventure that I adored and loved seeing this series come together.

I highly recommend this series to fantasy lovers of all ages! Especially those who enjoyed A Series Of Unfortunate Events, and/or Professor Layton's Games!

*I received an eARC via Netgalley from Walker Books*

FINISHED: and just like that, it’s over. Herbie’s final adventure is filled with new mysteries, diamonds, a return from the Malamander, some gorgeous revelations and of course the ever faithful baddie. I properly enjoyed this: folklore, magic, friendship and secrets! What’s not to love?! I’m sad this series is over, but my gosh what a ride it’s been. These characters are just wonderful and it’s been a pleasure revisiting Eerie-on-Sea every year!

Three and a half years ago, I started recording my thoughts on the books that I read here in my little blog, not knowing that by doing so I would enter the wonderful world of authors, illustrators and fellow children’s-book-loving adults on Twitter. At that point, we were heading towards lockdown and my reads were exclusively titles that I had chosen and bought for my own entertainment but having taken my first tentative steps into blogging, I became aware of Net Galley – a source of advance reads that were free to read in exchange for a review and I soon signed up.

At first, I was unsure as to what to read as I’d only ever chosen for myself from the shelves of various bookshops and didn’t really have a clue how it worked, but when I became aware that Gargantis – the sequel to Malamander, which I had adored and was busily pushing onto anyone who would listen – was available to request, I duly did so. Luddite that I am, after a six-hour (yes, really) battle to find and download an app to my iPad in which to read it because I couldn’t send it to my Kindle, I finally picked it up and was again transported to the coastal town of Eerie-on-Sea, home of Herbie Lemon and Violet Parma – a place which I would (not very) patiently wait to visit again for Shadowghast, Festergrimm and – finally – Mermedusa.

To say that these books have changed my life might seem like hyperbole, but it really isn’t. Never have I been so invested in a series and it has not only brought the most enormous pleasure to me, but to the classes with whom I have shared the first two titles, the many parents who have found themselves guiltily reading ahead when sharing the books at bedtime with their children, and former colleagues in school who – no doubt fed up with my continually banging on – have finally given in and have picked up the books too. So, bearing all that in mind, what did I make of this final trip? One that I have been both looking forward to like nothing else and dreading because this is it. The End.

When I finished it last night and Tweeted that Thomas Taylor had saved the best until last, I really meant it. This is a book that was as exciting – if not more than – the others, one that has some really scary bits that young readers will be thrilled by, and one that concludes with the most inventive of endings that answered many of the questions that fans have had since day one.

It is almost exactly a year since fate brought Violet crashing into the life of Lost-and-Founder Herbie, and the pair of them are once again in his cellar when we meet them, where Vi is questioning her friend who appears to have had a funny turn after a lost object has been handed in – the latest in a series of episodes of his sensing vibrations that have left him feeling woozy. As Herbie prepares to write the label for the object, Violet notices the time and tells him they are going to be late – something that they can’t allow as they have a monster to catch.

Herbie dismisses this comment as Vi winding him up, but together they head out to meet a trio of visitors to the Grand Nautilus Hotel who are talking with local fisherman Blaze Westerly. When Blaze finishes telling the visitors about a local legend, he is crushed to discover they already know it and the three of them introduce themselves to Herbie and Vi as the hosts of a paranormal podcast, who are looking for evidence of monsters for their listeners and – in particular – the malamander. Against Blaze’s advice, the podcasters decide to visit the beach and with Herbie and Vi in tow, head down to try to spot the monster’s lair – the wreck of the Leviathan – but before they can, they hear a distant moan, which one of the visitors attributes to the malamander calling for its legendary long-lost mate.

Returning to the Lost-and-Foundery, Herbie and Vi discuss the evening’s events and as Herbie leans against a hot pipe to warm himself up, he again becomes aware of a strange vibration which spreads through the wall and tells Vi to put her hand on it so she too can feel it. Describing the sensation as an eerie hum, the two friends cannot help but notice the effect it has had on cat Erwin, who dives to escape through the window, only to suddenly come to a halt when it is clear that something is outside. As the pair of them try to work out what is causing the vibrations, they find themselves facing their final adventure – one which will take them to parts of Eerie-on-Sea as yet unexplored as they search for the town’s Deepest Secret, and one which will put them in more danger than ever before…

What a year Herbie and Vi have had together – a year which has seen them battling monsters, facing disappointments and challenges, and a year that has proved that – despite the occasional difference of opinion – they are destined to be friends for life. Vi is still the braver and more spontaneous of the two of them, but throughout their time together Herbie has shown that he too has the heart of a lion and never more so than here. Reminding himself throughout the story that he is a newer, braver Herbie, he steps up time and time again to do what needs to be done, and I loved him for it.

Vi has also been altered by the time she has spent with Herbie. While her mission to find out about the disappearance of her parents is still at the forefront of her mind, she revels in all of the adventures that she shares with her friend and for her, they not only provide a distraction from her loss but satisfy a deep need in her to be challenged and to seek thrills for the adrenaline rush that they provide.

Of course, the stories would not be the same without their supporting cast and fans of the series will be delighted to see that Jenny Hanniver, Mrs Fossil, Dr Thalassi and Erwin all have their parts to play in what unfolds, as do Squint and Blaze Westerly, both of whom I adore. There are also some surprise appearances that I won’t share because I have tried my hardest not to include too many spoilers, but you will know to whom I am referring when you encounter them.

Special mention should also be made here of illustrator George Ermos, for his stunning covers for the series. Had his artwork for Malamander not caught my eye in Waterstones, I might never have read it.

This has been the most difficult review I have ever sat down to write. Overwhelmingly pleased with how the series concludes, I am also bereft at the thought at there being no more adventures – something that I have never before experienced at the end of a series but then, no other series has had the effect on me that this one has. I know I will be returning to all the books again when I feel ready and will continue to shout as loudly as I can about them at every possible opportunity.

Perfect for 9+ readers, Mermedusa publishes on September 7th, with all of its preceding titles on sale now. My enormous thanks go to Net Galley and to Walker Books for my advance, virtual read ahead of that date and – of course – to Thomas Taylor for the joy that he has brought to so many readers, myself included. I very much look forward to seeing what he writes next.