Impossible Creatures

[cornerofmadness]

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A solid 3.5 read but rounded up thanks to the absolutely gorgeous illustrations throughout. I thought this story had potential and it has a definite fairytale feel to it, however the end especially had some odd choices I didn't care for.

C.W. straight up couple of on-page murders and one of the pets doesn't make it (not a dog but still)

Christopher has been sent to his grandfather's in Scotland for the summer by his overprotective father (his mother has passed) and when he saves a baby griffin, he learned that his family are the gatekeepers for The Archipelago, the islands where all the magic in the world has retreated to.

Mal is a young orphan girl who has a flying coat and she lives with an elderly relative until The Murderer shows up.

When Christopher crosses over into Mal's world as she's on the run from the Murderer, she becomes his guide to this magical place. It's choked full of creatures from various mythologies and it's dying as a world. The Immortal - the caretaker of magic - hasn't been reborn in a century and the magic is fading or being taken. THe more vicious of folklore being are getting a foot hold.

As Christopher tries to help Mal keep one step ahead of being killed they are aided by a scientist who no one listens to (sort of a stab at the climate change deniers) and she's starting to fall for the sea captain berserker who becomes the kids' main way of transport.

Once the Murderer's motives are revealed which up ends Mal's world, she has her own spiral of denial that Christopher helps her through. They have become good friends and honestly it's an interesting take on the chosen one trope up to the last quarter.

Mal loses her agency to Christopher until the very last minute and I was rather annoyed by that. Over all however, Christopher and Mal are interesting characters and the art really is lovely.



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