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amberwench's review against another edition
4.0
A lonely monster and a mystery (or two or three) to solve! All the best technology-free adventure, set in an odd little sea side town. Reminds me of the hardy boys and Nancy Drew but younger and with magic.
mseager's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.75
bookwyrm76's review against another edition
4.0
A fun middle grade mystery or maybe light horror or monster story. Herbie Lemon is the lost and founder in Eerie on the Sea when one chilly winter night a girl wiggles through his window looking for his help.
Violet brings some much needed adventure into his life along with encounters with the fabled Malamander, daring escapes, harpoon guns, and most importantly friendship.
Violet brings some much needed adventure into his life along with encounters with the fabled Malamander, daring escapes, harpoon guns, and most importantly friendship.
halcyon_rising's review against another edition
4.0
Malamander is een leuk verhaal over het meisje Violet, dat op een dag komt binnenvallen door het raam van Herbie, een gevonden-voorwerper die werkt voor een hotel in het dorpje Owee aan Zee. Zij wil graag hulp hebben van Herbie omdat ze vroeger haar ouders verloren heeft, en ze nu wil terugvinden.
Het boek is aan een redelijk snel tempo geschreven, waardoor je misschien wat minder tijd doorbrengt met leuke karakters, maar ik hoop omdat de serie bestaat uit vijf delen, er nog wat overgehouden wordt voor andere boeken in de reeks!
Ik zou het boek zeker aanraden voor mensen die houden van kinderboeken te lezen. Hou er wel rekening mee dat het echt voor jonge mensen geschreven is, en het nog jonger is dan bijvoorbeeld een boek van Sophie Anderson.
Veel leesgenot!
Het boek is aan een redelijk snel tempo geschreven, waardoor je misschien wat minder tijd doorbrengt met leuke karakters, maar ik hoop omdat de serie bestaat uit vijf delen, er nog wat overgehouden wordt voor andere boeken in de reeks!
Ik zou het boek zeker aanraden voor mensen die houden van kinderboeken te lezen. Hou er wel rekening mee dat het echt voor jonge mensen geschreven is, en het nog jonger is dan bijvoorbeeld een boek van Sophie Anderson.
Veel leesgenot!
mrs_gale's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A great mystery adventure set in a fantasy world for kids!
Really enjoyed it, the characters were all unique and I liked the seaside town, would make for the perfect beach holiday book for children and a parent wouldn't mind reading this to their children either!
Really enjoyed it, the characters were all unique and I liked the seaside town, would make for the perfect beach holiday book for children and a parent wouldn't mind reading this to their children either!
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, and Violence
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
A lost girl, a boy working at lost and found in a hotel, a mysterious being stalking the beach, missing parents, and tons of adventure and mystery.
OMG, I was just so happy that one of my libraries had this one in their collection and in ENGLISH! *does a happy dance* I had heard so so much about this book and I was eager to read it.
I have been trying to write a review for a couple of days but I still can't find the right words for the awesomeness that this book is. So I will do a good/not so good review.
Good:
-The mystery was just such a delight, I had tons of fun finding the clues and trying to figure out what was going on. We have the mystery of the parents, what happened to them? Are they dead or just gone? Does anyone know them/know more about them? What happened to their luggage? What kind of jobs did the parents have and what does that have to do with this mysterious town? And of course there is the mystery of the Malamander. What is it this creature and is it good or dangerous? What is up with the egg it lays? Does it really fulfil wishes? And I could go on, it was just fabulous.
-The characters, both Herbert and Violet were delightful characters though I have to say I was more a fan of Herbert as he was sensible and I love how brave he was. He mostly lived a life in the basement with lost stuff and yet when adventure knocked he wasn't afraid to get to it. OK, sure, at times he wasn't too happy with what was going on, but I can imagine that. There are some scary bits. I hope in the next book we find out more about him and who/where his parents are.Violet was fun, though I wish she was more honest about things. And maybe she should respect Herbert a bit more at times. :)
-The Malamander. Such a wonderful creature and I loved that he had such big secrets.
-The town, Eerie-on-Sea, which I already love just for the name. But I loved it even more for the mysteries and secrets that pop up constantly. The mist that just seems to appear without any warning. I would love to live there. Especially during the winter.
-The cover. I just adore a wonderful cover and this one is especially fabulously drawn. And I love it more now that I know which scene this cover is based on! And no, I won't tell you which one.
-Talking cats, do I need to say more?
-The ending, or well the last part of the book. The adventure and excitement levels went even further up.
-Violet's wish. It gave us some more answers, but I also have to confess I had to wipe some tears due to the nature of the wish.
-Delighted that we get backstory on the hookman, who he is/was and why he is doing what he is doing. Poor guy.
-The owner of the hotel and her backstory. Plus, I just love the machine she had that allowed her to view the town. Can I have one?
-The bad guy was written really well. I just wanted to throw him for the Malamander so many times. :P
Not so good:
-Well, the only thing I am disappointed in was the fact that this book didn't solve the parents missing stuff. I was kind of hoping it would, and I hadn't seen that this one was the first in a series. I thought it was a stand alone. I am still delighted there is more to come, but now I was just constantly looking forward to that getting solved and in the end nothing happened. Just a few clues here and there.
This was a wonderful, adventurous, mysterious, and fabulous book, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
OMG, I was just so happy that one of my libraries had this one in their collection and in ENGLISH! *does a happy dance* I had heard so so much about this book and I was eager to read it.
I have been trying to write a review for a couple of days but I still can't find the right words for the awesomeness that this book is. So I will do a good/not so good review.
Good:
-The mystery was just such a delight, I had tons of fun finding the clues and trying to figure out what was going on. We have the mystery of the parents, what happened to them? Are they dead or just gone? Does anyone know them/know more about them? What happened to their luggage? What kind of jobs did the parents have and what does that have to do with this mysterious town? And of course there is the mystery of the Malamander. What is it this creature and is it good or dangerous? What is up with the egg it lays? Does it really fulfil wishes? And I could go on, it was just fabulous.
-The characters, both Herbert and Violet were delightful characters though I have to say I was more a fan of Herbert as he was sensible and I love how brave he was. He mostly lived a life in the basement with lost stuff and yet when adventure knocked he wasn't afraid to get to it. OK, sure, at times he wasn't too happy with what was going on, but I can imagine that. There are some scary bits. I hope in the next book we find out more about him and who/where his parents are.Violet was fun, though I wish she was more honest about things. And maybe she should respect Herbert a bit more at times. :)
-The Malamander. Such a wonderful creature and I loved that he had such big secrets.
-The town, Eerie-on-Sea, which I already love just for the name. But I loved it even more for the mysteries and secrets that pop up constantly. The mist that just seems to appear without any warning. I would love to live there. Especially during the winter.
-The cover. I just adore a wonderful cover and this one is especially fabulously drawn. And I love it more now that I know which scene this cover is based on! And no, I won't tell you which one.
-Talking cats, do I need to say more?
-The ending, or well the last part of the book. The adventure and excitement levels went even further up.
-Violet's wish. It gave us some more answers, but I also have to confess I had to wipe some tears due to the nature of the wish.
-Delighted that we get backstory on the hookman, who he is/was and why he is doing what he is doing. Poor guy.
-The owner of the hotel and her backstory. Plus, I just love the machine she had that allowed her to view the town. Can I have one?
-The bad guy was written really well. I just wanted to throw him for the Malamander so many times. :P
Not so good:
-Well, the only thing I am disappointed in was the fact that this book didn't solve the parents missing stuff. I was kind of hoping it would, and I hadn't seen that this one was the first in a series. I thought it was a stand alone. I am still delighted there is more to come, but now I was just constantly looking forward to that getting solved and in the end nothing happened. Just a few clues here and there.
This was a wonderful, adventurous, mysterious, and fabulous book, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
jillelice's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rjdenney's review against another edition
4.0
***Re-Read December 2020!
________________________
"A Series of Unfortunate Events meets Winterhouse in this fun, whimsical, and heartfelt read! Malamander has easily become one of my favorites of 2019." -
________________________
"A Series of Unfortunate Events meets Winterhouse in this fun, whimsical, and heartfelt read! Malamander has easily become one of my favorites of 2019." -
jackgray's review against another edition
4.0
“Curiosity may have killed the cat, but that doesn’t mean that cats shouldn’t be curious”.