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34 reviews for:
Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches (Archibald Finch #1)
Michel Guyon, Zina Kostich
3.87 AVERAGE
34 reviews for:
Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches (Archibald Finch #1)
Michel Guyon, Zina Kostich
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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
This is the story of a family secret that was never supposed to be revealed. When eleven year old Archibald, his fourteen year old sister Hailee, and his parents move into his grandma’s old manor, he stumbles upon an ancient globe that sends him to the world of Lemurea. This is the land of witches and dragons, magic and monsters. In his real life, Archibald is often bullied but in Lemurea he needs to use his smart thinking and survival instincts to help a band of young witches win this age-old battle. Meanwhile, having seen his disappearance, his sister Hailee is facing her own battles to discover what happened to Archibald and how to get him back home. The chapters toggle back and forth between the worlds and it keeps you moving through the mystery to solve it.
This was a fantastic middle grade read. I enjoyed it immensely. The characters of Archibald and Hailee are interesting as are the people they meet that help them on their quest. This book is a great adventure in a fantasy land. I’d definitely recommend this book and look forward to more in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews Mcmeel for the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.instagram.com/dani.reads.too.much/
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This was a fantastic middle grade read. I enjoyed it immensely. The characters of Archibald and Hailee are interesting as are the people they meet that help them on their quest. This book is a great adventure in a fantasy land. I’d definitely recommend this book and look forward to more in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews Mcmeel for the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.instagram.com/dani.reads.too.much/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4725184-daniela-arena
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
really liked the two point of view and the links to history
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches is a wonderfully witty, engaging, and beautifully written crossworlds fantasy novel for middle grade readers by Michel Guyon. Due out 28th Sept 2021 from Andrews McMeel, it's 352 pages and will be available in ebook and audio formats (other editions available in other print formats).
This is such an impressively fun and creative book. Given the precociousness of Archibald, the protagonist ("I know everything, I just do"), it would've been so easy to make him obnoxious and truly unpleasant. He comes across as a bit exasperating sometimes (especially to his older sister Hailee), but otherwise he's really sweetly vulnerable, mostly honest, full of curiosity, and naturally inclined to kindness.
His accidental trip into a parallel world where monsters are real, language is not always clear, almost everyone is female (boys are called "accidents"), and there are very very few adults, leaves him grasping to put everything in context and make sense of what's happening around him. The author does a superlative job of character development - they really live and breathe and the world building is unparalleled. I was impressed by how much real history and knowledge was included - much of the plot turns on Leonardo da Vinci's life, sketchbooks, and wonderful inventions.
The narration in the audiobook by Steve Hendrickson is virtuosic. He manages numerous accents with inspiration from the UK, Eastern Europe, Italy, and several other places with characters of both sexes, and all ages. I spent most of my time listening with my mouth hanging open in awe of his voice work. Mr. Hendrickson has shot to the top of my shortlist of favourite narrators. The audiobook has a run time of just over 9 hours and the audio quality and production were quite good throughout.
I've seen other reviewers comparing this one to books by Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling, and while I can understand the comparison, in a lot of ways, this book is better. To my mind, a more apt comparison would be Roald Dahl and Madeleine L'Engle. The only thing I really disliked about the book, and it's something which I loathe universally is the *absolute* cliff hanger of an ending. NONE of the plot threads are resolved and it was distressing. On the other hand, the book is quite long and would've been a monster if it'd been in one volume. I'm looking forward to finding out what's next for Archibald, Hailee, and their compatriots.
Five stars despite the cliffhanger ending. Five stars for the audiobook version.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches is a wonderfully witty, engaging, and beautifully written crossworlds fantasy novel for middle grade readers by Michel Guyon. Due out 28th Sept 2021 from Andrews McMeel, it's 352 pages and will be available in ebook and audio formats (other editions available in other print formats).
This is such an impressively fun and creative book. Given the precociousness of Archibald, the protagonist ("I know everything, I just do"), it would've been so easy to make him obnoxious and truly unpleasant. He comes across as a bit exasperating sometimes (especially to his older sister Hailee), but otherwise he's really sweetly vulnerable, mostly honest, full of curiosity, and naturally inclined to kindness.
His accidental trip into a parallel world where monsters are real, language is not always clear, almost everyone is female (boys are called "accidents"), and there are very very few adults, leaves him grasping to put everything in context and make sense of what's happening around him. The author does a superlative job of character development - they really live and breathe and the world building is unparalleled. I was impressed by how much real history and knowledge was included - much of the plot turns on Leonardo da Vinci's life, sketchbooks, and wonderful inventions.
The narration in the audiobook by Steve Hendrickson is virtuosic. He manages numerous accents with inspiration from the UK, Eastern Europe, Italy, and several other places with characters of both sexes, and all ages. I spent most of my time listening with my mouth hanging open in awe of his voice work. Mr. Hendrickson has shot to the top of my shortlist of favourite narrators. The audiobook has a run time of just over 9 hours and the audio quality and production were quite good throughout.
I've seen other reviewers comparing this one to books by Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling, and while I can understand the comparison, in a lot of ways, this book is better. To my mind, a more apt comparison would be Roald Dahl and Madeleine L'Engle. The only thing I really disliked about the book, and it's something which I loathe universally is the *absolute* cliff hanger of an ending. NONE of the plot threads are resolved and it was distressing. On the other hand, the book is quite long and would've been a monster if it'd been in one volume. I'm looking forward to finding out what's next for Archibald, Hailee, and their compatriots.
Five stars despite the cliffhanger ending. Five stars for the audiobook version.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
I feel sad because I thought this was going to be more spooky and the first page delivered that…only the first page. I think this was all on me though, so I have not let that sway me too much. I wish this cliff hanger was handled different but I guess it’ll make me read the next one…probably
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I know this is a MG story but I couldn't put it down and I'm a lot older than the targeted age.
Great world building and storytelling, excellent character development.
I loved the pictures and loved the story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Great world building and storytelling, excellent character development.
I loved the pictures and loved the story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Thank you to Netgalley for an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This was such an interesting book! It starts out with Archibald finding an old globe and somehow transporting himself into the land on the globe. The book is then split into 2 parts, Archibald making his way in this new land of Lemurea and trying to find his way home and his sister Hailee knowing he isn't just a missing child like everyone else thinks and knowing the globe had something to do with his disappearance. Strange enough, I enjoyed Hailee's part more than Archibald's part. I thought Archibald's part would be more interesting as he is in a new land, but Hailee's part really interested me more. I loved the fact that there were people trying to steal the globe and loved watching Hailee and Oliver (antique shop owner's son) find out more and more about this globe.
The only thing that got me what where the book stopped. It ended in such a weird place and didn't really feel like an ending. It felt more like the ending to a chapter than an ending to a book. But at the same time it really makes me want to read the second book!
This was such an interesting book! It starts out with Archibald finding an old globe and somehow transporting himself into the land on the globe. The book is then split into 2 parts, Archibald making his way in this new land of Lemurea and trying to find his way home and his sister Hailee knowing he isn't just a missing child like everyone else thinks and knowing the globe had something to do with his disappearance. Strange enough, I enjoyed Hailee's part more than Archibald's part. I thought Archibald's part would be more interesting as he is in a new land, but Hailee's part really interested me more. I loved the fact that there were people trying to steal the globe and loved watching Hailee and Oliver (antique shop owner's son) find out more and more about this globe.
The only thing that got me what where the book stopped. It ended in such a weird place and didn't really feel like an ending. It felt more like the ending to a chapter than an ending to a book. But at the same time it really makes me want to read the second book!