He’s a bit of a troublemaker, thought not in an overt way. His dry humour made me laugh more than once.

But Herbie’s first person narration was a highlight for me. I often find middle grade protagonists blur together in my mind – how they speak, how they think, how they act. Herbert “Herbie” Lemon stands out as the narrator of this lightly fantastical tale. Similarities and differences aside, the point I want to make is that Malamander hits the same notes (albeit lighter ones) for me that ASOUE did, which no other books have. And of course, there’s the pure fantasy element of the Malamander itself. Malamander’s adults are also on the whole more pleasant and helpful, though their personalities would be right at home in ASOUE. Herbie’s narration is quite different from Snicket’s in ASOUE. But Taylor takes these elements and makes them his own in Malamander. Some of the similarities are surface level: orphan protagonists, mysteries about what happened to their parents, a child in a role they wouldn’t typically be in, a seaside town setting with that odd atmosphere I’m never sure how to describe. None of them impressed me, until Malamander. I have read a few of those books over the years. Over the years since A Series of Unfortunate Events ( ASOUE) was published (the final book was released 14 years ago!), many books have been described as readalikes for the series because of their off kilter settings, cleverly resourceful protagonists, and/or useless grown ups. It’s a title that would have completely slipped by me otherwise, and I would be worse off for it. Reviews from middle grade bloggers Charlotte and Alex put Malamander on my radar. And it just got stranger… Goodreads Review Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander.

Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Malamander series