Impossible Creatures
Author: Katherine Rundell
Published August 26, 2025
Page Count: 1384
“It is so difficult to be alive. It is so difficult, and it is so beautiful…”
When Christopher saves a mysterious drowning creature that turns out to be a baby griffin, he is drawn into a magical world known as the Archipelago, an uncharted cluster of islands hidden from the rest of the world and home to all kinds of magical and fantastical creatures. But something is wrong in the Archipelago. Its magic seems to be fading, and magical creatures are beginning to die.
Christopher soon joins Mal, who is running from a killer, on a journey across the islands in search of answers. Along the way, they encounter sphinxes, face terrifying krakens, negotiate with dragons, and meet a host of other strange creatures and characters. As Christopher and Mal uncover more of the mystery, they realize if the Archipelago and its creatures are going to survive, the two of them may be the only ones who can save it.
Reading Audience:
I would say 9/10 years old. Later elementary school or middle school. The writing and vocabulary feel like it is made for kids.
Stuff to be aware of:
Alcohol/Drugs - A man is mentioned as smelling like alcohol.
A character drinks whiskey and is called a “drunk.”
A character talks about whiskey and appears to have a hangover.
Gore/Violence - Some characters die, but none of these scenes are overly graphic.
Some magical creatures die.
Murder is discussed by characters.
It is mentioned that creatures are found dead, and one creature is mentioned to have been stillborn.
A person carves an “x” on his palm with a knife.
A potion the characters make is made of blood.
A creature threatens to “bite out the boy’s eyes.”
Language -
Arse - 2 Damned - 1 Bloody Hell - 1
LGBTQ+ - I am not sure of the author’s intention; these ideas may not have been meant to feel “gender fluid,” but some felt like they were.
(Potential spoiler) A being known as the “Immortal” plays a major role in the story. Whenever the Immortal dies, it is eventually reborn in a new form. In the past, it was reborn as various animals and magical creatures, but over time it began to be reborn as humans. Its human forms have included both males and females. Because the Immortal has lived as both sexes throughout its many lives, the story often refers to it using “they/them” pronouns.
A baby is born and referred to as “it” instead of he or she.
There is a nameless dragon in the story that is initially referred to as “it.” Later, a character gives the dragon a name that sounds masculine. The dragon likes the name, and from that point forward, the characters refer to the dragon as “he.”
The dryads in the story are described as “all looked some form of female.”
Sexual - None
Other - A character gets lost and starts to think negative thoughts about dying.
Overall
I read through this one pretty slowly because I just could not get into it. I believe part of the problem was that I never really connected with any of the characters. By the end, I didn’t feel like I knew any of the characters particularly well, and two of the most interesting characters were abruptly removed from the climax. The two main characters also didn’t seem to grow, mature, or develop much through their journey.
Another problem was that the story became repetitive after a while. The story itself seemed to follow a repetitive “fetch quest” pattern: go here, learn something, go somewhere else, learn something new, and then travel somewhere else to find something needed to complete the quest. By the time I reached the climax, I simply wasn’t that invested anymore. The climax itself also felt rather abrupt, quickly ending and wrapping everything up, like an episode of Scooby-Doo.
You can also feel some underlying messages involving climate change, gender fluidity, and the dangers of wealth and powerful people a little too much. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a story with meaning or a message behind it. However, when I can feel those messages becoming the wheels that move the story along rather than emerging naturally from the story itself, they can get in the way of my enjoyment.
Obviously, plenty of readers have enjoyed this book, and I believe Disney even acquired the rights to adapt it into a movie or series. However, I did not enjoy Impossible Creatures, and unless parents ask me to write about the next two books in the series I probably won’t be reading them.
This website receives compensation through the use of Amazon Affiliate links. If you would like to purchase this book, use this Amazon link by clicking the picture to the left, and the commission will go to help keep the website running.
.