Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches

The family of 11-year-old Archibald and 14-year-old Hailee Finch inherit their grandmother's creepy old mansion including an ancient manservant. Archibald spends his days exploring and finds an old globe hidden in the library covered with pictures of strange monsters and countries he doesn't recognize. At first, it doesn't seem to do much but, when he touches a certain area, it glows. When he discovers a key that seems to activate it, he is sucked into the globe along with everything around him. leaving behind a shocked Hailee who witnessed his disappearance. Now, Archibald finds himself in a strange world full of monsters called marodors and a gang of girls who hunt them.

While Archibald is learning to survive in this new world, Hailee show more is trying to find a way to bring him back. Unfortunately, there are others searching for the globe and soon, she is having to run to protect her family with Oliver, a young antiques dealer, her only ally.

Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches is the first in a middle grade series by Michel Guyon. The narrative is split between Archibald's tale in this new world and Hailee's as she rushes to solve the mystery of the globe and save her brother. This is an entertaining book with plenty of interesting characters, magic, and adventure to keep a child's attention throughout. But I think my favourite part of the book was the beautiful black and white illustrations by Zina Kostich that helped introduce each chapter. I may be way outside the intended age but I quite enjoyed this book so a great tale for the young and young at heart. One thing though - this does end on quite the cliffhanger.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Andrew McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

In a Nutshell: A decent middle-grade fantasy but I am disgruntled! I wasn’t expecting a cliff-hanger ending.

Story:

Archibald Finch is a smart (like, really smart!) boy who hates vegetables and hates his name even more. After his grandmother’s recent death, his entire family—comprising his parents and elder sister Hailey—has shifted into her old mansion. While exploring this spooky manor house, he stumbles upon an old terrestrial globe, with some fantastical creatures drawn on it. He accidentally unlocks this globe and finds himself in the strange medieval land of Lemurea. How will he ever get back home?

Hailee, Archibald’s older sister, is traumatized by the sudden disappearance of her brother right before her eyes. She tries to

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investigate the mysteries of the globe, but encounters some sinister characters on her journey. Will she succeed in bringing her brother back safely?

On the positive side:
✔ Children are bound to enjoy the various creatures and adventures mentioned in the book.

✔ Archibald is a strange lead character because he is pompous and over-smart and considers sweets “real food”. Children will certainly enjoy his antics and laugh at his overconfidence. He is irritating at the start but he grows on you as you keep reading. Hailee is a typical teen at the beginning of the story, more engrossed in her phone than in her family. But she soon proves to be the most sensible. I liked both the lead characters. There are some other interesting characters in Lemurea.

✔ The vocabulary level of the book is pretty good. Of course, there are quite a few make-believe words also, à la “The BFG”. But this is no Roald Dahl.

✔ There are many funny scenes and witty remarks in the book, sure to make kids burst out laughing.

✔ The print version has some really fabulous illustrations.

On the “could be better” side:
❌❌❌ I hate it when a book leaves the central conflict point incomplete because it's to be continued in the next volume. I hate it even more if this is not indicated beforehand. I'm the kind of reader who picks up a series only after the last book is published. So to read a book assuming it's a standalone only to find out at the end that not only is it the first in series but it also leaves many things unresolved for the next book is a huge, huge disappointment. This is a major reason for the dip in my rating.

❌ I was absolutely hooked on to the story at the start but at about the halfway mark, things started getting monotonous. The adventures felt like a rehash of the same things over and over. Only the ending sprung a minor surprise. (Minor because I had guessed this supposed big reveal ages back.)

❌ There seem to be some elements taken from other children’s books. Like the nonsense words from Roald Dahl. Then there are some magical spells akin to Harry Potter. But these don’t stand out on their own.

❌ I can’t pinpoint how exactly, but the book felt like it was overstretching its reach. Too many ideas included and not enough settled. (This could be because the author plans to settle them in the next instalment.)

I had access to the audiobook also, as narrated by Steve Hendrickson. He was marvellous in bringing the story to life. I enjoyed his narration. (In fact, I think I completed the book only because of his narration.)

Overall, this is a decent middle-grade fantasy. Not exceptional, not bad. If your kids and you don’t mind staying in the dark about a few plot points until the next book is out you could surely try this book.

2.5 stars from me, rounding up to 3.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Audio, Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of the ebook and the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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Archibald and his family (mom, dad, and sister Hailee) move into a big, spooky mansion just before Christmas that they inherited from Archibald's grandmother. Archibald is searching the house one day, looking for his Christmas gifts (which, of course, his mother forbade him to do), when he came across an old globe. It wasn't an ordinary globe, though, as there were countries on there that Archibald didn't recognize. It does have a keyhole, so Archibald goes on a search for the key, which he eventually finds. To his surprise, the globe starts spinning and emits a bright light, and sucks Archibald and his surrounding furniture into another world. Archibald has to learn the ways of this new world, and he has to search for a way home. show more Meanwhile, in present day England, Hailee is also working on finding a way to bring Archibald home.

I really enjoyed this story, as did my 15 year old son when he listened to it. I think the narrator did a good job with the pacing and the dialogue, which makes all the difference when listening to an audiobook. The characters were well defined and explained, and I liked the changes I saw in both Archibald and Hailee as the story progressed.

The pacing of the story itself was also done well, and the world building was extensive. Something else I appreciated was that the author didn't talk down to the reader like in some MG books I've read. That makes it much easier to enjoy.

All in all, I give this book 5/5 stars.
I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. show less

Archibald and his family (mom, dad, and sister Hailee) move into a big, spooky mansion just before Christmas that they inherited from Archibald's grandmother. Archibald is searching the house one day, looking for his Christmas gifts (which, of course, his mother forbade him to do), when he came across an old globe. It wasn't an ordinary globe, though, as there were countries on there that Archibald didn't recognize. It does have a keyhole, so Archibald goes on a search for the key, which he eventually finds. To his surprise, the globe starts spinning and emits a bright light, and sucks Archibald and his surrounding furniture into another world. Archibald has to learn the ways of this new world, and he has to search for a way home. show more Meanwhile, in present day England, Hailee is also working on finding a way to bring Archibald home.

I really enjoyed this story, as did my 15 year old son when he listened to it. I think the narrator did a good job with the pacing and the dialogue, which makes all the difference when listening to an audiobook. The characters were well defined and explained, and I liked the changes I saw in both Archibald and Hailee as the story progressed.

The pacing of the story itself was also done well, and the world building was extensive. Something else I appreciated was that the author didn't talk down to the reader like in some MG books I've read. That makes it much easier to enjoy.

All in all, I give this book 5/5 stars.
I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. show less