Impossible Creatures: The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell

A spectacular return to a magical world. Kirkus Star review

"Her grandfather's death was not enough. Her father's conviction would not be enough. When she turned eighteen, she would take the throne. She was the heir. She was in his way. Unless she was dead, her uncle would not be king. He had chosen to clear the path. He needed all three of them dead: grandfather, father, child."

The blurb below talks about Christopher returning to the archipelago but the actual focus of this second book is on Princess Anya Phoebe Cornelia Argen. Years ago her mother died but she has spent a happy childhood living with her father in a remote part of the kingdom. Unfortunately she and her father are forced to move back into the castle where young Anya is given training on how to behave as a perfect princess. Her father, Argus, is the first-born son and so when the old King Halam dies, which everyone assumes is years away, he will be crowned kind and then in turn, again decades from now, if her father dies, Anya as the next in line will become the Queen.

I imagine you have guessed that no one has to wait for this. Right from the start I did not trust the second son, brother to Argus - Prince Claude or Uncle Claude. On the night of a huge an important banquet, Halam is found dead and Argus is accused of the murder. Anya knows this has all been set up by her uncle but how can she prove it. In the middle of the night guards arrive ostensibly to take Anya to boarding school but in a scene reminiscent of Snow White, Anya is taken into the forest to be killed.

Anya is not alone in all of this. Yes she will meet up with Christopher and together they will discover the truth about the killing of many dragons but also he will help her return to the castle so she can reveal the truth about Uncle Claude and, as the title tells you, also reveal how he made and used such a deadly poison. Time is of course ticking because Claude plans to execute Argus in just a few days. As well as Christopher, Anya has her loyal gaganas. The Royal Gaganas are large bird with silver claws and beaks of solid gold. They are capable of extraordinary and lasting love and it is clear they will protect Anya. She also meets a Chimaera, a Sphinx, and several unicorns along with many other fabulous 'impossible creatures'. Oh and thank goodness for the skill of the firebirds who have been trained to detect the fainest whiff of any poison. Yes, this does lead to the wrongful imprisonment of Argus but later they are also able to definitely show that Claude has used this poison again on (spoiler alert) Anya herself.

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"There was a smell that she had never encountered before, of something metallic and acrid. He (the king) was still clad in the clothes he had died in, and a fleck of dark purple-red liquid lay on his collar, and another on his beard: a fleck of poison. She took scissors from his desk and cut the piece of cloth from his collar, where the poison had fallen ... even the tiniest amount of the poison might help her identify it, and if she could identify it she'd be closer to knowing who had committed the murder."

"The dragon led them down a long passage, which widened to become the mouth of a cave, vast enough, Anya thought in awe, for a thousand humans. The ceiling was open in places to the sky outside; ... There, at the heart of the cave, were five dragons. They lay like black-and-red carvings of unspeakable beauty; like the final great inventions of a perfectionist god. They did not move. ... It was the site of a massacre."

There are a myriad of characters in The Poisoned King all with distinct personalities and voices. One of my favourites is Meridarpax a Batrachomyomachian mouse and the assistant librarian. He is known as Meri and lives to help people with book finding and information requests. 

"It would be a great relief to me if you would allow me to assist you, given I am the assistant librarian. ... I yearn to be out there, valiantly assisting, but there have been so few opportunities ... "

I also enjoyed the slowly emerging love story between Irian Guinne who is part neried and Nighthand a Berserker. (An illustrated glossary of the creatures can be found in the back of the book).

Here is a link to some discussion questions you could use with The Poisoned King. 

I can hardly express how much I loved this second book in the Impossible Creatures series. Yes, I have read a plot like this before where the second son, who aspires to be the next king, kills his father and is set to kill the next two family members who are in line for the throne but in the hands of Katherine Rundell this story takes on a whole new dimension. 

This is book two in the series but it can stand alone. I read the first book in 2023 and only remembered fragments. I didn't need to re-read the first book to thoroughly enjoy this second installment. I highly recommend you add both of these books to your library (Primary or High School). I visited a city bookstore today and they have a scrumptious hardcover of The Poisoned King with edge or for-edge painting. Even if this book feels outside the genre you usually read please add this book to your to-read  list. The Poisoned King is such a rich and rewarding reading experience. 

You can buy this special edition here for a great price [9781526685452]

Bookseller blurb: The dragons call out, and the ratatoskas tell of murder. Come with us now. There is justice to be done. Return to the magic of the Archipelago... The Poisoned King is the dazzling second book in Katherine Rundell's epic and bestselling Impossible Creatures series. When Christopher Forrester is unexpectedly woken by a miniature dragon chewing on his face, his heart leaps for joy. For months he's dreamed of returning to the Archipelago - the secret islands where all the creatures of myth still live. But he did not know it would involve a rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, or a plan to enter a dragon's lair. Nor did he imagine it would involve a girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket and a ravenous hunger for justice...

You can read a generous text sample here. Katherine Rundell talks about her book here. Listen to an audio sample (read by Samuel West his voice is perfect). 

An absolute, exquisitely written, expertly plotted, emotionally affecting and totally immersive triumph! Love Reading4Kids

The plot is captivating ... YA Books Central

There are moments of high drama, laugh-out-loud humour, wonder and amazement. I love that the librarian in charge of a mysterious long-hidden library is a very wise and knowledgeable harpy – she is clearly of my tribe *grin*. Nighthand’s complete resistance, in fact denial, to the very idea of being in love is highly amusing. Jacques may be a dragon but he always reminds me of Reepicheep – the smallest warrior with the biggest heart as well as his ego. Once again, it is an absolutely marvellous piece of high adventure and fantasy, with so many underlying themes to unpack: loyalty and treachery, greed and generosity, revenge, justice, courage and compassion. Kids' Book review

Here is the cover of the first book:

Impossible Creatures

 In my post about this first book I list all the other books by Katherine Rundell that I have read and loved. I also included further reading about Mythical Creatures.

You could follow the Poisoned King with these:

Small wonder

The Letter for the King

Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton

"She was right by the water, exactly where they had seen his own mother in shadow, throwing in the Jewels ... Bo had her back to him, facing the river with her arms stretched out. And just like Billy's mother, she had the Eclipsing Moon in one hand, and the Brightest Sun in the other."

Bo Delafort is a river girl. She lives near the Thames and she and her family hunt through the debris washed up by the river hoping to find treasures. Yes this is mudlarking. And as this story opens Bo has found a real treasure. Something so valuable her family could possibly be rich way beyond their wildest dreams but Bo has no intention of selling this moon jewel. The river has spoken to Bo and given her a vision which seems to be part of a bigger story about this object. On the day she finds one part of the Jewels of the Eclipse she also meets a boy. Bo lives on the south side of the river and Billy lives on the north side. Astute readers might notice some odd things about Billy (I only made these discoveries later) but Bo feels a connection to Billy and so she eventually shares her treasure.

Meanwhile up in the big house where Billy works in the kitchen the owner Dr Frederick Muncaster is in a rage. He is desperate to find the two jewels - moon and sun - because with these he can restore his family fortunes. He scoffs at the story that there is a magical ballad that can release the power of these stones but it is that promise of power that keeps you turning the pages because this power can bring a dead loved one back to life. Billy wants to be reunited with his dead mother. Bo has just watched her loved brother march off to be a solider in World War II and now the family learn he has died but what about the mysterious Miss Alice Cressant. She has arrived as the new teacher at school and she seems to be taking a special interest in young Bo. Muncaster also has a strange lady in his life - her name is Avery Charbonnier. Billy is suspicious of her but not for any of the reasons we discover later. 

Publisher blurb: For the people who live on the banks of the Thames, the river is a living, breathing thing. It can take your treasures. It can hide your treasures. And, sometimes, it can give them back. Bo and Billy are two children who have never met. Billy is an orphan. Bo's dad died when she was small and now her brother is off to war. Both children are poor, but they have each found half of a priceless treasure, given up by the river. A treasure which – when the pieces are reunited – holds the power to give back to one of them the most precious thing they have ever lost. But should the treasure be put back together again? And why has the river given it up now?

I often read two even three books at the same time. I kept Hidden Treasure beside my bed this week and so it has taken me quite a long time to finish this book but I did enjoy taking 'small bites' of the story rather than bingeing the whole thing in one or two sessions. Last night I read the final 50 pages and the action just raced along because we had reached the all-important night of the eclipse which Jessie Burton beautifully links with the night World War I ends. As an adult reader I knew it would be impossible to bring back someone who has died but I did not predict the way Jessie Burton resolved her gripping story. 

We keep reading about the ballad the Bo needs so I was pleased to see the whole piece quoted at the back of the book. Here is an important fragment:

O Billy River, you'll never be alone!

O Billy River, I'm letting you fly home!

O Billy River, you just wait and see,

I am the River Girl and I've come to set you free!

Here are a couple of examples of the way Jessie Burton describes a character or a scene:

"The man before her was in his late thirties, as tall and broad as a prizefighter and dressed in a brown that suit that her mother would have marvelled at for the fineness of its cut. But despite its quality, Bo noticed it was worn out at the edges. The sky-blue silk tie at his neck was faded, and so was the whiteness of his shirt. ... And beneath the brim of his bowler hat, piercing her with a stare, was a pair of sinister emerald eyes."

"With a huge key he retrieved from his pocket, Kimble unlocked and pushed open a heavy door. It opened on to a small room, with a large table in the middle, upon which were two pairs of soft white cotton gloves. The room was lit b three weak electric lights screwed to the walls. It was bare, apart from the table and a bookshelf on the far wall, about eight shelves high from floor to ceiling, crammed with leather bound volumes of various thicknesses."

The reviewer at Kids' Book Review loved Hidden Treasure but I found it odd that they suggested 12+. I think mature readers with good reading stamina aged 11+ are sure to enjoy Hidden Treasure. 

A piece of ambitious storytelling, it successfully conveys the awful grief of loss, the feeling of the temptation to bring a dead loved one back, even as a ghost, is genuine. All that is wrapped up in a fast-moving adventure with child friendly central characters and baddies who really are very bad and come to a suitably unhappy ending. There’s a dramatic climax but there are twists and surprises throughout, treasures to keep readers turning the pages. Books for Keeps

There is a fierceness to Bo that makes her compelling, an irreverent heedlessness and insatiable curiosity that leads her to plough on regardless of obstacles, a trait that does her both great credit and great harm. In Billy, we find a quieter, sadder, more reserved character, one who is more worldly wise, and the pair of them make an excellent contrast. Wet Broken Things

Better Reading list three reasons to read Hidden Treasure:

• Bo and Billy feel like real kids and their journeys will make your heart ache, then soar with joy. Billy is an orphan and Bo’s family has already faced so many losses. But these two heroes are brave, kind and determined to do what’s right, no matter what. You’ll root for them from the very first page as their friendship and growth is as powerful as the treasure they’re chasing!
• If you love books with rich, detailed worlds and stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, Hidden Treasure is perfect for you. Think exciting quests, magical realism and characters you won’t forget, just like the adventures in books by authors like Philip Pullman and Katherine Rundell. You’re about to get swept up in a new classic!
• Every page is full of surprises. When Bo and Billy find the treasure pieces, things get complicated. Should they put it back together or is it too dangerous? Could it lead to something more powerful? Every twist makes the story more thrilling, and by the end, you’ll be left thinking about it long after the last page.

Jessie Burton is an author whose books include adult bestsellers The Miniaturist, The Muse, The Confession and The House of Fortune, and a previous novel for young readers, The Restless Girls, which is being adapted for a musical.

Reviewer mention Ruby in the Smoke (Philip Pullman) as a book to read after Hidden Treasure. It is many decades since I read Ruby in the Smoke, but I do remember the opening scenes were fantastic. Here is an Australian companion book:

Here is a review

Kids' Book review have more plot details

The Book Muse

The Willoughby's Return by Lois Lowry

"Many years before - thirty years to be exact - Mr and Mrs Willoughby had embarked on an extended vacation (they used the Reprehensible Travel agency), leaving their four children hehind. They didn't like the children very much (and to be honest, the children didn't like them, either), and so it was not a tragedy for them to be separated. But it would have been illegal for them to leave the children all alone (the eldest Tim, was just twelve). To keep things on the up and up, Mr Willoughby had advertised for a nanny."

It is now thirty years later. So much has happened. Tim is the boss of a successful candy company, he has a son called Ritchie. BUT the US congress have just banned candy following lobbying by the American Dental Association. The other three children are now adults, living in other parts of the US and all three have happy, but very different lives. Mr and Mrs Willoughby have been frozen in the Swiss alps all these years but now they have deforested. They are still the most unpleasant people you could ever meet and show no remorse for their treatment of their children. It is time for them to return but so much has changed.

This book is such a fun romp but I do think you will enjoy it even more if you can find and read the first instalment before rejoining the mayhem of the Willoughbys.

Blurb from the first book: The Willoughby children—Timothy, twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister Jane—are fond all old-fashioned things, but especially old-fashioned adventures. What they aren't fond of, however, are their parents. Truth be told, their parents aren't the fondest of them, either, and they're concocting an evil plan to get rid of their children once and for all! Both parents and children have plenty of dastardly ideas and tricks up their sleeves. The only thing they don't have is any idea of what lies between them and a happily-ever-after.

Blurb from the second book: Although they grew up as wretched orphans, the Willoughby siblings also became heirs to the the Melanoff candy company fortune. Everything has turned out just splendidly, except for one problem: Richie Willoughby, son of Timothy Willoughby, is an only child and is quite lonely. Winifred and Winston Poore have long admired the toys of their neighbour Richie Willoughby and finally befriend the mysterious boy next door. But just as Richie finally begins to make friends, selling sweets is made illegal, and the family's fortune is put in jeopardy. To make matters worse, Richie's horrible Willoughby grandparents—frozen atop a Swiss mountain thirty years ago—have thawed, remain in perfect health, and are making their way home again. What is the point of being the reclusive son of a billionaire when your father is no longer a billionaire What is the future without candy in it And is there any escaping the odiousness of the Willoughbys.

Listen to an audio sample here. 

The threads of the story, with various tales of parents gone missing, fortunes lost or never found, and good luck in the end, are gathered most satisfactorily and warmheartedly. Highly amusing. Kirkus

If you enjoy the two Willoughby books you are sure to also enjoy A Series of Unfortunately events and by chance I have just started reading Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker - a book that would be simply perfect to read before or after the two Willoughby books.

One special feature of The Willoughbys return are the fun footnotes which often reference contemporary culture especially because Mr and Mrs Willoughby have missed all the innovations of the last thirty years. Words like uber, google, Brexit, HBO, satellite radio, Twitter, FaceTime and Skype are so confusing.

The Map of Leaves by Yarrow Townsend

"Wherever there is sickness, there is rumour ... but I am here to tell you the scientific truth of the matter. This sickness is not brought about by witchcraft or sin. No. This sickness has come from a place of disease and pestilence. It has come from the wild. ... We must be rid of it. ... The plants, the weeds, the swamp, the forest, the wild gardens. Disease lurks among the plants and the wild things, breeding mosquitoes and poisons."

Orla lives alone outside the village of Thorn Creek. Orla feels like an outsider because her healer mother is now dead and the people of the village seem to treat her with hostility and suspicion. Orla does have one friend - her horse called Captain and she also has the constant company of the plants, flowers and herbs in her garden. Orla can hear the plants talking and they often give her wise advice.

Life is not perfect, it is hard, but as the story opens it is clear things are about to become much worse perhaps even life threatening. Orla notices black marks are appearing on the leaves of her plants. Then a young boy from the village asks Orla for help. Idris's brother Castor is desperately ill. When Orla lifts his sleeve she sees the same purple marks that appeared on her mothers arms. Orla was unable to save her precious Ma. She is sure she cannot help Castor. 

Thorn Creek is governed over by a wealthy ink-manufacturing family, whose head is Inishowen Atlas, Warden and resident of Hind House. He is often absent but on this dreadful day he arrives on his horse and declares a sickness is coming. With the voice of authority he tells the village that their plants are to blame. He orders everyone to destroy every plant in the village. Orla knows the plants are not the source of the sickness and she also knows the people will starve because there will be nothing left to eat.

Ma has left Orla her book of remedies. At the front of the book there is a very detailed map and on the map there is a tiny circle around a distant place called Fleetwater. Beside the circle in very faint writing Ma had written the word 'here'. Orla decides to stow away on a Hauler boat but she has no idea Idris and Ariana, the niece of the tyrant Atlas, are going to join her. Nor does she have any idea about the horrible scene that awaits her when she finally, after an utterly terrifying journey, reaches the place on her mother's map.

Each chapter in this book is prefaced with a herb, its scientific name and uses. I really enjoyed reading these. Some will be familiar while have such interesting names: Lady's Mantle (a sprig under the pillow aids sleep); Devil's Rope (very dangerous, fatal if it enters your blood); Viper's Bugloss (an infusion of the seeds can drive away melancholy).

I loved the world of this book, the strength of each character, the wisdom and warnings of the plants, the personal growth of Orla, and the powerful atmosphere created by debut author Yarrow Townsend. One other delightful discovery (it's a minor point but so heartwarming) comes from a discovery about character of Idris. He is very skilled with needle and thread. When Orla's sleeve is torn he says:

"Let me fix the tear in your coat sleeve while you and Ariana paddle ... it's annoying me like nobody's business'. He held out his hand and motioned for Orla to pass him the coat. ... 'Fine,' she said ... but mind you do it properly."

Here is a wonderful description of Orla:

"Twelve-year-old Orla had dark-brown hair, bramble scratched hands, and a determined frown. She wore a pair of boy's breeches that she never changed, an oilskin coat that smelled of beeswax, and a pair of thick leather boots."

Yarrow Townsend build a chilling, atmospheric world, highlighting the damage those with wealth and power cause in their search for more wealth and power. Miss Clevelands Reading

The Map of Leaves is exquisitely written and brilliantly original. The descriptions of the natural world and rich and immersive, and the book is underpinned by a real reverence for nature. Get Kids into Books

I have been in a slight reading slump lately. I am ploughing through a long fantasy book and I only seem able to read 3 or 4 pages at a time. With nearly 400 pages I seem to be taking way too long to finish the book. So last night I picked up a different book - this one. I read The Map of Leaves in one sitting. YES this book is fabulous. I found it at the Westmead Children's Hospital Book Bunker where I work as a volunteer. The Map of Leaves was published by Chicken House in 2022. I flew through all 300+ pages.  I do hope you can find this book - and that I have convinced you to read it!  Take a look at this review which has lots of text quotes. You can read sample pages from this book here. 

I read a review that suggested this book as a companion read. I have added this title to my enormous "to read" list:

Ghostcloud by Michael Mann

The evil Tabatha Margate rules the Battersea power station using a mixture of fear, severe punishments and frightening threats. Hundreds of children are suffering in this horrible underground environment where they work long hours shovelling coal into huge burners. It is incredibly dangerous work.  This is a debut novel from Michael Mann and he is sure to make you feel every cruel moment.

"There was a squeal of pain down the line, then the sizzle of hot ash on naked skin. A solitary sob echoed through the hall."

"The front line kids have to throw coal in the fire with their bare hands. The flames jump out and burn off their fingernails.  One kid lost an eye the other day."

The London of this dystopian world is covered in a dangerous smog. Children are regularly kidnapped to work for Tabatha. Areas of the city are now either uninhabitable or filled with make-shift shelters and people living in poverty. The tunnel between England and France is blocked. Meanwhile rich people ride around in vehicles with smog-sealed doors. 

Naturally Luke and his mate Ravi are desperate to get out of this place. There is a system where the children can earn a golden ticket and so that is their goal until the night Luke meets a ghostcloud named Alma. Backing up a little, Luke is working at his shovelling when Tabatha arrives. There is a new girl on the line called Jess. It is clear she has no idea how to shovel and so everyone on this line will be punished and worse still it will take longer to earn that golden ticket. Luke leaps the line to rescue Jess but everything goes terribly wrong and so Luke and Jess are sent to clean the sewer in the East Wing as a punishment. After several fairly fruitless hours of cleaning this utterly filthy place, using strips of their own clothing, Luke suggests Jess take a nap. At this point he discovers a girl trapped behind the glass wall of the incinerator. He is able to rescue her and then he discovers she is a ghostcloud and better yet Luke himself has ghostly abilities too. 

Now the race is on to reach freedom but of course this is not simple. Freedom will also come with a cost because Tabatha certainly won't let these children go free. She will hunt them down. So who is this woman called Tabatha? Why is she using the children in this way? what is she hiding in her laboratory? Where does this smog come from? And can Luke stay safe when the skies are filled with ghouls?

I suggest readers in Australia may need a map of London to make sense of all the places mentioned in this story but don't let that stop you grabbing hold of this book - I think all the damaged and altered landmarks in London just add to the dystopian flavour. I recommend this book for readers aged 10+.

Ghostcloud has odd pricing. The hardcover was released on 7th October and is priced over $30 here in Australia. Some sellers list the paperback (due at the end of October) for under $20 while others have it listed over $25. Whatever the price I would add this book to your own or library shopping list. 

I would pair this book with The Wonderling by Mira Bartok.  This is a book that many of you may have missed reading but can I suggest you hunt it out (soon) because it is splendid. 

And you are also sure to enjoy The Middler by Kirsty Applebaum. 

Tabatha and her evil ways and her obsessive drive for power reminded me of these book characters

Matilda by Roald Dahl - Miss Trunchbull

The Girl who could fly by Victoria Forester - Dr Hellion

The Unadoptables by Hanna Tooke  - Matron Gassbeek

Beetle Boy by MG Leonard - Lucretia Cutter

The Lost Children by Carolyn Cohagan - The Master

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars by Janeen Brian - Sister Hortense