Thomas Taylor: Festergrimm (Walker Books 2022)
The streets of Eerie-on-Sea are inhabited by mysterious legends. One of them is the story of Festergrimm. Clockwork and toymaker Ludovic Festergrimm was loved by everyone when he brought his toys to the Winter Fair, but when his only daughter went missing and he built a huge machine to find her, they turned away from him. Later, the legend was forgotten, but now Herbie and Violet’s old enemy Sebastian Eels, believed to be dead, has returned to reopen Festergrimm’s waxworks which – to the children’s surprise – made almost everyone happy except them. So Herbie and Violet have to keep an eye on Eels and try to uncover what he’s up to.
I was especially angry for the adults in this book. Not doing anything was one thing, but not even believing what the kids were saying was really infuriating. The story was more melancholic than the previous ones and several parts took place in the past. However, it was felt that we are already very close to the revelation of the big questions of the book, so I am eagerly awaiting the final volume of the series, which will probably be published next year and whose plot takes place exactly one year after the arrival of Violet and the appearance of the Malamander.
Thomas Taylor doesn’t take us to the beach when the sun is shining and the beach is filled with happy people. With him, we can visit there when the last tourists have gone home and the cold, winter winds blow in. At that time, even the locals do not venture out after dark, because they are afraid of the creepy creatures of the legends. Not unreasonably. The writer grew up in Wales, always loved strange stories and drew well. Although there were many sailors among his ancestors, he became an illustrator and then a writer. He currently lives on the south coast of England with his family and likes to visit the coast in search of treasures.
To learn more about the legends of Eerie-on-Sea, you can visit the website: https://eerie-on-sea.com/.