This was a solid middle-grade novel and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next in the series! Riddell’s world-building is always very lush and beautiful, especially coupled with his illustrations. The only reason this wasn’t 5 stars is that sometimes I felt I was being told this world existed, but I wasn’t being convinced. I also wish this book was a bit longer, as there were some plot points that felt very convenient, however, as this is a series I am sure that things will be explained later on! I really enjoyed this novel and I think it is amazingly imaginative and I would recommend to anyone looking for an action-packed, middle-grade, fantasy.

This story follows three different narratives. Zam is a baker who discovers a magical spoon. Phoebe is a musician with a talking cello. Bathsheba is the daughter of a giant-slayer, who thinks giants shouldn’t be killed. They all come up against enemies who want to steal their magical items.

There were many common elements of fairytales that I liked in the story. Zam baked gingerbread people and Phoebe is a musician in a cat orchestra. There were also evil princesses, which defied the usual princess narrative.

I loved the illustrations that went along with the story. They were detailed and showed everything that was happening in the story. It also gave visual representation to some unusual creatures, such as the goat people and the giants.

This is a great story!

Thank you Pan Macmillan for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.