This is the first book in a new series by Erin Hunter. I loved the Warrior Cats series by her but this series just didn't give me the same investment as the Warrior Cats series. I think that Erin is a great writer and I will continue to pick up books from them, but this series just didn't work for me.

I'm a big fan of Erin Hunter's books so I was excited to get approved for this ARC on Netgalley. However, I found this book difficult to follow and keep up with the character POV switches.

I finally finished this, but my mind wondered a lot and I found myself having to re-read a page here and there to stay focused. The plotline just didn't grab my attention. I LOVE the Warriors and the Bravelands series so I couldn't help but to be disappointed when this one didn't have the same feeling for me.

This book was received as an ARC from HarperAudio in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a fan of Erin Hunter’s books and this one certainly did not disappoint. The adventure and thrill of escaping the tiger and finally being reunited with your family separated at birth. The struggle of the three pandas fitting in with their lives on their own and then coming to the realization that they need each other more than ever was such a heartwarming feeling. Since this is Book #1 of Bamboo Kingdom, I know there are more adventures at stake and I am sure they will peak the interest of our young readers. Erin Hunter does a brilliant job filling the story with details that just bring it to life and I know this will definitely be a candidate for our next Battle of the Books.

We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This book was fine - nothing too exciting or special in my opinion, maybe it was the age range. I couldn’t connect with the characters or story from a personal perspective. I did overall enjoy some parts and definitely think the right age group will enjoy this.

I will say the narrator did such a great job and I would recommend the audiobook if you’re wanting to read this.

Many were killed and displaced during the Great Flood. Why didn’t the Dragon Speaker warn the pandas of the flood? This story follows Leaf, Rain, and Ghost, three young ones, who are trying to survive in this new time. Fans of animal stories and especially panda bears will enjoy this one.

I received a digital ARC of the Audiobook via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

This is a wonderful tale told in the viewpoints of Pandas who are trying to survive as best they can and have gathered together to figure out what to do about the food that is slowly but surely disappearing.

The target audience is for sure middle grade and would most likely be enjoyed more so in that age group. Overall, I did enjoy the story and plan to continue with the series.

Three panda cubs are growing up in different parts of the forest. They all have been impacted by the great flood differently. Little do they know, there's a prophecy about to be fulfilled that involves all three of them. There is a tiger that's been terrorizing the kingdom and they are terrified. But he is the one to bring them together!

This book really intrigued me when I first picked it up! I was super interested in the whole premise. It did not disappoint. I really liked getting to know the panda cubs and their communities. I am so interested in how this story is going to go! I cannot wait to pick up the next in this series!

*eARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

As someone who has always been a fan of any series that features animals as the focus of the story, whether it's the Redwall books or Erin Hunter's Warriors series, so grabbing a copy of this audiobook when I had the chance seemed like a no brainer. And while there were a couple of things I really didn't enjoy about this book, for the most part, I think it was a great read and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series when it releases next year. Erin Hunter has proven yet again that they are a group of fantastic authors who really understand the animals they write about.

I feel like ever since Kung-Fu Panda was released back in 2008 that we have gotten kind of flooded with Panda-related books, games, etc that seem to barely have an understanding of Pandas so I was happy to see that this was not the case with Bamboo Kingdom. I know it's a fantasy story and the pandas can be and do whatever they want in it, but I was glad to see that Erin Hunter clearly did their research on  Panda habitat, behavior, diet, and whatnot. I personally find that it's the little details like that really adds to the book, especially when you combine it with a fun and well-written plot.

The main issue I had with Creatures Of The Flood was how it switched viewpoint characters every single chapter. I mean, I know that there are three protagonists in the story but I feel like every time I started to get invested in a character the chapter ended and I was suddenly reading about a different character and it just made it take that much longer for me to get fully invested in the story of all three characters. I was too tempted to just rush through the chapters of characters I wasn't really liking to get to the chapters of the character I enjoyed the most.

Happily, I enjoyed both the story and the narrator of the audiobook were good enough that the parts of the book I disliked were usually overshadowed by everything I enjoyed. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this book for someone looking for something new to read and I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Creatures of the Flood (Bamboo Kingdom #1) by Erin Hunter

Creatures Of The Flood is a middle-grade novel about a collection of animals trying to survive after a devastating flood.
A trio of pandas plus other animals are thrown into disarray and struggling to find food after a flood turns their forest upside down. This is told in alternating points of view from the pandas as they navigate this world.
We did this as a family audiobook and sometimes I struggled keeping the viewpoints straight and staying interested in the plot. The book took itself a little seriously and there weren’t any moments of levity to break up the monotony of seeking out food, animal squabbles and details about the landscape.
Three stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was granted eARC access to Creatures of the Flood by Erin Hunter via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher's team member who approved my request! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Creatures of the Flood is a story told in three alternating POVs, from three panda siblings separated at birth, in a jungle that is waiting on the return of a panda leader who can commune with and speak for their god, the Dragon.

The premise behind this one is interesting and unique, and I'm familiar with this author, so I had to find out what this one would be like. In short, slow. These characters are lovable and have all the complexity of a human preteen, which will appeal to the intended middle grade audience. We've also got some very well done tried-and-true chosen one and ugly duckling archs from separate characters, here, which is an interesting combination that I think was well done. Also, the mischievous red pandas have strong Crash and Eddie (Ice Age) vibes, and I loved it! Beyond that, though, this book is very slow and I had trouble keeping Leaf and Rain separate in my mind. (Ghost was easier, due to his family.)

I honestly don't know what to rate this book. It didn't entertain this 33-year-old reader, but I'm not a diehard fan of Hunter's previous works (I was a little old for Warriors when those first started coming out) and the pacing doesn't feel wrong for the age group that's supposed to be reading this. I remember being that age and I was never ready for anything I read to end because I wanted to hang out with the characters longer, so this sort of writing would have been my bread and butter back then.

I guess that means I would recommend this specifically to middle grade (age 8-12) readers who like anthropomorphic animal adventures that take their time, but only to that specific demographic.

A new series by the brilliant Warriors author, Erin Hunter.

Stitching together a kingdom with three points of view, three very different pandas from three very different landscapes stumble toward one another to fulfill an old prophecy.

I really enjoyed the perspectives and found the struggles of each panda to be universal in our quest for friendship and acceptance within our own packs. At times, there were a lot of characters to keep track of and I found myself struggling to remember who went with who. The pace was slower but snowballed into the end, and I look forward to reading book 2.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time reading this author and I will read more of their works. The cover is what drew me to this title since I'm a big panda fan. This was an emotional action packed adventure with three pandas. I couldn't stop listening since I was drawn into the story from the first chapter. I hope this title will sell well so we can get into more adventures with these cubs. I'm going to read the author's other series Warriors since I like the writing style. The only reason for not a five star rating is the middle was slower than the rest of the book. Highly recommend it for those who like animals as main characters and adventure

I thought this was a fun story - reminded me a bit of the tree house series a little bit. I liked the characters and the story line was woven really well together since there were three storylines going on at the same time.
The print version and official audiobook would probably be better; I did have to relisten to a chapter or two because of the automated voice but overall it kept my interest, was a great way to tell a story about family, evil, and beliefs to kids in the middle grade category.

Leaf, Rain and Ghost are a trio of panda siblings ho were seperated at birth. However, they are forced to find one another again in order to save their home. This engaging story has the pandas remembering the great flood that tore them apart from one another. In this engaging read, each of the pandas were raised in different forests in the Kingdom. Will they be able to work together in order to fulfill a long-ago prophecy?

Erin Hunter is new to me, and it is a rarety for me to read middle grade books. However, this story (and series) caught my attention. Told entirely in the voice of the pandas, readers are pulled into an animal kingdom enduring the trials and changes presented before them to save the Kingdom. I will be sure to get the other books in the trilogy as they are released in order to see if they will meet their goals.

Many thanks to HarperCollins and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper for providing this in audio format for reviewing.
Erin Hunter is bringing us a brand new series that will surely be as popular and successful as her Seekers, Warriors, and Survivors books. In this new one, there are three different animals who were born right before the great flood which altered their very different though related lands. Although none of them are aware of the others, Leaf, Rain, and Ghost will be thrown together to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Readers will be counting the days until book # 2 comes out.

this was a cute story, I enjoyed the narrator and they did a good job in keeping me invested in the book itself.

For three panda cubs born the night of the great flood, they have always been special but now more than ever as it is their beginning to find a new way of life. The three don't know each other but soon will as a rogue tiger is forcing them together, and too hopefully fulfill the prophecy of long ago.

This is a good book that is the first of a new series and will take you through many forests of the panda world. It has wonderful characters for those who love other Erin Hunter books or books that show the insight of the animals of this area. This book will hold any animal lovers attention so it is well worth adding to your collection.


This will appear on my blog on Sept 28th.

I got this book for my daughter who absolutely loves the Warriors books by this author. Here is her review;
The story was great and I loved the plot. It was hard to keep the characters straight since I was listening and not reading the book. I don’t know how the physical copy will look, but hopefully it will have a list of the character names in the front like the Warriors books do.
I loved that these characters were pandas since I love pandas. I do kind of wish I had read the book instead since this audio version was REALLY hard to follow- that’s why I’m giving it 3 stars. It didn’t use inflection at the right parts and it didn’t pause long at periods, etc- it made it really hard to understand. If they got a real person reading it I’m sure it would be better

My kids love Erin’s books. I thought I’d give this one a try since I saw it on NetGalley audio. I stopped at 12%. Just didn’t catch my interest. (I’m not an anthropomorphism fan at the best of times.)
This review was shared on Goodreads.

Another series written by Erin Hunter has that name recognition that is sure to catapult it into the limelight. If you enjoyed The Warrior Series, then you'll want to read this next one.
The story about 3 pandas, a flood, nature and its connection to climate change is a timely one. Keeping track of the many characters is a bit difficult. It was difficult to get a true picture of this audio version but reading the print copy and listening to a better audio version will allow readers to get a better picture of what's transpiring.