Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Well. Unfortunately, I'm quite disappointed I won't lie. This really sounded like a fun middle grade book but it was very much not that. I felt mostly sad, anxious and/or uncomfortable while reading.

I get what Chick was going for with the adultified child but it just made me feel uncomfortable tbh. I don't think the execution was successful since the child aspect of the adultified child was essentially non-existent.

Because of the way the story was framed and how Chloe - the MC - tells it, it was also hard to care about anything but the beginning and ending of the story. All of the fairy-tale stuff felt like a distraction to Chloe's internal conflict and process of grief. Additionally, the fairy-tale characters barely had any depth or bonding scenes with Chloe so I really did not care about them.
I can't speak on the portrayal of her dad and specifically his mental illness so I will leave that to ppl who are more educated. I will say that their relationship was believable, though.

A thing that bothered me was the obsession with skin colour?? Most of the characters get introduced by what shade their skin is. Meanwhile the topic of race is never addressed. Idk. That kinda made me uncomfortable ngl. Also, the villainification of bikers and ppl with tattoos is so tired and overdone 🙄 We all know those are usually the chillest ppl around.

Anyway- overall, this is not a book I would recommend.

Things I liked about the book:
-The magical characters
-The horse girl love
-High action

Things I didn't like:
-The anxiety gave me anxiety
-I kept on yelling at the characters to get themselves together
-The biker group headed by a witch

It was a fun read, but not sure if I'll continue the series.

“Chloe feels the wind in her face, the mane in her fingers, and the hope in her chest. She keeps her head up and her gaze facing forward. It feels like the world is watching.
I’m here, world. This is me.”

Chloe’s life takes a dramatic turn one stormy night when a crew of mythical creatures barge into her family home. These magical intruders draw Chloe and her incredibly anxious father into a magical quest to return to their homeland, the whimsical world of Brynmoor, and save Adrina, a mermaid who is suffering from being so far from water. The eccentric cast of characters finds themselves involved in a variety of antics and adventures on their return to Brynmoor, which can only be accessed by a hidden portal. Throughout this quest, Chloe and her father rescue not only these mythical beings but also themselves; they are forced to come to terms with the unresolved issues that have affected their lives and their relationship to one another.

From the very first page, Wayfinders drew me in, and I felt so immersed in the story that at times it was like I was watching a movie. The book effectively balanced heart-pounding action with heartwarming relationships, and I appreciated Chick’s portrayal of the healing process. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that this adventure is just as beneficial for Chloe and her father as is for the characters trying to return home. Their relationship is strained following a riding accident that led to the death of Chloe’s horse and the intensification of Chloe’s father’s anxiety. Chloe constantly expresses annoyance with her father and his anxious/obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but she is very attuned to his emotions and concerns. The understanding the two have of one another shows that no matter how much loved ones might get on one’s nerves, a profound care for them will always exist. The courage these two show in a myriad of ways is truly inspiring for readers of all ages. From the beauty of these character depictions stems one of my only critiques of the novel: in some cases, I wish certain characters and/or plot points had been explored in further detail. Elements of character backstory were sprinkled throughout the piece but often never elaborated on, leaving me wanting to know more about the world Chick built. Overall, I appreciated the full-circle resolution of the novel, which demonstrated that, while healing is not linear, it is possible with the help of a strong and caring support system.

I would recommend this book to all middle-grade readers. Wayfinders contains a vivid cast of characters that tell a compelling story of love, family, friendship, and courage.

This was such an easy read and full of surprises.

We have our main character who is  grieving and struggling with big events in her life, and conflict between her parents. We have a character struggling with mental illness, and how it impacts them and the people in their life.

Then we get the addition of magic and mystery and adventure, it was great.

We again touch on some deeper themes of judgment and prejudice throughout, and I think its done in a meaningful way, but without affecting the entire flow of the story

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Wayfinders by Bryan Chick and Blackstone Publishing. The review of this book is my opinion.

This middle-grade story is full of fantasy, adventure, and how a young girl overcomes her grief over a much-beloved horse.

Chloe's world is upended when she discovers a mermaid in her bathtub brought in by a giant. Chloe and her anxious father know that the best way to save the mermaid is to do things that they have never dreamed of doing let alone thought of doing. Chloe braves the world beyond her home and leads her father on a quest to help her newfound friends. Chloe learns more about her grief of losing a special horse and opens her heart to a new one. Chloe's father learns to push through his anxiety and feelings of "can't" to help his daughter.

This story was cute, adventurous, and charming. All the characters were well-developed. Mental illness was represented in this story as well as grief. The fairy tale creatures were written to be believed. I gave this four stars. I only hoped that Chloe would gain more passion for her father about his anxiety. She seemed put out about it and having to "parent" him.

This is a great book for a younger middle-grade audience that enjoys fantasy, adventure and horses.

This book was an amazing read. I loved how everything was grounded and felt like I was right along the journey as the characters. I especially loved that even though the book had magic in it, the magic came with rules and felt realistic rather than an easy way out of things. I also enjoyed how nothing was over-explained and we felt all the confusion, fear and urgency right along with Cloe and her dad, trying to help these fairy tale creators get back home.

I especially love the portrayal of Cloe. She's thirteen years old and because she has to parent her parents, she was forced to grow up faster than she was meant to and take on responsibilities that no thirteen-year-old should have to do. I'm glad that during this journey she got to feel like a little girl again and her dad got a little more control over his anxiety.

The only weak spot in the book was the villains. With how well our main characters were portrayed, the villains of the story felt flat in the story. It was understandable why they were doing what they were doing, but it just felt like such a weak reason for how far they went. She's evil for being evil is so boring to me now, but all in all, the book was so much fun to read.

ARC Copy...fans of the author's previous works will be happy to know, still is going to be a fun and magical read that's invades the "mundane" realm. In this case it is more on the road trip caper with some of the more mythical brand of magic.

Enjoyable read. I enjoyed the adventure and the relationship between Chloe and her father. It's nice when a parent gets to participate. I would have loved seeing him jumping the Winnebago over the drawbridge. Yikes.

Like with so many books I was drawn in by the nice cover of this book, and I liked the description of a father-daughter duo meeting all these fairy tale creatures, and it was a cute story. I think the intended audience will love this story and connect to the characters – something I feel like middle grade stories and characters tend to do.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

What I loved about this book is the fantastic cover! And although Chloe, our 13 year old main character is not very likeable, she is a very well written character. I really felt her emotions and struggles and we really get to know her on a deeper level from the start. And I did really love how the fairytale world and the real world were combined. It felt surreal and real at the same time :).

But .. Chloe is supposed to be 13 but she feels more like a strange combination of a 16 year old teenager and an adult. The way she judges her parents (a lot) and rolls her eyes when talking to them… Teenager ;). But the way she thinks and how she knows and is involved in so many adult things.. Like knowing and understanding everything in detail about her father’s mental ilnesses (not that she ever showed any compassion) and how she is made a part of and is asked to help with solving fights between her parents. Adult? All that and her being so judgemental, disrespectful, frustrated and not the friendliest person, made this a frustrating and negative feeling read. I spent more time feeling sorry for Chloe and wondering what will become of her, because of how lonely and frustrated and angry she is and how inappropriately involved she is in adult issues and the adult responsibilities that are bestowed upon her, than actually enjoying this but it was not bad and I kept reading because the fairytale part was so cool and fascinating as soon as it started and I guess I hoped Chloe would at least change somewhat and hopefully her parents too.

What made me eventually DNF this book at 20% is the awful horsemanship. It was wrong, dangerous and cruel. Chloe is supposed to be an experienced horse owner and rider like I am but she shows us the opposite in this book. I just couldn’t take any more and had to stop reading.

Bad horsemanship and the other issues I had with this kinda depressing/negative read, made me rate this low but I am grateful for getting the opportunity to read this and I hope others do enjoy it but do not handle horses like they are handled here, for their own safety and the horses’ wellbeing.

I was not expecting this book about fairytale creatures to leave me teary-eyed but I do like surprises. With a nearly 14yo main character, this book is great for those in betweeners who are growing out of middle grade stories but aren't quite ready for YA. This fast-paced tale is full of suspense and will leave you wanting more!

I did not finish the book...

Maybe that wasn't the right time for me to read it, I don't know, but I felt like that was already seen in so many other kids and teens books... but I'm pretty sure that was because that wasn't the right time for me to read it so don't follow my review and read it :)

DNF.

I requested this book because of the gorgeous cover, because of the cool title, and because I like MG books about magical creatures. For example, THE ACCCIDENTAL APPRENTICE by Amanda Foody and A ROYAL GUIDE TO MONSTER SLAYING by Kelley Armstrong - I highly recommend these novels; they are incredible. Unfortunately, I didn't like the writing style of WAYFINDERS and stopped reading after a couple of pages. Two children make farting noise with their lips when they talk, and the protagonist and her parents aren't symphathetic, imho. I just didn't want to keep reading.

It's a subjective opinion, so perhaps many readers would enjoy reading this novel.

Thank you very much for approving my request!

4.5 Ok, This is a fun read indeed, I couldn't put it down. And to read it with a buddy aloud makes it even better when the excitement comes through and we start reading faster and louder, already standing up because there's a lot of fun action.

The author creates a very fun dynamic with a father who is afraid of almost everything, his daughter who does not believe in magic (not for long) a dwarf, a mermaid a giant, and a unicorn. They all need the father and daughter's help to return to safety... I can almost see it in my head as a great animated movie.

The dialogue is fun, and the adventure is great. There are evil witches, fable creatures, wands, magic, faeries... and on a more serious note lessons to be learned on letting go, moving forward, and growing up.

Great new project from the author of the Secret Zoo series.