This book was perfect. The story was well-written in simple, engaging language that's perfect for children, and the magic of the story pulls you straight in. It has everything I look for in a good childrens book: magical forests, magical creatures, powerful friendships, and a happy ending.
The story is fast-paced and grips you from the start - I couldn't put it down. The characters were fun and engaging, the plot line was great, and the action was captivating.
I listened to it on audiobook, and I thought the narration was fantastic as well.
This is definitely a book I would buy for my daughter!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC copy of this book

This work was quite linear, but it’s a MG fantasy so that’s not unreasonable. I enjoyed the simple story and the introduction of fun characters along the way. The trolls were surprisingly well written and ended up being some of my favorite characters. I did like that for the most part, the characters weren’t “good” or “bad.” Lucinda (the dark witch) was the most black and white character, which did make her feel a little cliché as a villain, but most MG readers probably won’t even notice this. Phoebe was a great protagonist and never felt too old or too young, and I enjoyed that she didn’t do everything on her own in this book – she always had help with the tasks/goals. I also enjoyed that while magic played a role, the aspect that made Phoebe so effective ended up being her kindness and empathy.

The setting of this work was well written, with cool descriptions and interesting fantasy creatures. The only thing I didn’t really care for was that the author used the “let’s not answer irritating questions” approach to keep an air of mystery surrounding certain aspects. This is not an approach that I like, but that’s just personal preference.

This fun fantasy adventure is a great MG read with a strong female protagonist. It is a standalone, though I think more books following Phoebe’s adventures would be fun.

This was a fun fantasy novel and t featured all of the cool creatures; Trolls, Goblins, Griffins, oh my! This middle-grade fantasy kept me engaged in the story and made it hard to put down. I am very much looking forward to reading more of Cole Poindexter's books in the future.

Adam Varah did a great job narrating this novel and I will look for more books narrated by Adam in the future.

3.5 stars

The Griffin's Egg released last month and I was lucky to have obtained the e-audio from the publisher. Judging by the cover and the content, having the print copy in front of me with some wonderful illustrations would have made this all the more enjoyable.

Following the story of the 10-year-old Phoebe as she loses her way while walking through the woods. Upon meeting a strange creature, she is drawn into a magical world with all kinds of different magical characters leading her on an adventure that ends where she least expects it.

This was a fun read or listen coming in just shy of five hours, I had to pay attention to her journey but the reader did a great job with the story. The Griffin's Egg is a story of family, doing what’s right and adventure. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Cole Poindexter.

My thanks to Wild Rose Press for this audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute book and I loved it! I really enjoyed watching as Pheobe grows into her power and knowledge! This was my 1st book by Cole Poindexter but I am adding all of their books to my TBR!

#TheGriffinsEgg
#NetGalley

First of all, thank you so much to the publisher and to netgalley for having this audiobook available on the "read now" section! It was exactly what I needed to read during this harsh start of the year.

The story follows Phoebe, a ten year old girl who gets accidentally lost in the woods, but instead of being able to go back to her parents, she gets swept in a magical world and accepts the quest to save it.

The plot starts right away, without much time to get to meet the characters. When I started it I thought The Griffin's Egg would not be for me, because I am not a plot driven reader at all. I usually get more from slow or medium paced novels, but since I had it for review I decided to push through. And oh boy! That has been one of the best decisions I have ever taken!

The prose is absolutely stunning, and the narrator of the audiobook does it justice. Everything feels so whymsical and nostalgic, while also felling original and exciting. The magical world is incredibily complex, but explained patiently enough that is easy to understand. And, as I said earlier, the story is very plot heavy, but not even when the characters find themselves in life or death situation it feels less cosy.
Plus, as the plot progresses, we do get to know the characters. And every single one of them is fleshed out, even the villain (which is rare for a middle grade story). I loved how the author wrote their arcs, it was amazing to get to see them grow so much in such a little amount of pages. Which by the way was perfect, because sometimes when I read longer middle grade, everything starts to feel a little repetitive and boring. But Poindexter didn't waste a single page, making every single moment action and emotionally charged in equal parts.

I did only give for stars because, as I said in the beginning, it took me a couple of chapters to get fully invested into the story. And there were aspects of it that were a bit predictable, but nonetheless, I absolutely recommend it, specially for autumn or winter days. It's one of those cosy reads that one can easily read in one sitting.

If you were lost in the woods and happened upon a goblin with a griffin’s egg, would you befriend them? That is exactly what Phoebe Gray does. She finds herself immersed in the land of Lerch Hollow, where there is magic and wonder but also danger close by. Phoebe joins her goblin friend Gnish-Gnash on an incredible journey to help protect the last griffins egg. Together they will uncover secret plots, strange creatures, and gain new friends all while dodging the sinister clutches of the Dark Mistress Lucinda.
Phoebe is a beautiful character who brings curiosity and gentleness to the story. Although she has to make some tough choices, the author shows her compassion and regret for having to do terrible things. He also shows her sorrow and how she pushes through the pain to keep the ones she loves safe. Many of the other characters in the story surprised me as well. Creatures that were typically represented as “bad” such as goblins and ogres were portrayed as good, breaking the stereotypes that exist in much of the epic fantasy lore. The tale is in some ways new and refreshing but similiar and comforting in others. This is a good read for any introductory fantasy reader but is written more for those in the middle grade reading range. The issues discussed in the book such as the intricate moral repercussions that come from our actions and the discussions that stem from them are usually more for older readers but seem to be well portrayed here.
Adam Varah does an excellent job as a narrator. He uses good inflection for marking the importance of different scenes, changes his voice to add context to different characters, and speaks clearly throughout the entire recording. His enunciation is perfect and his pronunciation of the different character names combined with their individual voices really helped with immersing you into the world of Lerch Hollow. I will warn you that he does have a strong accent himself but you get used to it after a few minutes and it never makes it hard to understand what he is saying.

A quick + fun listen!

A plucky 10 year old accidentally stumbles upon another world while walking through a West Virginian forest -- it's a fast-paced tale filled with whimsy + magic + adventure. She inadvertently finds that she has powers + is swept into protecting the last griffin egg in existence from an evil witch.

The story ties itself up neatly and the problems she faces are for the most part pretty easily dealt with. It's a feel-good read + managed to touch on having compassion, doing the right thing, standing up for yourself/your friends, and owning up to mistakes without being at all preachy.

I felt the narrator did a great job with all the voices he used for the different characters + think I would have loved reading this as a kid (+ would love to have gotten to be Phoebe!).

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher + the author for this free audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you netgalley for the advance Arc of this audiobook

*Middle Grade
* Fantasy
* Female Child Main Charcter
* Witches
* Hero Journey
* Friendship

This story is so beautiful written and I can see children loving this and seeing themselves as the main child character, the friendships made in this story shows that even from differences Friendship can always be made when u find out who a person is beyond what they are seen as. Bravery and doing what's right at any cost is what's done by people and children with hearts of gold.

I loved it (especially the narrator!)

This book is full of adventure and friendship in a fantasy world which reminded me of Narnia, full of wonderfull creatures but of dangers too... Phoebe and Gnish are partners in crime during this adventure, they meet so many other creatures (a kind of Never ending story adventure !)

The narrator was just perfect ! He made his voice different for every new character, playing with his voice, pretty sure he used tools to make some voices as the trolls' and using so many accents... One of the best audio book I could have listen too thanks to his work !

I listened to this story with my 1 year old twins and we all had a great time! It’s a fun, fast-paced cute little story, filled with magic and adventure and will definitely keep your little one entertained :)

While the story was cute, I never connected with the characters. I couldn’t figure out their motivations and personalities. This story also went in a pattern of problem arises, problem is quickly solved with magic, repeat. This makes it hard to care about what happens because the characters get through every dilemma without consequence.

The story was adorable and whimsical, though the pace seemed rushed. The characters and their interactions slightly forced, however I loved the world and the social issues that seemed to be imbued quite sweetly.

My problem lays with the narrating. The narrator is simply way too fast, and that ruined the experience.

When Phoebe gets lost in the woods of West Virginia, she meets a goblin carrying a griffin's egg. She soon becomes wrapped up in the need to protect the egg from a dark witch and to help her new goblin friend. With adventure at every turn, it's a wonder Phoebe knows who to trust. Thankfully she was wearing an old cloak of her grandfather's which happens to have magical powers and Phoebe soon discovers she is a witch. Using her powers to protect the egg and defend the Hollow from Lucinda the dark mistress, Phoebe discovers an old secret and a new friend. I read the book as well as listened to it. The narrator makes the story come alive and the accent makes it all the more magical!

This was an adorable middle grades book, that I listened to. It is a fast paced great story about a young girl on an accidental adventure.

The story follows Phoebe Grey who get a bit turned around in the woods and ends up in Lurch Hollow on an epic adventure to save a Griffin's Egg with her new Goblin friend, Gnish Gnash, as they pick up new friends and many enemies along the way. The entire book operates on the basic principle that kids are the ones who can save the world as long as they work together.

As Phoebe goes through, she adds more creature to her group of friends, while they take up the fight against Lucinda, the Dark Mistress who is after the Griffin's egg. Lucinda works to thwart Phoebe's kindness and tries to both kill her and then turn her to the darkness in Lucinda's heart.

The good vs. evil in the story is very apparent, but adorable because there are times with the goodness in her heart that Phoebe drags people to the "good" and away from the evil.

All in all, it is a good and cute read.

Side Note: it references a "war" and the dates don't quite add up for which one it might be. The grandfather references being in 9th grade in the 70's, and then a war with a reference to "foxes" like fox holes. So, I think it is more meant to be all the wars, with a point for kids to understand what their elders have been through. But it's a bit out of place.

Read/Listen if you like ...
Fantasy
Strong and inquisitive young FMC
Friends in strange places
all the supernatural creature

First, let me say that I truly enjoyed this middle grade book. It was action-packed and full of magic and moral dilemmas. I think that as a child, even a 10-year-old like Phoebe, I would have LOVED this book. And there were so many great characters from Phoebe, herself, who suddenly finds herself in an alternate world trying to prevent the evil Lucinda from stealing the Griffin's egg, making mistakes and then trying to rectify them, and always choosing the higher, moral ground; to Gnish Gnash the goblin, who also tries doing the right thing once he realizes that he, too, has made mistakes; as well as so many of the other magical creatures that populate the book. I listened to it and enjoyed it, but I imagine it would be just as fun to read the book as well.

Lovable characters and a neat setting- this book was full of adventure, enchantment, and magic! I listened to this book via audiobook from NetGalley and while I loved the tale, the narrators voice was very robotic, but if that’s my only qualm, we are doing good! Poindexter is such an imaginative author, the whole story line was so fun/ from Gnish-Gnash to Phoebes perfect main character energy! This book will sweep you away!

I loved this fairytale story. I find it very nice for our young friends and I believe they would appreciate all the magic, the creatures and the adventure.

In adition, I liked a lot the narration and the overal performance of the audiobook.

This is a fairytale/fantasy children’s audio book. By accident a young girl gets caught up in an adventure. Fun, humour, puzzles, riddles, adventure, griffin’s, monsters, a villain, magic and a relative found without really looking. The book will keep the listener’s attention from beginning to end. Thank you to Wild Rose Press and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

um, this was okay? i’m not entirely sure how to feel. the story was very whimsical and adventurous but felt very nonsensical at times, even for a middle grade novel.

there wasn’t really an explanation for how things worked or why exactly this person did that or this thing was the way it was. it was just a lot of “this happened” and you just kind of had to leave it at that.

i did adore phoebe though. she was so cute and i loved watching her be strong and taking charge. it was nice to see a strong young girl.

the main reason i don’t know how to feel though is because of the narrator. i hated him. his cadence was so jerky and hard to understand sometimes. maybe that’s just me but i’m so picky with audiobooks and this one just unfortunately didn’t work the way i wanted it to.