Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a blast – following Phoebe and her unexpected sidekick, Maeven, on their action-packed journey was a joy. The world-building was vivid without being overwhelming, and each character played key roles in the plot. The narrator nailed it, giving each character a unique accent that added to the overall experience. The story had me hooked with its constant challenges, but I had to take a breather now and then to process and gear up for what's next. The pacing was non-stop, and I wished there was more inflection in the narrators cadence of those chill moments. I don't usually read in the middle-grade genre, but this one felt like a refreshing re-entry into this genre for me.

4/5 for the story
4/5 for the narration.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Phoebe Gray travels to a forest in West Virginia with her parents because they work to preserve wild animals. While exploring the forest Phoebe wonders through a portal into Lurch Hollow— a magical land where she meets a goblin called Gnish-Gnash and she gets caught up in a battle against evil. The Dark Mistress Lucinda is trying to find and eat the last Griffin Egg so Phoebe decides to put her love of animals into practice and becomes the egg’s protector.

As a big lover of animals myself I really appreciated the ‘animal researcher’ aspect of Phoebe’s upbringing. Sometimes things she knew about animals in the human world would translate into her interactions with the magical creatures and I felt like that helped to emphasize a message of loving all creatures and appreciating other’s differences.

As she moved through Luch Hollow and met more creatures, Phoebe discovered her own magical powers and made mistakes as she learned to how to use them wisely. The story’s focus on admitting and fixing mistakes, and being kind is also an aspect I liked. While Phoebe’s magical powers were super cool, her real superpower was empathy. Yes it’s cheesy at times but it’s MG and I like my MG with a hearty dose of wholesome!

Now, nothing is perfect so I do need to discuss the elements I didn’t love.

Throughout their adventures I noticed there was a trend where Phoebe would ask a question and Gnish-Gnash would not answer it then complain about all the questions. Once or twice this could serve to show Gnish’s grumpy personality or point to urgency (they are in a race against time after all). But it was so many times that I actually found myself very annoyed at this pattern.

Secondly, I listened to the audiobook and did not love the narration style. Adam Varah did voices and accents but sometimes sections would sound a bit monotone and failed to fully capture my attention.

Read if you like:

-Middle Grade Fantasy with a FMC
-Stories that deal with the effects of bullying
-Trolls, Griffins, Goblins, Elves and Satyrs, Oh my!

I flew through this one! It was my first audiobook and I absolutely loved it! Super adventurous, with lots of creatures! I had such a great time listening to it.

The children’s book „The Griffin‘s Egg“ by Cole Poindexter follows the little girl Pheobie encountering a goblin and being swept up in an adventure across the fantastical realm called Lerch Hollow.

What I liked about this book the most are the wonderful side characters and creatures. They had so much personality and were really imaginative. The creatures that were introduced are some of my favorite mythological creatures of all time and they aren’t portrayed enough in books in my opinion.

For me as a grownup reader the story did feel too fast paced. Every time the story seemed to calm down and give room for character development and conversation the pace immediately picked back up and the moment was over. Therefore the story lacked depth in my opinion. It also introduced too many „villains“, places and factions for the page count to also adequately provide a clear message. Even though I liked the individual elements, putting them all in one story felt slightly convoluted.

I listened to the audiobook and was overall happy with the performance by Adam Varah! The character voices were done well and their voice is really pleasant.

I would definitely recommend this as a bedtime story for small children. Dividing this story up in smaller chunks that all have an action Szene and a slightly calmer resolution would fit perfectly for this purpose in my opinion.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Wild Rose Press for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Phoebe and her parents are in West Virginia getting ready to release an American eagle that her mom has nursed back to health is nine year old Phoebe is out playing with her grandfathers purple cape around her she gets so carried away when she stops and wants to go home to eat dinner she realizes she is lost. This is when she meets Nishnash a goblin and he is also lost. One CBCs an egg fall out of his backpack he gets even more upset it seems “mash“ never does anything right or at least that’s what is teacher tells him the one they know there’s a giant troll coming for them Phoebe has no other choice but to follow Nash back into where he came from which is called Lurch Hollow. He did however promised that he would get Phoebe back home, but before that happens she will meet all kinds of strange creatures including royalty Summer nice and some are not so nice but the big question is will she ever make it back home? This is a great book about friendship and getting to know people regardless of how they first appear whether they are different or not. It also has great themes of believing in yourself and learning to take a complement. I thought this was an awesome book it is a children’s book that I think is great for any child of any age I am an adult and found this book adorable and funny with many LOL moments. This is a great book for any budding fantasy lover or wanting to inspire that love in your children. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This book felt reminiscent of so many fantasies I loved to read as a kid. This felt more modern because of its smart, brave heroine, but it had all the elements to make it a whimsical, fun read, where the stakes were high enough to make you care about what happened.
There were themes of family, independence, forgiveness, and I thought it had good lessons for middle school kids.
Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this.

The Griffin’s Egg is a fun children’s adventure in the style of a portal fantasy. A third grader, Phoebe, is looking for something to do in a forest on a lazy summer day and encounters a goblin protecting a griffin’s egg. When she discovers that she has the magical ability to change into different animals, Phoebe agrees to follow her new friend into a strange world and deliver the egg to safety. But with each turn, new friends and foes appear! She’ll have to stay on her toes to keep everyone safe.

It’s been a minute since I’ve read an actual children’s book, as opposed to middle grade. The pace is very quick, jumping to the next plot point without much break. While this was a bit of a whirlwind for adult me, I know little kid me would really appreciate the story moving forward this way so I would never get board. The world that Phoebe gets to explore is vast and full of fantastic creatures: mermaids, witches, trolls, etc. It was fun getting to discover everything with her. This is a good book for early readers looking for a quick, fun fantasy read.

What can I say? 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.
All round, a brilliant read that I will be recommending to everyone!

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

The Griffin's Egg is a middle-grade novel focusing on Phoebe, a ten-year-old girl who gets lost in the woods, leading to a magical adventure to save the last Griffin's egg from falling into evil hands. Maybe it's because I just saw the new Ghibli movie, but this book gives off those fantastical vibes that I enjoy, creating a truly magical world. The story is fast-paced and entertaining the entire time.

Phoebe is a great main character; she's a brave girl who will be great for readers of that age group to read about. Gnish is a great sidekick, and I found him quite fun to follow. The entire cast of characters is interesting, but sometimes it does feel a little hard to follow them all.

The audiobook's narrator is clear and easy to follow.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.