Today my blog is the port of call for the Malamander blog tour. Get ready to set sail for the quaint seaside town of Eerie-on-Sea.

At first glance, Eerie-on-Sea appears to be just like any other seaside town. But this is a town shrouded in legend and mystery – when night falls and the mist starts to swirl, a fearsome creature prowls the shore. Searching, always searching…..

The Grand Nautilus Hotel is the jewel of the Eerie seafront and in its basement is the Lost and Found Department, where items remain for one hundred years unless claimed.  After this point they belong to Herbie Lemon, the resident Lost and Founder.

One snowy night, a girl crashes through his window calling for help. Together the pair will unlock the legend of the Malamander. A mechanical mermonkey and a mysterious tome await them in the Eerie Book Dispensary, but people are watching – people who would quite like to unravel the legend and reap the rewards themselves.

Phew! What a read! I was immediately sucked into the murky, misty world behind the cheerful seaside town facade. Taylor has expertly crafted an atmospheric world of grand hotels, antiquated books dispensaries and local eccentrics. I could picture myself lounging in the slightly faded splendour of the Grand Nautilus Hotel, smell the musty pages in the emporium and feel the chill damp of the seaside air seep into my bones.

There’s also a truly wonderful cast of characters: plucky children, eccentric fossil collectors, ageing recluses, ships’ captains, legendary creatures and truly heartless power-hungry beast hunters. As you’re reading, you get the nagging feeling that each of these characters have hidden secrets yet to reveal (good and bed). As the story progresses, Taylor slowly reveals how these characters and their stories intertwine, letting little pieces of the puzzle drop into place.

I don’t want to give too much more away, but this is an absolutely cracking read which I would definitely recommend for anyone aged nine and up. Packed with scares, laughs, mystery and with a slightly gothic feel.  Make sure you take a trip to Eerie yourself by visiting www.eerie-on-sea.com and take a look at the fantastic  school resources from Shapes for Schools HERE.

Library Girl.

*Thank you to Walker Books for sending me this title to review and to Shapes For Books for organising this blog tour*