Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gargantis (The Legends of Eerie-On-Sea #2)
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 26 May 2020
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Fantasy

Panda Rating:

In the second fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea, Herbert and Violet team up to solve the mystery of the Gargantis — an ancient creature of the deep with the power to create life-threatening storms.

There’s a storm brewing over Eerie-on-Sea, and the fisherfolk say a monster is the cause. Someone has woken the ancient Gargantis, who sleeps in the watery caves beneath this spooky seaside town where legends have a habit of coming to life. It seems the Gargantis is looking for something: a treasure stolen from her underwater lair. And it just might be in the Lost-and-Foundery at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, in the care of one Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder. With the help of the daring Violet Parma, ever-reliable Herbie will do his best to figure out what the Gargantis wants and who stole her treasure in the first place. In a town full of suspicious, secretive characters, it could be anyone!

TL;DR: This was such a delightful sequel that I’m sure many young readers will absolutely enjoy (I know that my young-at-heart self really did)! 😉 It’s full of action and mystery, as well as supportive friendships and a lot of heart. I can’t wait to come back to Eerie-on-Sea to learn more about Herbie (because now I’m really even MORE curious to learn about his history) and Violet in the next instalment!

Coming back to Eeerie-on-Sea and following Herbie and Violet on another mysterious adventure felt a bit like visiting with old friends. This second instalment set in the not-so-quaint and more than a little ‘eerie’ seaside town was action-packed from the go and was just as exciting as the first. Although the ARC had some missing illustrations, I still loved the ones I saw and it’s probably one of my favourite aspects of the books! Technically, even if you haven’t read Malamander you can still read this book and you won’t get lost, but why would you even wanna do that? 😉

In Gargantis, we learn a lot about the legends and old fishermen’s tales alongside Herbie and Violet against the backdrop of a ghastly storm that’s brewing over the town. Is this just a ‘regular’ albeit more violent than usual storm or is this because a monster has awakened? As always, there’s a certain sense of foreboding to the story as Herbie manages to wind up being responsible for an artefact that many people in town would literally kill for. We get to see many familiar faces, but we’re also introduced to new and intriguing characters such as Old Squint Westerly and Boadicea Bates, as well as another very creepy nemesis in Deep Hood. Taylor a fantastic job in creating a spooky atmosphere, and especially in introducing a new villain who will have goosebumps racing down your spine! You’ll no doubt be kept on your toes with a few surprising twists thrown in, especially at the end, that will leave you eager for more!

While I was hanging on to see how our duo would save the day, the best part for me continued to be the wholesome friendship between Herbie and Violet. They have such contrasting personalities but they bring out the best in each other, and you can see that theirs is a bond that’s for a lifetime. While Herbie will always have a soft spot in my heart, and I was eager to learn more about how he ended up washed ashore as a baby, Violet really stole the show with her go-getter attitude and unfailing support for Herbie. Sure, it might’ve gotten them into many of the scrapes they experienced in the story, but she encouraged Herbie to confront his fears, though never alone, and that was so wonderful to see! This is the type of friendship everyone needs in their life, and they’re both so great and really deserve the best 💙

Have you read Gargantis or is it on your TBR?