Hell yes, WHAT … A … FINALE … Welcome to Eerie-on-Sea for the last time.
Mermedusa is the final book in the Eerie-on-Sea pentalogy, and it is a bittersweet read. On the one hand, I am incredibly grateful for the amazing adventures that Herbie Lemon and Violet Parma have taken us on over the past five books. On the other hand, I am very sad to say goodbye to Herbie, Vi, Dr. Thalassi, Mrs F., Jenni Hanniver, Clermit, Erwin and all the other folks of Eerie-on-Sea.
Mermedusa follows on seamlessly from Festergrimm. Now, exactly one year after the Eerie-on-Sea mysteries have started with Malamander, something strange happens in this town again.
It is midwinter once again, and the hosts of a paranormal podcast have descended on Eerie-on-Sea eager for a sighting of the legendary malamander. Herbie and Violet are excited to show off their town and its many oddities, but they soon realise that these visitors are not at all what they seem. A series of mysterious events begins to unfold, and Herbie and Violet find themselves caught up in a dangerous game. They must use all of their skills and resources to solve a series of puzzles and stop a powerful evil force from destroying Eerie-on-Sea.
As a long-time visitor to Eerie-on-Sea, what do you think when you hear that both Lady Kraken’s Cameraluna and Jenny Hanniver’s Meremonkey have been destroyed by an evil force? Hmm? Exactly, which gateway to hell has been thrown open? And who was it?
And not to forget … Our beloved arch-enemy, Sebastian Eels, is pursuing his dark plans more than ever and is constantly thwarting Herbie and Vi’s investigations.
The story follows Herbie and Violet, two friends who are always getting into trouble. This time, they find themselves in the middle of a mystery involving a legendary sea monster, the Mermedusa.
The Mermedusa is said to be half-mermaid, half-medusa, and it is said to be responsible for several shipwrecks off the coast of Eerie-on-Sea. But is the Mermedusa real? Or is it just a myth?
Herbie and Violet are determined to find out. They set out on a dangerous adventure to investigate the mystery of the Mermedusa. Along the way, they must face off against dangerous creatures, solve puzzles, and uncover the truth about Eerie-on-Sea’s darkest secrets.
One of the things I love most about Mermedusa (and all the other books before) is the way Taylor writes about friendship. Herbie and Violet’s friendship is the foundation of the series, and it’s a friendship that I could really root for. They support each other through thick and thin, and they always have each other’s backs.
Thomas Taylor has managed to skillfully interweave all the open plot strands with the story. The ending indeed did surprise me a little. And you? What do you think of the ending? And what did you think of the whole Eerie-on-Sea series? Let me know on my Instagram account @direk2869.
I can’t help but feel very sad that this is the end of the series. I’ve grown so attached to Herbie, Violet, and all the other characters in Eerie-on-Sea. I’m going to miss them all.
But I’m also excited to see what Thomas Taylor does next. He’s a gifted writer with a lot of imagination, and I know whatever he writes next is going to be amazing.
If you haven’t read any of the books yet, I recommend you read them in chronological order, because Mermedusa refers to all four volumes beforehand.
1: Malamander (click to read my review)
2: Gargantis (click to read my review)
3: Shadowghast (click to read my review)
4: Festergrimm (click to read my review)
5: Mermedusa
Dirk
Advertisement due to § 2 Nr. 5 TMG (only for Germany):
I mark the following links as advertising in accordance with § 2 No. 5 TMG:
Extras to Mermedusa:
Walker Books has created a wonderful website for the Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series: https://eerie-on-sea.com with an interactive map of the village, extracts of the stories and a few other goodies. Also you can watch the trailer to Mermedusa.
If you want to know more about Thomas Taylor and his inspirations to write the Eerie-on-Sea-mysteries please visit https://booksforkeeps.co.uk/article/a-qa-interview-with-author-thomas-taylor/ to read a Q&A interview with the author.
Notes:
All pictures are taken by myself, © & ® Deborahs Bücherhimmel.
Mermedusa is published by Walker Books UK. More information around this amazing maritime myth story you can find here:
Eerie-on-Sea (Eerie-on-Sea homepage)
Walker Books UK (Walker Books homepage)