The Neverfear by Katherine Rundell
The Neverfear
by Katherine Rundell
Fantasy | Middle Grade
336 Pages
Released September 2026
Impossible Creatures series #3
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
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Content Warnings
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books | Knopf Books for Young Readers for a copy of this book. Impossible Creatures is one of my favorite current running series, and my child and I were so excited to follow Christopher and his friends again!
This is the third installment of the Impossible Creatures series. As to avoid any spoilers, I’ll quickly summarize the first book in the series before diving into the (spoiler-free) review! Impossible Creatures follows a boy named Christopher, who always seems to attract animals wherever he goes. Whilst visiting his grandfather, he unexpectedly comes across Mal who pulls him into the magical world of the Archipelago - a secret series of islands inhabited by all sorts of wondrous creatures.
Christopher is back, alongside a cast of familiar faces - all of which we were excited to read about again. This book also introduces a new villain, the scariest one yet, as Christopher and his friends are in a race against time to save on of their own.
Once again we are set in the world of the Archipelago, a cluster of magical islands where mythological creatures still exist. We loved how Rundell has continued to expand on this magical world, introducing us to knew islands in the Archipelago, as well as new mythical creatures. The stakes are higher than ever this story, and it does get quite dark at times, but Rundell does a wonderful job blending tension and humor so that the book isn’t entirely dark.
(Also, initially while reading this series, I had a hard time telling what direction the last books in the series were headed in but this book cleared that up a little.)
My only complaint is that the world still feels a bit flat. By that I mean, I don’t feel quite as immersed in the world of the Archipelago as I do in other worlds (but that shouldn’t discourage someone from reading it). The pacing is fast, the overall story is intriguing, and my child and I had had a wonderful time reading this book. (I’m very much grateful for the short chapters, which makes it easy to squeeze in several a night!)
If you’re looking for a new fantasy series rich in mythological creatures, friendship, humor and suspense, you should definitely pick this one up. With two books in the series already out and the third released this September, there’s plenty to dive into before the series wraps over the coming years!
The Neverfear by Katherine Rundell hits shelves on September 1st, 2026 in the U.S.!