What a totally wonderful book. It has a heroine who hates being a princess, a deep dark secret and a malevolent governess called Madame Marionette. The small number of characters and the small tight knot community that hosts the action seems to focus the events in our mind and brings home the claustrophobic way that Princess Mim has to live. A lovely, original and very readable story for middle grade readers.

Thank you so much to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for the earc to read and review.

Jemima (Mim) a young princess born on her kingdoms curse day grows up with an enquiring mind with no answers for why the castle and the kingdom is surrounded by a wall or what the outside is really like. After her father finally sees her he invites someone new to the castle to train her up for her princess duty, which in return makes her desperate for escape from the life she’s in and she sets off on an adventure.

Before I say too much I must say I didn’t overly like this story, I couldn’t get into it, nor could I connect to any of the characters at all. That’s not to say it isn’t a good book, it really is good and offers a lot that would really capture someone’s attention and get them hooked into this story, it just didn’t get me, it just wasn’t for me I suppose.

The story had some fascinating areas such as the alchemy magic that Mim learns, her adventures to solve and get rid of the three Impossibles curse, the merpeople and the creatures she meets along the way.

I loved that after the life Mim had been living and with her overly curious mind, plus with the evil Madame Marionette it convinced her she had to leave, she finally found a way to answer her own questions. I must say though she didn’t come across like an 11 year old to me.

The adventure is very exciting and getting the answers with Mim is great, Madame Marionette is evil and will creep you out with her evilness. This book teaches all about alchemy (which isn’t talked about or explored very often in MG books which is a shame as it’s an interesting form of magic.) This book offers a lot and has such a fun adventure, I know that this story will be something that kids around 9-12 would really enjoy and love to read and escape into this world.

✨“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible’!”✨
—Audrey Hepburn

🌷The day Mim was born was a day full of secrets; her mother died, it is known as ‘The Day of the Catastrophic Curse’, and no-one ever leaves the walled kingdom.

Ruthlessly trained to be a princess by the nasty Madame Marionette, Mim can’t take it anymore. She has no desire to be a princess, yet alone the talent to act like one.

Mysterious creatures. An impossible problem.

🌸It was an alright read. To be completely honest I had trouble getting into this book. I couldn’t get behind the setting and I wasn’t a fan of the characters. There was a definite distance created between me and the writing— I couldn’t fall into the world and the story dragged for me.

Thank you @Netgallery for giving me an advanced copy.

Read. Be happy. Stay safe.

2.5 stars

HE THREE IMPOSSIBLES is a quirky story set in a world of mermaids, giant flying birds, and alchemists.

I love a story with alchemy, as it's where science meets magic (more fantasy with a science-y aesthetic, but I still enjoy it.) In this book, the magic of alchemy was linked to impossible acts that were almost like riddles the Mim had to solve, symptomatic of the fact that alchemy usually indicates a magic system where brains are more important than inherent skill and who can out-fireball the other. And this is the case here. Mim is not winning through magical strength, but a feat of alchemy.

However, despite this, there was something about this book that just didn't click with me.

I think it's because I never quite felt like there was any real obstacles to Mim's success. I always knew she'd succeed - I basically assume every main character will, because that's the nature of fiction - but it went beyond that. I want to feel like there is a real adversary for a hero/ine to go up against because, though I know they're going to survive and win 99% of the time (and, it has to be said, I do like the books where they fail too), but I want to be wondering "what are they going to have to sacrifice in order to succeed?"

I didn't feel like that was happening with this book.

Despite the purported dangers of Madame Marionette and her goons, Mim managed to do everything easy peasy. I didn't feel like there was any actual threat from Madame Marionette. For example, all Mim needed was a cloak to just waltz out the gate that is never supposed to be open. It took the anticipation out of the story.

Excellent cover and plot concept however, this didn't reach me how I hoped it would, there was a few teething issues, the story itself wasn't half bad I know it's designed to be aimed at 11-14 year olds I'm just not sure at that age IF I would have found this to hold my attention as it seemed a little over the top in places, I'm not totally sure if this is because there are lots of characters in it that seem a bit fairy tale and it seemed a tad predictable.

The character development was very limited for me and that started the disappointment. Character development is so important for me in a book, and I kinda feel like when starting with characters, they should be up to a standard already, for me, they just weren't, they ignored basic and obvious ways of dealing with things - maybe that comes with age, I don't know, but I just felt at that age, I was able to do things like that, and I kinda expect that from characters in a book aimed at kids that age.

It seemed a bit choppy at times especially with characters impersonating and becoming other characters and how that could be seemed a bit like a last minute idea. Bascially, the book didn't capture me like I expect stories to do, it's not the worst book by a long shot but I expected more and I found that a bit disappointing and feel a little meh about the whole thing.


With thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the free ARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A magical mission with twists and turns at every step. Filled with peril and adventure, I was captivated by Mim and her band of misfits who worked together to show what can be achieved with determination, fierce friendship and a little bit of magic. Brilliant for fans of Michelle Harrison and Abi Elphinstone.

I requested The Three Impossibles from Netgalley mainly based on the cover. But the story didn’t disappoint either. We follow Mim and her Enquiring Mind in a rich world filled with Mer, Wings, Alchemy and Curses.

There was plenty to love in this book. The characters are interesting and all have their fun quirks. Madame is truly terrifying and wonderfully creepy. I adored the Outside and its creatures and of course the Alchemist. There are some nods towards Greek mythology (though sadly these are never fully developed or add much to the story), and the action scenes are thrilling and have high stakes.

But I do also have some issues with it. First of the pacing didn’t work well for me. The first 70% and the part where the Three Impossibles occur felt too separate for me, and I wished the book had been a bit longer so more time could be spent solving the Impossibles and smoothing out the story in general. Although the characters were all fun and interesting, they could also be infuriatingly and unbelievably dumb at times. We are also left with some unanswered questions, making this book score fairly low regarding logic for me. The writing was great at times, with fun wordplays… but the dialogue didn’t run smoothly at all. And then there was the ending, which was a bit too tropy and cheesy for me.

I still had a fun time reading this book though, and I can definitely imagine it’s target audience enjoying it a whole lot. I also very much appreciate the fact that this a standalone book. Although I can enjoy a good series, sometimes it is nice to just have the whole story in one go. And this fun, fast paced book can certainly be read in a single sitting.

The Three Impossibles was a unique and brilliant book. I enjoyed the amazing plot and world building and how every character was so well rounded. The plot twist was brilliant and made all the characters get everything they wanted making it a very satisfying end for me.

The story follows eleven-year-old Mim who has an Enquiring Mind and doesn't want to be a princess. She becomes an alchemist's apprentice and uncovers a big secret that changes her life whilst also saving her father from the clutches of Madame Marionette.

The plot is unique and the writing well paced which made it a quite gripping read. Mim was a brilliant character and I adored her! The characters of Smith, Miranda and Mac were brilliant as well.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for your next adventure!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the E-arc!

This was a whimsical and engaging read, but with a few aspects that bothered me. I loved the world building and the general plot but the characters always felt a little flat to me. The way they sometimes act without reason made me sigh more than once. Also, the ending... I‘m not giving too much away here but it followed a too well-established trope and I didn’t buy the characters‘ reaction to this ‘big revelation’. - 3.5 stars

The Three Impossibles is a fun middle-grade story about a cursed kingdom and a princess determined to fix it. Eleven years ago, the queen died and all the gold in the kingdom turned to lead. The king built a wall around the city and no one was allowed to go to the Outside ever again. However, when the young princess Mim discovers her governess has been sneaking out at night at the king's orders, and the terrifying Madame Marionette turns up to make her into a real princess, Mim ends up on a journey to help an old alchemist turn the lead back into gold before time runs out. To do so, they must solve the Three Impossibles.

This is a fun adventure. The world it's set in feels small (in a Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe sort of way), but creative. I would have no problems reading more books set in this world. The main character is very innocent and likeable, though she occasionally comes off as a bit older than just eleven. I really enjoyed how the plot tied together, and although I found the Impossible/I'm Possible moment at the forge a little on the cheesy side, I still enjoyed the book as a whole. The characters are interesting and feel very individual, and I was invested in them enough that I struggled to put the book down and finished it over a couple of days.

I would definitely read other books by this author and I recommend The Three Impossibles to children 11+ (only because Madame Marionette is terrifying). It would be a good family read or a read aloud. The cover art is beautiful and the story itself is exciting and magical. If I ever have a pet frog, I think I'll call him Samuel.

I give it 3.5 stars because it was a great read, but a touch predictable at points.

(Review copy provided free from NetGalley in exchange for review. All opinions in this review were formed by my own Enquiring Mind)

This book was really well-written but it wasn't really for me. I didn't feel I could really relate to Mim. Her mother died on the day she was born and she's grown up in an isolated castle, completely walled up from the rest of the world. Her only friend is the local blacksmith. Life begins to change when her father, the King, brings in a new tutor for her and gives her a crown - she is now a princess.

Over the last few years Pushkin Press has been establishing itself as a home for original high quality children’s fiction. The Three Impossibles joins this group with a fantastical tale featuring a princess called Mim who sets out to lift a curse from the castle where she grew up with her father and overbearing housekeeper trapped away from the outside world by a giant wall. Once escaping the castle she begins a quest to learn the truth behind the curse and change the future. On her journey she meets an array of characters from winged creatures to underwater merpeople and visits a variety of locations Like all good adventures, Mim battles to find solutions to a range of puzzles and resolve the woes of her father’skingdom and discover for herself that all is not what it seems in the life she has led. The plot is fairly fast paced and the language builds up some tension , great visual imagery and comical moments . In a crowded world of children’s fiction let’s hope Susie Bower’s second book shines through.

When 'impossible' becomes 'I'm possible', even the clumsiest, rattiest ones can make change.

Since Curse Day, Jemima lives in a castle full of cold people who show her no love. Throughout the course of the book, she must use her Enquiring Mind to put her city back to rights and save the ones who do care for her.

With a colourful cast of characters and some truly heartwarming moments, plus a bit of alchemy and some magical creatures, The Three Impossibles just goes to show what can be done with resilience, heart and determination.

Thank you NetGalley and Puskin Press for allowing me to read an eARC of this book; all views and opinions discussed here are my own. Spoilers are included within my review and marked with an alert but be mindful if you haven't read it already!

I love the cover of this book and the concept and some aspects of the plot but overall this just wasn't a winner for me. Like I know this is a Middle Grade read but it felt almost like a parody at times; the mean and emotionally distant father, the evil step-mother, the helpful side character, and the poor but very amazing princess. It honestly felt at times that I was reading just a parody story as the characters and their actions felt so OTT at times. I am basing this on other MG books that i've read and comparing it the well-developed characters and lot and this one just didn't stand up for me.

The character development was very limited and whilst the idea of the plot was good, I definitely wanted to shake the characters at times for ignoring obvious solutions. Also that ending, that ending was really what finished it off for me. I enjoyed the journey of the three impossibles with Mim having to track them down and find them, but when it's revealed that

****SPOILER ALERT*****
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Mim isn't actually Mim but is the library keepers grandaughter, and that they'd been switched after the curse set on...it just lost me. All the characters were just a-okay with this and didn't seem to be at all emotionally impacted. We're suddenly meant to accept the king as a good character... because his actual daughter looks like him and wants to be a princess?! And Mim is just going to go and live in lighthouse.
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I couldn't cope with that. It just completely lost me and that's why I had to give it such a low rating.

Out 3rd June 2021 for you to read yourself!

trigger warning
<spoiler> kidnapping, bullying, trauma, grief, child neglect </spoiler>

On her eleventh birthday, Mim's life changes and not for the better. Her emotionally distant father finally realises that she is nothing like the princess she should be, and Mim discovers that the gouverness is not as bad as she always thought. Because her sister is even worse.

Eleven years ago, on the day she was born, life changed drastically and Mim doesn't know why, because nobody tells her. She only knows that there's an enormous wall around castle and town, that nobody is allowed to leave, and that the castle is eerily empty because precious furniture and pictures disappeared one by one.
Her only friend is an adult, the blacksmith Sam Smith - and I love alliteration names in middlegrade.

Mim's main objective is to grow because then she can reach the highher shelves in the library. Everything is sorted in alphabetical order - but by the topic of the book, so she knows loads of stuff about things that start with w and t. One day she finds a magic book. And that's when it gets interesting.

I liked this fun, short adventure. It's been a long time since I had a middlegrade fantasy standalone, and it's neat to have everything in one go. Don't misunderstand me, I like reading series, but especially since I read so many, it's nice to have it different.

Another fun thing is that alchemy plays the central role, and I feel like this is a topic that has been ignored in fantasy novels in recent years. Also, you've got to love a grinning frog as a sidekick.

If a child you know has ventured into the world of chapter books and is getting into a good flow, this would be suitable. All the triggering topics I mentioned are handled very well, and I only mentioned them because that's what I do.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

A girl with no knowledge of the outside world becomes the only one brave enough to save it. Mim is a princess intent on finding herself, forging her own path and saving those she has just met. Her life has been rather neglected until the Day of the Catastrophic Curse, and her 11th birthday. Her rarely seen and unloving father, the king has summoned her to give her a gift.
The gift is a lead crown and the expectation to become a princess. Her new life begins today, he says and the promise is more of a threat. When Madame Marionette arrives with her cruelty, expectations and intents to marry the King, life becomes impossible. Madame brings with her a cage covered in Scarlett silk and containing the Prince of the outsiders. Mim, knowing nothing of the outside world has an “enquiring mind” and desperation to learn all she can about the day she was born, the curse that has plagued the kingdom and the world outside the 30 foot wall.
Events will lead Mim to take drastic action, leave her only friend in the world and undertake a mission to find The Three Impossibles before time is up!
Action packed with heart pounding moments of daring deeds and rescues, this book will keep you reading, down to the last words. Will Mim figure out The Three Impossibles in time to save everything she has ever known?
Mim is an exceptional heroine, risking everything for new friends, old friends and for answers to long held secrets. Susie Bower, as with School for Nobodies, has skilfully written a tangled maze of history, secrets and brilliant characters within a plot that must twist and turn to find its way to the ending we all hope for.

The Three Impossibles is a fast-paced, action packed and utterly delightful read! The main character Mim is immediately likeable and I loved her enquiring mind. I thought the setting and other characters were very well written, and I felt like I was right there with Mim on her adventure.
The villain was thoroughly horrible, and I was really eager to find out what happened in the end, so could hardly put the book down.
Overall, it was a wonderful and original story, and I would love to see a sequel.
I will definitely be recommending this!

I don’t request a huge number of books from Net Galley – partly because I much prefer to read paperbacks, partly because not all of the titles there appeal to me and partly because, being me, I feel the need to maintain my 100% feedback record and having more virtual reads than I can review might put the kibosh on that. This, the latest of my virtual reads, is one which I requested on a whim last week after seeing it pop up several times in my Twitter feed and – with it being half term this week, and my having more time for reading – thought, ‘Why not?’

After reading the incredible Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll at the weekend, I was concerned that whatever I picked up afterwards wouldn’t receive a fair read and that I would judge it more harshly than I might otherwise have done. This, however, was the perfect follow-on: an inventive and original story, packed with excitement and with a wonderful heroine who I absolutely loved.

That heroine is Mim who we first meet on the day of the Winter Solstice – otherwise known as Curse Day – complaining about the ringing of a bell on the hour, every hour, to commemorate the day which also happens to be her eleventh birthday. Getting out of her cold bed into the even colder room, Mim searches for something to put on, only to discover that for some bizarre reason, her governess Foggy has removed the entire contents of her wardrobe during the night. Wrapping her blanket around herself, Mim creeps over to the window of her bedroom and gazes out at the wall which surrounds the castle in which she lives, and has been built to protect its inhabitants from the Outside.

Turning her attention to the forge close by, Mim watches her friend the smith ringing the bell before her thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of Foggy, who barges into her room without knocking. Foggy instructs Mim to put on the long black dress and shoes she is carrying and to make herself more presentable before she goes to see her father the king who has a special gift for her. Mim is not impressed at the thought of having to wear a dress and asks if it has anything to do with it being Curse Day – the day on which her mother died, following which the king had the wall built.

Foggy is not forthcoming with information, however, and the two of them make their way to the throne room. Here, her father tells Mim how disappointed he is with her unruly ways and that she is to start behaving more like a princess should. Mim is not happy at this prospect and after paying a short visit to the smith, finds her way to her beloved library only to be told to leave shortly afterwards by Foggy when the smith arrives with work to do.

Creeping back that night, Mim finds that the smith has installed a ladder which enables her to climb to the top of the tower in which the library is situated. Hoping to look out over the wall, Mim climbs up and notices a book which is out of place on the strictly alphabetised shelves and takes it, planning to return it to its rightful place on her descent. When she reaches the top, she is astonished not only to see Foggy being let out through the gate by a sentry into the Outside but also to see what lies beyond the wall.

After returning to her room, Mim hides the book away from Foggy’s prying eyes and ponders on what she has seen. The following morning, Foggy again comes to her room and again tries to make Mim more presentable and Mim tries to ask her about the Outside only to be told that visiting is not only forbidden, but horribly dangerous because of the creatures that live there. Mim is unable to ask further questions though because Foggy tells her there will be no lessons today as the governess has to prepare a set of rooms for a guest who is coming to the castle.

Mim is excited at the prospect of someone new coming to stay, but her excitement soon dies when the visitor arrives. Summoned to the throne room once more, Mim’s father introduces her to Madame Marionette, who he has employed as Mim’s new governess in a final attempt to have her behave as a princess should. While the king is clearly besotted by the new member of his household, Mim does not feel the same way. As Madame Marionette starts to try to mould her increasingly curious new charge into a perfect princess, it will take all of Mim’s efforts to stand up to her. What is it exactly that Madame Marionette wants? Just what was the curse that has fallen upon Mim’s father’s kingdom? And what will Mim find when she finally manages to find her way beyond the wall?

Mim is the latest in an increasingly long line of non-traditional princesses, and I for one rejoice in that. No longer do our heroines need to be those stereotypically pretty, fancy-dressed dolls whose sole purpose in life is to marry a handsome prince. Mim is burning with curiosity – her enquiring mind as she herself puts it- and longs to spend her days learning about the world around her from the books in the library or chatting to the smith, her best – and only – friend. When she is presented with a dress and horrendously impractical girly shoes to wear, she has no interest in putting them on, much preferring her scruffy and dirty day-to-day clothes which are far more sensible.

While there have always been girls who have felt this way, sadly there is still an enormous amount of pressure on girls to look and behave in a ladylike way – much of it in my experience from parents who still reinforce gender stereotypes at home, even if they do so unconsciously. If as a society we are to challenge these stereotypes and show all of our children that they can dress as they please and take on roles in life that both challenge and interest them, then it is essential that books like this one continue to be written and shared with our young people, of both genders and none, to inspire them to be true to themselves.

Mim is just that. She is fierce and bold, with a big heart and a strong desire to learn more about the world around her simply for the sheer joy that that learning brings to her. To an enormous extent, her self-reliance is as a result of her treatment by her father and Foggy. Where these two adults should be putting her needs first, for their own reasons they actually take no real interest in her as a person and I found this so sad. Children are enormously hard work for many adults – whether as parents or as teachers – and I have known quite a few children who have been in this sort of situation, but have not been as self-assured and capable as Mim. For children like that, Mim is a powerful role model in her efforts to go after what she wants and her decisions to act with her conscience. I do hope that those children who find themselves in a comparable position draw strength from her behaviour.

This is such a great book and although it is a stand-alone story, I for one would really like to know what happens to Mim next; I am sure I won’t be the only one. Enormous thanks to Pushkin Children’s Books and to Net Galley for my virtual advance copy, read ahead of publication on June 3rd this year. A wonderfully inspiring 5 out of 5 stars.

A mysterious curse. An unhappy princess. A land divided by secrets.

The Three Impossibles tells the story of Mim, the unfortunate princess born on The Day of the Catastrophic Curse. Her kingdom has been sealed off from the world and her life is filled with unanswered questions. When her father decided it’s time for her to start acting like a true princess, he enlists the help of the mysterious Madam Marionette. Can Mim use her Enquiring Mind to escape the clutches of this evil governess or is she well and truly stuffed?

The Three Impossibles is a truly unpredictable story. I particularly enjoyed the second half of the book. While I found it quite slow moving initially, it more than makes up for this when the action kicks in. As the story progresses, it becomes a real page turner: I couldn’t put it down as I was desperate to find out what happened. It’s an action-packed read, with likeable characters and an unusual storyline that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a lovely story about Mim, filled with enchanting adventures snd magical missions during which Mim tries to uncover the truth. It will keep your child guessing right up until the very last page. It is very well written and thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it.