While I’m gutted the series is now over it was a great finish and I was not left disappointed in the slightest. Thomas Taylor tells a fantastic story and you can easily sit and finish his books in one sitting. I can’t wait to see what he will do next.

I have loved this series since it was shortlisted for the Awesome Book Awards and have subsequently continued to read the whole series. I am quite sad to be saying goodbye to Herbie, Violet and all the other great characters in Eerie-on-sea. I love the world that Thomas Taylor has created and especially his clever use of names which aren't always obviously related to the sea, but with a little research you find out that they are. I am excited to see what comes next from this author.

I love this series of book so I’m gutted that it’s now over. The characters, the setting, the stories are fantastic - they are so imaginative and exciting. I know my students in year 7 would love this series.

After following Herbie and Violet's journey for a few years now, I was afraid to read the final book. Firstly, because it meant that their glorious adventures were coming to an end, but secondly, I was worried that I wasn't going to find out the answers I've been asking myself from the beginning. With regards to the latter, Mermedusa gave me everything I needed. With regards to the former, the ending was indeed very bittersweet, and a piece of my heart will always remain in Eerie-on-Sea.

Mermedusa brings all of the stories and characters and questions from the previous books, and takes them on a thrilling last ride. I could not put this book down. Very few books or book series are so detailed in their descriptions and have characters so full, that the books play out like films in your head. The Eerie-on-sea books, starting with Malamander and ending with this wonderful conclusion, have always done that for me.

Huge congratulations to Thomas Taylor on such a wonderful book series, that I know will enthral and captivate generations of readers to come.

Thomas Taylor is, in my opinion, an absolutely outstanding story weaver. This book is a stunning finish to the Malamander series and despite being granted an eARC I went out and bought a copy the day it was published so I could share with the children in the class I work in - in hindsight I should have bought 30 copies because every single child has wanted to read it. Fabulous story, pace, intrigue, mystery, characters that draw you in - everything a superb book should contain and so very much more.

What an adventure! The fifth and final story in Thomas Taylor's fantastic Eerie-on-Sea series, Mermedusa sees Herbie and Violet seek the answers to their little town’s greatest and most mysterious secrets. Winter has come again, and has brought with it the hosts of a monster-hunting paranormal podcast who are determined to track down the malamander. Then there’s the eerie hum wreaking havoc on the town… and the return of Sebastian Eels…

The story is full of familiar faces, and Herbie and Vi’s personalities continue to burst through the pages. Weaving in plenty of old threads from the previous stories, Taylor creates a fantastic farewell to a wonderful series - full of adventure, friendship, monsters, and plenty of mayhem!

Mermedusa is a complete story in itself with a gripping beginning with Herbie finding a broken lost watch and immediately wanting to discover the mystery behind it and why it stopped at midnight; an exciting middle complete with monsters looming from the eerie mist and quite frankly the most brilliant ending.

I was impressed with the writing and characterisation. There is references to events throughout the previous books but these are concisely explained giving us just enough information to move the plot forward without bogging us down in the past.

Herbie is the lost and founder at the Nautilus Hotel. it is his job to find and return things to the residents of the hotel. It is written form his point of view in third person. Violet is a feisty and loveable character. the friendship between her and Herbie is heart-touching and relatable. they are both strong characters who the reader is rooting for. the mystery behind their missing parents gives the reader an emotional connection to the characters.

I enjoyed this fast-moving plot which kept me turning the pages. it is full of suspense and delightful twists and turns. ideal for upper middle grade with a love of fantasy adventures with imaginative monsters.

Great ending to the Malamander series. I will miss eerie-on-sea. The urge to have a lantern and get comfortable when reading these stories is a temptation. My children live listening to these adventures. Off to buy some fish n chips.

Mermedusa
By Thomas Taylor
Published by Walker Books Ltd

This fifth gripping adventure of Herbie and Violet, brings the bestselling Eerie-on-Sea series to a heart-stopping climax. Thomas Taylor uses his endless imagination and powerful vocabulary to encase you in the mystery and paranormal of life under the sea for one last time.

It is midwinter again and things are not as they should be! Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, is feeling uneasy as is his side kick and best friend Violet. They are plagued by unsettling dreams and images and the head-splitting "Eerie Hum" is reverberating through the town, affecting many.

So when the unexpected visitors of a podcast descend upon Eerie-on-Sea eager for a sighting of the legendary malamander, the town begins to seek answers from the past. Herbie and his loyal friend Violet have their part to play to unravel and connect so many weird and wonderful discoveries.

Finally, they and the malamander will hopefully discover the Deepest Secret of Eerie-on-Sea before it is too late. A must read for those who have traveled alongside Herbie and for those who believe in magic, mysteries and the long lost creatures of the sea.

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.
#Netgalley

Apologies for omitting to review this amazing book before publication.
The long awaited finale from Thomas Taylor is a fitting tribute to the friendship and loyalty of Herbie and Violet.
With an eye-opening backstory of Mr Mollusc, Sebastian Eels we are led through the Netherways to discover the deepest secret of Eerie-on-Sea, and the truth of Violet and Herbie’s pasts.
What an amazing sort and sadly, the end of our Eerie adventures.
Well Done to Thomas Taylor for creating such a masterpiece.

Mermedusa is the fifth and final book in Thomas Taylor's Eerie-on-Sea Mystery series. It is a heart-stopping adventure that brings the series to a satisfying conclusion. The story picks up where Festergrimm left off, with Herbie Lemon and Violet Parma still trying to solve the mystery of the malamander. A team of cryptozoologists have come to Eerie-on-Sea to investigate the creature, and their presence stirs up a lot of trouble.

As Herbie and Violet get closer to the truth, they uncover a dark secret that has been hidden in Eerie-on-Sea for centuries. They must race against time to stop a terrible disaster from happening. Mermedusa is a fast-paced and exciting read. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the plot is full of twists and turns. The book also features beautiful illustrations by Tom Booth.

If you are a fan of fantasy, adventure, or mystery, then you will love Mermedusa. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good story.

What did we think?
I suspect this series will have been described by some as weird, off the wall, or similar. We have never seen it that way. It is different yet comfortably familiar, or should I say eerily familiar. We can look at churning waters, at wrecks and ageing barnacled piers with their fish and chips shops, and closed amusement arcades at the end and immediately see and thus enter Herbie's world. How many of us have wondered what monsters, manmade or otherwise, lurk beneath the waves, in the shadows of an abandoned waxworks museum, or stalk through the foggy streets at night in search of unwary folk daft enough to be out late?

That, to us, is literary gold, the magic that radiates from within the best set up books.

Herbie's first-person narration is a delight, funny and really engaging. As a character, he has always been at the brunt of things, the underdog to Violet's brash, sometimes wayward enthusiasm. He is overly cautious and the butt end of others' ire and dislike without knowing why. It was lovely to see how he didn't suddenly change in this last story. But he does learn and, in his own way, step up even when he doesn't want to and, for better or worse, make decisions.

This final adventure takes us all around Eerie. We venture underground, over, into and under the sea. Chases abound, as do monsters and the perils. This is nicely balanced by emotional revelations from past and present. It is hard to recall a moment when we weren't entirely absorbed.

We are lucky enough to read some of the best-of-the-best books out there for our own pleasure and to share here and on our blog for prospective buyers around the globe. This closing adventure is, without a doubt, the highlight of our year.

So, crunch time....
Make no mistake, this is a powerful, no-holds-barred tour de force of a conclusion. Everything comes together flawlessly and spectacularly. Nothing is half-hearted. Thomas really has poured his soul into this; that much is evident.

The author told me it was tough to write for various reasons. I can believe it with what has been woven together in this finale and the emotionally touching undercurrents and conclusion.

So, middle-grade adventure or not, you'll not find a better read out there now. And, if you ever wanted to assemble a cast of characters, monsters, villains and heroes, there are none finer, more entertaining, and more frightening than those in Eerie-on-Sea.

I can’t believe I’m saying goodbye to Eerie-on-Sea, but what a goodbye it is! All our favourite people and places; reminiscences of past adventures; and of course adventure a new await in the pages of Mermedusa. I thought the book tied up all the unanswered mysteries from the previous book, showcased Herbie’s and Vi’s friendship perfectly, and kept the suspense going until the very end. Eerie-on-Sea will forever have a special place in my heart and I know that readers are going to be enjoying this series for years to come. Thank you Thomas for the perfect blend of adventure, magic and mystery that you’ve given us! I do hope you’ve got something new and exciting waiting for us!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Walker Books, for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Herbie and Violet’s wild and wonderful journey has finally come to an end!! And whilst wanting to share all the fabulous and spooky details of Eerie-On-Sea’s deepest secret my lips are tightly sealed :) Once again, we live through a fast paced, jam-packed thriller with all the quirks of the rest of the Malamander series.

All the regular and perfectly peculiar characters drop in throughout the story. They happily chime in with their two cents on the mystery and help guide Herbie and Violet on their adventure. And regular no-do-gooder, Sebastian Eels returns, slithering his way about town in his typical devious way.

Oh... And there's a new monster too!!

All in all, it is a perfect finale for this charming series! Taylor has always managed to balance the importance of friendship and belonging whilst throwing in enough twists and turns to make each book a page turner. I’ll be sad to leave Eerie, but the books will never leave my shelf.

And as far as Herbie and Violet story ends…
Nah, I really can’t tell you…
Sorry 😉

What an absolutely fabulous finale to this series. Full of the excitement we have come to expect and with a truly wonderful ending, which I didn't see coming until the very end. Fans will not be disappointed.

I have loved this series from the beginning and Mermedusa felt like the perfect finale to say goodbye to Herbie and Vi. The usual characters are all there and they feel like family now (I have a particular love for Mrs Fossil). Herbie and Vi's adventure this time leads them to discovering the greatest secret of Eerie-on-Sea and finally getting some answers that they have been looking for across the whole series. I'm really going to miss Eerie-on-Sea! I'll definitely be recommending this book (and the whole series) in the library- I think this series is perfect for families to enjoy together, as well as for kids to read on their own (and even adults on their own!)

It’s the end of a series spanning five books featuring the most beloved Lost-and-Founder, Herbert Lemon and his best friend Violet Parma.

In a strangely mystical town called Eerie-on-Sea, unexplained things happen- quite often to our main characters, they are well versed in myth and lore of their seaside town.

Through all the mysteries, we, as the reader, are always keen to learn more about Herbie and Violet as neither knew much about their families when they arrived and so that mystery has spanned the series.

The question as I started reading was, “Will we discover their stories”?

When a famous podcast series arrives to record sound, interview towns folk and basically “set the cat amongst the pigeons”, something is stirring.

An eerie hum fills the heads of those around the sound. The malamander stalks the town and Herbie feels a tug at a memory. And, of course, Sebastian Eels makes a return. To be fair, you should expect nothing less from the author or from Sebastian Eels either!

Expect the unexpected in this adventure, with history finding a place in the present and characters revealing new sides to themselves. You can rely upon Herbie and Violet to be right in the centre of the adventure, being courageous and bold!

This may be my favourite adventure in Eerie-on-Sea but to be sure, I will go back and re-read the series in its entirety. I think it only right to spend more time with Herbie and Violet.

It is a fantastic end to what has been a mammoth series.

What a way to end this marvellous series! I raced through, desperate to find out the answers to all of the questions that we have been teased with. Once again, the mysteries of the town take centre stage, as a team of podcasters arrive to document it's spooky history. We are reminded of many of the creatures that Herbie and Violet have faced before, and once again they find themselves battling with the sinister author Sebastian Eels. I will have to find time to re-read all the books again. I really don't want to say goodbye to the wonderful residents of Eerie-on-Sea. The whole series is filled with such heart and humour, (and more than a few chills). Wonderful storytelling and a perfect ending.

Being back in Eerie on Sea with its assortment of unique residents with their histories, strange happenings and most of all their community was a perfect ending to these books. Throughout the previous books, starting with the brilliant Malamander there has been the thread running through of Herbert not knowing where he has come from and I was so pleased to find the answer to this at the end of Mermedusa. Not only that, but Thomas Taylor answers all those questions and unfinished threads of stories and mysteries really well and cleverly sorts out the terrible Sebastian Eels who has repeatedly been the best baddie to hate in a story! One thing I really liked in Mermedusa is that we find out more about Mr Mollusc and sort of the reason why he gives Herbert a hard time at the Grand Nautilus Hotel.
Like Mrs Fossil at the end, I had a bit to blink something from my eye.
Superb story!

I was excited for this fifth and final instalment of the Eerie-On-Sea mysteries. Having loved the first four, I was not disappointed. Herbie and Vi’s final adventure yet again pits them against their arch enemy and general uptonogooder Sebastian Eels. This book brought everything together in a nail biting, monster laden finale worthy of the series, which I think is a classic. Would recommend all 5 books to anyone.