I’m having such an incredible book year that I feel like I’m repeating myself with every review.

If I’d picked this book up as a young child it would be in my top 20 (I read a lot, give me 20!), and would have a special place in my heart and my bookshelf - one of those childhood books I read at the library then buy as an adult with a heart full of remembered joy.

Benjamiah does not believe in magic, he believes in science, until a mysterious gift leads him into Wreathenwold, a vast labyrinth where even venturing a few streets can find you lost forever. He finds himself off on an adventure with Elizabella, the daughter of the man who found him and rescued him on his arrival.

This broke my heart, made me laugh, and had me on edge a lot. I absolutely flew through it. Just wonderful.

My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Children's for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and wanted to keep reading. It’s suitable for adults and children alike with a story of magic and danger. There were hints of His Dark Materials as everyone in Wreathenworld has a poppet, a doll that hangs by their side and can transform into a creature (like a daemon). Benjamiah, age 11, finds himself moving from his bookshop to another in a different world. He helps Elizabella look for her twin brother and they encounter all sorts of strange things on the way. I particularly liked Ariadne, the piece of thread, who could show them the way. There were hints of Terry Pratchett’s world as well as lots of new ideas, making this a fun read.

A magic and riveting novel that made me smile and kept me enthralled. I enjoyed what I read: plot, world building, characters.
Well done and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoyed this book, although I felt it got better in the second half. Great characters (it took me a little while to notice their names weren't actually how my brain automatically read them!) and really good world building. I liked the idea of the labyrinth town.

This was a fantastic read. Grabbed my attention right from the start and kept me reading like a madwoman.
The world is brilliantly imagined, including the magic in it. It's not too complicated or over explained, it's just the right level of interesting, deep but understandable.
The characters were great, doing some good old character growth. Elizabella especially changed a lot and became much less irritating.
I really enjoyed this whole story, it was so exciting and rarely let up the excitement. Definitely worth a read! I'm really hoping there will be more books in this series as some things feel not quite finished...

Brilliant new novel for me to enjoy. Benjamin h Creek loves books and science and when he receives a doll his life will be turned upside down. He is led to another world (Weathenwold) where magic is everywhere and causes people to get lost if they stray too far. He joins Elizabella in her quest to find her missing brother.

This novel is so well written with great characters who will have to face their fears and rely on each other as they seek the truth. They must find the Wisperwicks hidden by Elizabella’s brother to listen to messages that at first make no sense.

Adventure, danger, magical poppets and true friendships. Enjoy..

A new children's fantasy book series you say? Count me in. Benjamiah is sent a strange doll which leads him out of our world and into a new one; the Wreathenwold - a tremendous labyrinth. There, he becomes embroiled in a quest to find Edwid, who has disappeared but has left a trail of clues for his twin sister, Elizabella, to find.

The world building in this is fantastic; Lee has created a totally fantastical but believable world. The story was well plotted, with some
touching messages about grief and divorce.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for my review copy.

An intriguing concept with confident immersive world building, there is so much going on here. Wicked ideas are thrown around, almost in passing, which would otherwise be the entire premise of other stories.

There are strong references to Greek mythology and similarities with Philip Pullman’s daemons, but this wholly feels like an original idea.

The inclusion of dark and creepy moments should appeal to all but the most sensitive children. The Hanged Men are such a strong image. Kids will love the darkness and jeopardy, which barely lets up in a fast-paced plot. The ending is slightly left open for the next book, to which I’m very much looking forward.

A wildly entertaining read full of twists and turns - as you'd expect, since it's set in a labyrinth!
The worldbuilding is interesting and unexpected, and in this strange world, the characters feel very real and relatable.

Eleven-year-old Benjamiah Creek believes in science and logic. He definitely does not believe in magic. But when he receives a mysterious gift in the post - a doll that can transform into a bird - he is led into the impossible world of Wreathenwold, where dark secrets are lost amongst a vast labyrinth of streets.

Benjamiah soon finds himself swept along in a dangerous quest - led by the fierce and brilliant Elizabella, who is determined to solve the disappearance of her missing brother.

Review

When I was offered a copy of this for review it was sold as the next great magical fantasy adventure, which given the strength of children’s fiction currently, is very bold!

However this was excellent. Lees is a very confident writer, with clear and readable prose. The book has a cold open that remains a mystery till almost the end of the novel which for kid lit, is brave. Secondly by virtue of being set in a wildly different world to ours there is a great deal of exposition about things like magical shapeshifting dolls linked to hosts a la Pullmans daemons, all in a world of confusion where once you go a couple of streets away you magically forget the way back. Then throw in tree people, those who steal colours from objects, magical lanterns with riddles - and that’s just a start.

What could have been a muddled mess hangs together as a cohesive whole. It does take some time to get through world building and magic system, but once it does it’s off like a rocket. The book confidently sends the main characters on fantastical side quests and missions to achieve their ultimate goal.

It does suffer from the old trope of ‘unresolved conclusion where there’s a magical enemy potentially coming back to life-itis’ a very common affliction, but Lees has the wise sense to also craft a definite ending with a neat twist if the book was to become standalone.

I enjoyed spending time in the world, was utterly swept away by the creativity. I can’t wait to see the characters fleshed out even more now their relationships are more established. Also, I’ve never rooted more for a mute magical piece of thread before - but Ariadne is delightful! (You’ll understand when you pick up the book - releasing March 28, preorders available now)

I loved this fantasy tale of fact-focused Benjamiah entering the totally chaotic and dangerous Wreathenwold. The author does a great job of tying all the threads together in a complex world. I loved the ever-changing city streets, Ariadne, and colour being the currency, including eye colour. I really really loved the poppets (I want one!). The book is full of imaginative detail (including the whisperwicks) and characters, Benjamiah and Elizabella are strong protagonists in the search for Elizabella's brother Edwid. It's a great story, with an unexpected twist, and if you like fantasy, I highly recommend you dive into this story.

The Whisperwicks is as epic fantasy full of magic, folklore and the unknown. Readers are pulled into the darkness of two brilliantly crafted worlds as strange events build intrigue page after page.

I found this slow going in the first half but enjoyed the story overall. The world was definitely original and quite creepy too (#poppets#stealing eye colours!). Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

What a spellbinding story. This book grabbed my imagination and let me lose myself in the world of Wreathenwold. The story has subtle undertones of Philip Pullman but it felt fresh and new.
The story is about a lost boy in another world and how Benjamiah is taken into that world to help Elizabella find her brother. Wreathenwold is a dark mysterious place where people get lost all the time as Wreathenwold refuses to be mapped and roads change constantly making it virtually impossible to find your way. The book portrays the darkness well with suitably bad villains and the children’s adventures keep you enthralled.
For a debut story this is a brilliant read and I look forward to reading a lot more by this author.

I think "The Whisperwicks" by Jordan Lees is like the love bookchild of Neil Gaiman and Frances Hardinge- it's a fantasy adventure with a lot of heart but a definitely creepy underbelly.

Benjamiah Creek is an eleven-year-old boy with a very normal life- he lives above his family run bookstore, he play chess and he firmly believes in science, not magic. His parents leave him with his grandmother in order to go away to make a last attempt to save their failing marriage. During this time he receives a mysterious gift in the mail: a doll that can transform into an animal such a monkey or bird. The doll leads him to a secret door and into the strange world of Wreathenwold, There he meets Elizabella, a young girl searching for her missing brother. Together, they embark on a perilous quest through a labyrinth of secrets and dangers in order to bring him home- with Benjamiah wondering what exactly he has gotten himself into and how he will himself ever make it back to his own world.

I loved many things about the book- the setting of Wreathenwold felt very original and it is delightfully sinister in places. There is some fine character growth in the development of the relationship of Ben and Elizabella. I personally found Elizabella extremely annoying but I think that was the point, as the tale is really told through Benjamiah's perspective. There are some memorable supporting characters and an interesting magical system revolving around the use of dolls or "poppets" for spellcasting.

The pace is cracking, although there's a fair bit of worldbuilding with the requisite amount of info- dumping in spots that some readers might find confusing. There's also a rather confusing gap between the opening scene and things that happen later in the book which left me a little puzzled (and may need a re-read to solve, hence knocking off half a star). My main comment is that younger readers might find this book quite dark- there is a lot of peril and some of the characters are downright terrifying in a way that I, as an adult, enjoyed very much but might be off putting for little kids.

Overall, this is a very compelling debut and I could see this as the start of as a successful series. I would love to read more from this author. A recommended 4.5 stars.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Puffin for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a truly magical Book full of twists & turns linking two worlds & showing how friendship & love can overcome evil of all types! There are fabulous descriptive characters some of who you'd like to know more about . This is a wonderful book to read on your own & it would be fantastic read allowed too. Thank you Jordan Lees for such a magical journey & I will be highly recommending this to Family & Friends across the Globe . #NetGalley,#Goodreads, #FB, #Amazon.co.uk, #Instagram, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/8a5b541512e66ae64954bdaab137035a5b2a89d2" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

For a debut, this book is really good. Benjamiah is a lonely boy and doesn’t believe in magic. But one day, he found a door that lead to a world full of magic!
Elizabella has lost her twin brother, and she determined to find him, eventho she knows that the journey is dangerous!
Packed with adventures, Ben try to help Elizabella find Edwid, against the Minotaur and The Magi!
I have to say that all the protagonists are quite likeable. But i like Ben the most. Because eventho he’s bit a thinker and cautious, he relies on his logic, but he’s a loyal friend. Elizabella is reckless and stubborn. The balance between them is fun to read. I think, in the half of the book, we can all guest who the villain is, but still the plot twist break my heart. I didn’t see that coming.
I hope there will be a sequel to this book!!

‘Love is the very highest form of courage’

This is not the type of book that I would normally read but I was gripped by the story right from the beginning. The way that the author described each area made me feel as though I was in the same place as the characters. It was intriguing and captivating. It was also quite sad in places. I would never have known that this was the first book by the author - well done and good luck for the future

I loved this book and think it will appeal to young people very much. The doll Benjamin finds is sinister and intriguing and when it leads him to another world he becomes embroiled with another family. Benjamin has his own family worries but through his involvement with the initially difficult Elizabella - such a great character- he helps her resolve her own family woes regarding her brother. As well as a touching emotional story it is thrilling and the children have many adventures. It’s set up for a great series - I hope !

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. The Whisperwicks is a very original, magical, mystery tale which I thoroughly enjoyed. The word building is top notch,