Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This is a really fun adventure. The characters were well written and the world building was great too.

Poppy Sunshine is a human who lives in Strange Hollow. The Grimwood is outside of her house and filled with magical creatures. Poppy isn’t scared of the Grimwood like the other people in town because her parents are the only humans allowed in. However, Poppy’s parents won’t let her go inside. Poppy decides to break their rule and enter the woods with her friend, Mack the elf. She soon learns that her parents have disappeared. Poppy has to travel through the Grimwood to find her parents and unite her divided world.

I love it when fantasy worlds have a connection to our real world. Strange Hollow is a town filled with humans who are scared of the magical creatures in the Grimwood. This human connection to the fantasy world always makes it seem like the story is closer to our reality.

This story was about two groups who were divided by their beliefs. Penny bridged the gap between the humans and the magical creatures since she was friends with both of them. This is both a timely and an historical issue, since there always seem to be large and dangerous conflicts going on in the world. Penny was a strong character who fought for both sides since she was connected to both of them. She was the only one who had this unique position between the humans and the magical creatures. This was an example of how a conflict that had lasted for many generations could be resolved with the strength of a little girl.

The Edge of Strange Hollow is a great middle grade fantasy novel.

Thank you Imprint for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read as many Middle-Grade as YA or Adult books, but almost every time I picked one, I found a new favorite. And it happened again with The Edge of Strange Hollow. I just finished it and it made me craving to read more of MG.

Just from the first chapter, you already know that it will be turned into a good one. It’s well written, easy to grasp but still intrigue us to continue reading the next chapter. It is so adventurous and has enough complexity in the story.

The classic reason why I love reading a middle-grade book because it has lots of life lessons. Something simple but somehow as an adult, we tend to overlooked or simply forget about it.

Poppy is a brave girl with high curiosity and longing to prove that she is "old" enough to her parents. However, in the beginning, I was kinda annoyed with her stubbornness and it feels a little "forceful" to matched her personally as a strong-will kid. But, seeing how she growth paid off my annoyance.

I adored this book. It was such a fantastical read, full of heart and tons of adventure.

As you enter Strange Hollow, one of several Hollows that border this magical Grimwood, that is surrounded my a mysterious fog that separates the Hollows and Grimwood from the outside world, you see it’s not like the rest. The humans in Strange Hollow have longer than normal life spans and live without technology. It felt very old world and medieval-ish. Like this town was stuck in a different time and place while the rest of the world developed and continued to evolve. The story follows Poppy Sunshine, a human, and her best friend Mack, an elf, as she must enter the Grimwood and find out what has happened to her parents. Poppy is very witty, kind-hearted, and a fierce young girl that just wants to prove to her parents that she is old enough and brave enough to hunt in the Grimwood with them, as a family. Everything Poppy does is to prove this to her parents and her journey is one of self-discovery, growth, and friendship.

The world-building was amazing. You get to meet so many different creatures, from getting to see a herd of unicorns, to witches (both good and bad ones), fae, hobs, magical trees, Valkyrie, selkies…this book has it all! I loved Poppy’s thirst for knowledge, because as her dad says “Knowledge is the enemy of fear”. The whole story is charming, with lots of moments that make you smile, and some that are terrifying and dangerous. The plot is so intriguing and will definitely have you on the edge of your seat, wanting the same knowledge that Poppy does.

Overall, this was a fantastical story. I would recommend this to any young reader, lower middle grade for sure, and especially if you love adventure, and magic!

Wow! The Edge of Strange Hollow is exactly what I look for in middle grade fantasy. There is fantastic world building, excellent character building, it’s full of adventure, mystery, magical creatures, friendship, loss, and more!

I adore Poppy, Mack, Nula, and Dog. Their oddball company fits together in the best way. They are each uniquely different, their struggles are different, their personalities are different and yet they are perfect for each other!

This is a darker/spookier middle grade fantasy and I really enjoyed that! It isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, there are creatures in the wood that do mean the characters harm. It’s also full of action. So much happens on their quest to figure out what happened to Poppy’s parents, and who is responsible.

And the only reason this isn’t a 5 star review from me- is the ending. I find with most middle grade books, the ending always seems so rushed compared to how well laid out the rest of the story has been.

But overall, this is a must read for any middle grade reader!! I would recommend this to any person who enjoys an epic, slightly spooky, middle grade adventure!

I was so happy and shocked when I signed up for my first ever TBR an Beyond Tour and was accepted to read my favourite kinds of books to read which is Middle Grade.

I found that the world building and characters were of a high standard. Usually one outshines the other but not in The Edge of Strange Hollow and this is thanks to Gabrielle's writing. Our main protagonist is Pandora Sunshine or Poppy for short who of a very inquisitive nature. Poppy wants to know everything about the Grimwood where she has lived with her Parents and she wants to go with her them when they go into the wood. The Grimwood is full of many different magical creatures from Shape Shifters, Fairies to name a few. I felt that the Grimwood itself was a character too and that was due to the clever writing. Poppy had a best friend called Mack who was an elf and during the story we meet Luna who is a shape shifting pooka who is a form of a fairy. I loved the friendship each character had and felt that Mack and Poppy had different values and each had to accept that. Mack always wanted to do the right thing but Poppy on the other hand did things without thinking about the consequences then realises that what she does can in fact affect those around her. Even though this a pretty dark middle grade fantasy there is also a lot of light to be had as well being able to teach anyone who reads this the importance of friendship and most importantly that whatever a person does there is always a consequence. I found the book very fast paced. While I was reading the last chapters I knew that the ending would be something else and then some and it did not disappoint. So for all these reasons I knew that I had to give it 5 stars. I will be shouting about this book from the rooftops and I will be buying my own physical copy once it is released here in the UK and I will also be reading Gabrielle's Book The Rise Of The Dragon as well as reading anything else by her.

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars

I immediately knew I wanted to read this the minute I saw the cover and after reading the book I can say that it's perfectly illustrated because it captures the characters and the creepiness of the Grimwood to a tee! The Edge of Strange Hollow is an adventurous and mysterious middle-grade fantasy full of magical and mythical creatures and it's packed with action from the get-go. It has quite the creepy haunted-magical-forest vibe which was quite unexpected and while it's a little grimmer than most other MG fantasies I've read, it was also one of the things that made it stand out to me! The mystery was well-paced and it was easy to root for our characters to figure out whodunit.

Strange Hollow and the Grimwood is set in the real world but is separated/blocked off from it by a magical fog. Most of the story is set within the Grimwood although we do spend a little bit of time in the village of Strange Hollow. The world-building, especially of the woods and the folktales behind it, was done really well and was familiar enough that it isn't overwhelming. Again, this was a little creepier than I thought it'd be (that banshee!) but I do appreciate that Byrne doesn't make all magical things in the forest 'fluffy and good'—in fact, the majority of magical creatures and elements of the wood were dangerous and deadly! My favourite part of the book was the inclusion of such a wide range of magical and mythical creatures from various tales we're familiar with. We got the 'typical fantasy' elves, fairies, werewolves and witches, but we also had selkies, valkyries, Cerberus, and a unique spin on Charon, the ferryman of the underworld! It was very cool and I think Byrne did a wonderful job in weaving it all together.

The story is told from Poppy's perspective and on her journey she's joined by Mack (her elfin best friend), Eta, Two, Brutus aka Dog (love the word play!), Nulla, (a pooka or shape-shifter). There's a fairly large cast of characters that are introduced throughout the journey but it was easy to keep track of which part of the story they join in. Sadly, Poppy was a difficult character to connect with. While she's fiercely determined to prove that she's grown up enough to handle the grimwood and the dangerous work her parents do, she often comes across as quite petty/spiteful despite being well-intentioned overall. I appreciated her curiosity and thirst for knowledge and I do think she was realistic with flaws and all, but I found it tough to agree with many of the decisions she made (regardless of what promises she'd break and who she'd hurt in the process) for the majority of the book. She does experience some growth, albeit very reluctantly, but it sadly wasn't enough to turn her character around for me. That said, what did balance it out for me was Mack. He was such a sweetheart of a character and I wanted to protect him at all costs—he was without a doubt my favourite! He was truly the most thoughtful, supportive and kind-hearted best friend to Poppy. I really appreciated that despite his unwavering support, he still stood up for himself (even if it hurt him to do so) and was able to put himself first when he needed to!

One element that I wish had been given more time to play out was the resolution. The build up of the mystery was well-paced, however, once we got to the climax things felt very rushed and the resolution to the conflict was too easy and overly simplistic, and before you know it the story was over. Despite that though, this was a wonderfully fantastical read that I have no doubt many young readers will enjoy!

This is an absolutely adorable, fun, charming and just all around lovely book!

Prepare to enter Strange Hollow, one of several Hollows surrounding the magical "Grimwood" where human's live without the technology we are used to "outside the fog" and have far longer than average lifespans.

As you adventure with our main character Poppy and her best friend, an elf called Mack into the Grimwood you will learn that all is not as it first appears and there are mysteries to be solved, answers to be found and promises to be made.

Poppy wants more than anything to prove herself to her parents and her journey in this book is one of self discovery, growth and friendship.

When Poppy's parents disappear she decides that her and Mack will be the ones to rescue them, then they will have to believe she is just as capable as they are of adventuring in the Grimwood, right?

The forest is filled with many magical creatures and along the way you'll see witches good and bad, hobs, fae, trolls, selkies and even a herd of unicorns.

Poppy is thirsty for knowledge and it is so fun to follow her on her adventures and is really charming with lots of moments that make you smile and plenty of danger too!

It is absolutely perfect for middle grade readers and I know both my 10 year old son and 7 year old daughter would love this!

A wonderfully exciting tale of friendship and adventure! This is magical and will captivate younger readers. Following your path proves to be fruitful for our young heroine.

The Edge of Strange Hollow is a great book for middle-readers. This is a great read, especially for children who are good readers and need exciting adventures and yet aren't ready for the grown-up topics often included in teen books. Gabrielle Byrne proves herself to be a masterful storyteller as she weaves an adventure with magic and friendship.

A wonderfully imaginative tale filled with friendship and adventure―the magic of the Grimwood charms every page.

The Edge of strange hollow is a magical tale of Poppy who lives with her parents and dog, who is Cerberus, at the border of Grimwood. Her parents find maledictions and neutralize them so they won't hurt other human beings but it is a dangerous thing to do so they don't want to involve Poppy in it. On the other hand, Grimwood interests poppy more than anything and she can't wait to go there.

One day her parents gone missing so she had to do something and this something involves entering into Grimwood. Her friends Mack, an elf, is always at her side and knows so many useful things. Grimwood isn't all magical, it is full of witches, deadly trees, faes and other dangers. 

The world is developed so beautifully with a lot of interesting elements, without making it too complex for middle-grade readers. I really like the idea of the story and enjoyed it. Though I was not a fan of Poppy but her characters developed for better in the story. Jute and Mack are my favourite character from the story.

A magical adventure about a girl who just wants to prove herself and the friends she makes along the way. Poppy’s family has been in charge of dealing with monsters and protecting the town, and Poppy has always wanted to join her parents in their job. One day her parents go missing on one of their expeditions and Poppy thinks it’s finally the time to not only prove to her parents she can handle this but to rescue them and go on her own adventure into the Grimwoods. Fairies, witches, magical creatures, and even a three-headed dog fill this book with so much fun. Seriously a great read for middle grade readers!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*