While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

Having been born in 1990, I will always read the synopsis of a book with a VHS cover. Luckily for me, I found the premise to this novel to be quite enticing.

I found the beginning to be slow, but I did instantly like Leopold. And let's talk about his nickname. Larry. Okay, I get it. Both start with an L and his last name is Berry so ha-ha, Larry Berry. That's something a bully would nickname someone, so why in the world would his own dad and best friend call him that? I mean, I guess I could see his dad latching onto it because he was a grade A jerk, but why would Emmet?

The differences, or lack thereof, between Sunder and LA kind of confused me. I felt like there should have been more distinct differences, but really we didn't even spend enough time in Sunder.

Full disclosure: I'm not used to reading series so maybe this is typical, but I felt like there were almost zero answers to all of the mysteries sprinkled throughout the story. The story just ended abruptly, but I suppose it was a job well done because I was certainly check out the sequel.

I think this was supposed to be sort of fresh take on the “chosen one” trope (at least that’s what I was expecting) but it just wasn’t done well. I didn’t like the protagonist and the whole back and forth of whether or not he’s the chosen one got tedious really fast. I’m honestly more interested in his best friend! And, speaking as an LA resident, this city is really not that interesting so I don’t know why it had to feature so heavily. Not a lot happens in this book, although I’m curious to see where it goes next.

The Peregrine series has always been one of my favorites, so I was really looking forward to reading this latest installment by Ransom Riggs! It didn’t quite captivate me in the same way that Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children did. The opening was strong, but then the plot seemed to wander in several directions

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows Larry, a teen who is struggling a bit. He doesn't get along with his dad and his mom passed away 5 years before. He doesn't know what he wants to do after high school and he is just a bit lost.

Him and his best friend were obsessed with a show about magical creatures and when Larry's mom died, he started to see things in real life. When Larry and his best friend somehow make it to this magical land in real life from their TV show, things quickly unravel and the adventure begins.

I thought this book was good but not for me. It is YA so I think a YA audience would like this one a lot more than I did. I think the magic and the creatures were really interesting and fun. I don't typically like fantasy and magic as much but this book would be perfect for people who love that kind of stuff. I liked the characters as well.

I do feel like this one had a bit of a slow start and it took me some time to get into the story. That might be because it is the start of a new series.

This book was good and I would recommend it to people who like YA fantasy/magical realism! It just wasn't totally for me and I probably won't continue with the series.

I wasn’t able to read and review this book before it’s publishing date. However, now that I have read it I gave it 3.5 stars.

Ransom Riggs is back with Sunderworld, a wildly imaginative, nostalgic, and slightly bizarre adventure that blends urban fantasy, childhood obsession, and an underdog hero’s journey.

Leopold Berry is a protagonist you can’t help but root for—awkward, overlooked, and struggling under the weight of grief and expectation. His deep attachment to Max’s Adventures in Sunderworld, an obscure 90s fantasy show, feels incredibly real, especially for anyone who has ever clung to a story as a lifeline. When reality starts merging with fiction, and Leopold realizes Sunder is more than just an old TV series, the book takes off into an exciting, unpredictable ride.

Riggs excels at blending magic with the real world, and the way he weaves fantastical elements into the quirky backdrop of Los Angeles is both clever and immersive. Sunder itself is an intriguing parallel world, rich with lore, oddball creatures, and magic on the brink of extinction. The writing is sharp, filled with humor and heart, though the pacing stumbles a bit in places.

While Leopold’s self-doubt sometimes lingers too long, his character arc is rewarding. His dynamic with Emmet adds levity, and the world-building hints at something much bigger to come. The ending delivers a signature Riggs-style gut punch, making the next book a must-read.

For fans of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, retro fantasy aesthetics, and portal adventures with a modern twist, Sunderworld is a strong and intriguing series opener!

Really enjoyable read. I liked the premise. Only complaint is I almost thought MC really was losing his mind, because it didn't seem believable his best friend would ditch his gf just to ride that trolley. Felt like the friend just kinda came out of nowhere. But it's probably for the best, because it gave me huge relief when I realized he wasn't crazy, ha!

As a big fan of Riggs’ prior work, I was so excited about another YA release. This was fun, inspired, original, strange, a blast. I loved the relationships, characters, the world building, etc.

Larry Berry has always wanted to be The main character. He's wanted to be part of a world that he's obsessed with - Sunderworld. He's watched the show on the VHS since he was young and he's always wanted to be a part a world with Magic, paladins, and ether.

But he's never been a star. He's been a huge disappointment (to his father) and a highly average teenager his whole life. But in the midst of another adult telling him he's only average and disappointing his father once again, Larry's hallucinations of Sunderworld kick back up and make it near impossible to drive his way home.

I loved how this was an adventure of a story. It was a fast read because I was so excited to flip pages and learn what was coming next. Sunderworld was a fun world to get to know, one that was easily explained without big info dumps. I did this as an audio and I found the narrator really gave a great voice to both Emmett and Leopold and helped me really enjoyed the story. It's a great start to a series, I look foward to book 2.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The Miss Peregrine series is one of my favorite series of all time, so I was so excited to read this new one by Ransom Riggs! It didn't pull me in as much as Miss Peregrine did, but I'm still willing to give it a chance. I feel like the beginning was great, but then the plot went in a bunch of different directions. Riggs is so good at world building and since this took place in LA I feel like it lost a little bit of that. I'm hopeful that the rest of the series will continue to be better, and it needs to because of that mega-cliffhanger at the end of book one! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The magic of Ransom Riggs's writing is back in a new series. A little bit dark, a little bit weird, a little bit nostalgic, and a good amount of fun to read. Leopold Berry is a bit of an abnormal normal guy. He's pretty average, but what goes on in his mind is a little bit extra. An old television show seems to be coming to life in pieces around him, but is it really all in his head? Riggs has created a whole new world for exploration and this novel feels like just the tip of the iceberg. I have a feeling that I'm in for a wild ride as this series continues. The plot is mysterious and full of odd events that don't really get explained. The reader is experiencing things through Leopold's eyes, so they're left just as baffled as Berry himself. It's a great read that moves at a nice steady pace, with just enough trepidation to make things feel even more mysterious. Atmospheric with a gritty feel, I felt immersed in this experience and I really enjoyed it. It's magical and unusual and just what I would expect from a Ransom Riggs read. Very much looking forward to the next in the series.

This may be the most weird and quirky books that I have ever read and I absolutely loved it. Our main character, Leopold Berry, is completely average. Until he's not. I loved the unique descriptions of Sunderworld and would give this 5 stars simply for the creativity.

cutest fantasy read and honesty reminded me of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in a way.

Larry oh larry you poor boy being ridiculed and classified as "average" his entire life. but as soon as he's found potential purpose, everyone else makes him second guess if it's meant to be. I enjoyed hte world building and characters (despite finding myself becoming annoyed with now pessimistic others were).

I'm sure I'll continue this series whenever it's released, I'd love to follow along with Leopold's adventures.

Can I get Volume 2 already? Leopold was a fantastic highly faceted character with emotional depth that I often miss in Young Adult novels. The world was magic but Ransom Riggs has always been magic with world building.

A flaming raccoon and a man inserting his teeth into a parking meter is such a great idea, that the rest of the story really needs to live up to that. And well, it really didn't. In fact, I felt that as soon as events started progressing, the story completely forgot how weird it started off in the first place.

Leopold is a really generic, dated, protagonist who can be summed up as "white guy who wants to be special while doing nothing to achieve this". He constantly whines about how average he is, but constantly seems to expect something or someone to turn up and fix this for him.

The magical world itself was just a... magical world layered on top of LA. I felt the world was so vague I struggle to describe it now. Hopefully there will be more world building in the future books to make it make sense, but I don't think I'll be continuing on this journey.

*I was provided this book free of charge by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The cliffhanger!! Aaargh! It took me some time to get to this book, but once I did, I was glad! Some reviewers have been super critical of the plot and pacing, but I believe it was all by design. I think the entire plot is reflective of what Leopold’s life is and what he’s going through. I’m pretty sure if the things that were happening to Larry happened in real life, it would look a bit chaotic. While it may have started off a little slowish, things were still happening and being explained. Once the action started, it didn’t really stop, either. I zoomed through the last half of the book. Should you read this book? If you like YA and you like magical realism adventures, you might just like this book. Sunder sounds amazing.
Now I just want to know when the next book comes out!

✨Book Review - The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌑

*I was provided this book free of charge by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I will start out saying I’ve been a have fan of Ransom Riggs since Miss Peregrine first came out and have read everything he’s written so it’s only natural that I would read this.

Unlike Miss Peregrine, I felt this book took a while to get in to. It was a little slow to start up and really emphasized Leopold’s mental health and the challenges he faced with his father before really getting into the action. Instead of extensive world building, there was extensive character building, and since I got this book without thinking too much about what it was about, just knowing it was by Ransom Riggs, I was expecting something a little more similar to Miss Peregrine, which is action and plot packed from the very beginning.

Once I got through the character building and into the world of Sunder, it was edge of your seat action, non stop. I enjoyed the character of Isabel and am looking forward to learning more about her character in the next installment. She is absolutely fascinating.

I did miss the found photography that Riggs is know for, and I do feel there were definite moments that illustrations would have been fit perfectly, I understand that this is a different story and I’m looking forward to it’s continuation!

5 STARS

Leopold Berry is the most mediocre, average 17 year old boy to ever exist. No, literally, he tested exactly average on ALL of his tests.

He's got no aspiration, no motivation and an overbearing father who doesn't believe in him. His mother died 5 years ago and several weeks after her death, he discovers a box of old VHS tapes of an old 1990s show called Sunderworld. It's about a boy with magical powers who discovers another world. He and his bestfriend, Emmet becomes obsessed and reenacts the scenes and shoots a "movie" for the next couple of years until they were forced to stop by their parents.

During that time he had a lot of hallucinations into Sunder. But now he's starting to get them again. It turns out that these hallucinations are from a different world that is overlaid on top of our world. Leopold, Emmett and WE the readers are sucked into this multiverse. He belives he might be like Max from the show....and finds out he's as average as ever. Yet, he continually gets pulled back into Sunder. It's scavenger hunt set by his mother which takes Leopold (and us) all over LA.

Along the way, we meet two other important characters. Isabel and Norm. The book is a ride from the beginning to the end with unbridled magic and ends with a major cliffhanger. I cannot WAIT for vol 2 to come out. I love Ransom Riggs.

I hate that it took me months to read and review this books, but my fall semester of college took over my life and I was slumped from my summer. However, I didn't realize how much I was missing Ransom Riggs' storytelling until I spent the last few days finishing this book, because oh wow, I love this man's books.

Leopold Berry might be a disappointment to everyone in his life, but he isn't to me. Despite everyone telling him to grow up and forget about his favorite tv show from his childhood (Sunderworld), Leopold never forgot about the show that made him into the boy he is today and stood his ground on his decisions. It's the same way I feel about my interests and how it reflects my decisions in my adult life (especially when life is revolved around the world of entertainment and the stories they reflect).

The plot feels a bit all over the place with no set solution in sight for the story. Although, I think that's the nature of the story as Leopold doesn't know what's going on either and it is told through his point of view. I believe in him though. He will figure this out for us.

And I might be biased, but that Hal character? 10/10 great name choice. (My name is Hal.)

I want to thank Penguin Teen for sending me an ARC and Partner Box filled with Sunderworld merchandise. I cannot wait for the next volume in Leopold's life.