A new entry into the Impossible Creatures series, The Poisoned King does not disappoint. It is full of fun, action, adventure, courage, and fortitude! Christopher is back with a new friend, and they must rescue the archipelago and the magic. The characters are interesting and relatable, the world-building is fun and unique, and the characters grow and develop. I enjoyed returning to this series.

A spectacular follow up to Impossible Creatures! The Dragons summon Christopher back to the Archipelago because whole families of dragons have been killed. In parallel, young Princess Anya escapes her treacherous uncle, who has imprisoned her father for murder. Christopher and Anya then must go on a quest to save her father, the dragons, and the Archipelago itself. Full of returning characters from Impossible Creatures and plenty of amazing new ones, The Poisoned King has everything a kid could want in a fantasy novel. Action, riddles, escapes, hidden secrets, even love. Can't recommend higher!

I was absolutely delighted by this book. I was so excited to get a chance to read it early since the first one was one of my favorite books of last year. I am very excited to purchase a hard copy for my shelf. Brava!

I discovered the first book with my daughter who was 8 at the time, a book we read together at the same time, taking a chapter each and it was nothing short of a joy. A pleasure I wished for again, and outside of Harry Potter, I have been unable to engage her to do so until now.

With the same wonderfully imaginative storytelling, Katherine Rundell has again captured my now 9 year olds heart, and mine with the returning characters. With so much happiness as she discovered Ratwin again, we sped through this 2nd book which in itself has a much faster pace and feel.

Frantic, fun, full of emotion, this is what reading is all about. Perfect Fantasy for the young, and not so young,

What worked:
The book opens with Christopher, the returning main character from the first book, being summoned to the Archipelago to help discover what’s killing dragons. Upon arriving, the story switches scenes to follow Anya, a reluctant princess who’s second in line to the throne. A major conflict arises when her father is accused of poisoning the king, her grandfather. Christopher and Anya bring their separate stories together a third of the way into the book. They discover their problems are linked, and they must unite their efforts. They’re aided by a few characters from the first book, but a tiny, three-inch dragon named Jacques supplies humor. Jacques envisions himself as a mighty, superior creature, and everything he says exemplifies that attitude.
Anya has a special connection to nature and is constantly accompanied by one of the royal birds, a Gagana named Gallia. These birds resemble crows with silver claws and golden beaks, and they can communicate with Anya. She’s raising a baby Gagana from birth, and Koo provides levity while learning about the world. His first word is “Mine”, and it’s frequently repeated in almost every situation. While Anya’s nature connection is limited to the forest near the castle, Christopher is known across the lands as Guardian of the Archipelago. He’s earned the moniker due to his deeds in the first book, and many creatures are willing to offer assistance. The variety of mystical and hybrid animals, like unicorns, manticores, chimeras, and sphinxes, is an attractive part of this series. An illustrated glossary of the creatures can be found in the back of the book.
The conflict is a bit of a mystery, although readers will suspect Anya’s Uncle Claude is behind everything going wrong. Anya finds evidence of her grandfather’s poisoning, but wonders who might have done it and how a vial got in her father’s pocket. Claude tries to have her poisoned while transporting her to “safety”, and that begins a threat of assassins throughout the book. No one has heard of a poison that kills dragons or one that works so quickly. Anya and Christopher search for information, while dangers await. Some creatures become unexpected allies, while others distrust all humans.
What didn’t work as well:
This book can be enjoyed without reading the first one. However, readers wanting to see the Immortal’s return will be disappointed. Readers will know Mal, the new Immortal, perished in the first book, but the new Immortal isn’t introduced to the cast until the final pages of this one.
The final verdict:
You should read the first book, but it’s not absolutely necessary. The plot is captivating, as the conflict affects everyone in the Archipelago, with the impossible creatures, Anya, and Christopher teaming up to save the day. I highly recommend you read this book along with Impossible Creatures.

This was an amazing fantasy story aimed at YA readers, but as a senior adult, I really enjoyed it as well. It is the second in the series and you don’t need to have read the first one to know what’s going on, but I strongly recommend that you do, if only to enjoy more of this world.

The world building is excellent with impossible animals, scenery, and events to capture your imagination. I especially loved the creatures – especially the royal birds and the gesture language they taught to Anya, the princess. And I laughed out loud at the Harpy for a librarian! The story is peppered throughout with imaginative images and there is an extensive section at the end of the book that shows what the animals look like and describes them and their abilities.

Christopher is back in this second book, but the story is more about Anya – though it takes both her and Christopher working together to solve the problems they are faced with. There is a lot of action, adventure, treachery, and revenge—and finding out what your true self is. And the ending definitely satisfied.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

In this exciting sequel to Impossible Creatures, Christopher is called back to the Archipelago to solve the mystery of the death of the dragons! Along the way he meets Princess Anya, who is not your ordinary princess. Her father stands accused of a crime he did not commit, and Anya is determined to clear his name. With the help of Jacques the dragon and several other Impossible Creatures, will they be able to save Anya's father and the Archipelago before it is too late?

Well done follow up to book one, with enough clues that one can still easily jump into the series with this book. Love Jacques!

The dragons in the Glimouria Archipelago are dying, and nobody knows why. So, a small dragon called Jacques summons Christopher Forrester from the Outerlands to help, because he is the only person who can. Meanwhile, Princess Anya Argen’s grandfather, the King, is killed under mysterious circumstances; when her father is accused of the murder, Anya must flee for her own life. When Christopher’s and Anya’s paths intersect, they find they have more in common than they first realize, and it is only by working together that they can prevent more peril from befalling the land. This second in the Impossible Creatures series quickly reconnects readers with the fabled Archipelago. Best for readers familiar with the first installment, this book launches quickly into the action without much in the way of plot reminders. In addition, specific vocabulary, locales, and creatures unique to the Archipelago appear frequently in the novel, requiring readers to have some familiarity with the series before beginning this story.
Brief chapters and frequent illustrations help make the narrative advance with purpose, and the pacing of the novel begins well. As more exposition and explanation find their way into the storytelling, the momentum slows somewhat, but the information included in the book serves to prepare the series for a subsequent addition. While fantasy, adventure, and mystery are at the heart of this tale, the character arcs of both Christopher and Anya are present to a lesser degree, amplifying the overall depth of this novel. A visual glossary at the end of the book helps orient readers to the many fantastical creatures included in the world of the Archipelago. This is an enjoyable addition to the Impossible Creatures series and to library fantasy collections for confident middle grade readers.

Return to the Archipelago with Christopher, Jacques, and their new friend Anya, with her flock of royal Gaganas. Something is terribly wrong with the Archipelago. Dragons are dying in mass and someone has poisoned Anya’s Grandfather, the king. Together they must reunite with friends new and old to solve the mystery and stop the deaths before it is too late.

My heart wasn’t ready to like Anya, for Christopher to find a new friend after Mal’a death. But she snuck up on me as someone passionate and brave, willing to even risk her life to do the right thing. Her gaganas were humerous and wise, especially adorable baby Koo.

It was really fun to see all the new creatures, and all the new illustrations were beautiful! My only critique is that the plot felt a bit more rushed than the previous book. There was a lot of build up before Anya and Christopher even met, which left little time for adventure. I felt a lot of the answers they were looking for were handed to them rather than them having to work for them. I understand though that this book is geared toward children and making it longer might not have kept their attention.

However I immensely enjoyed this new installment and eagerly await another (hopefully with more of Teren!).

This book is MAGICAL. There are new characters and old favorites. I loved that this book could have been a standalone just as easily as book 2. New characters, new locations in the Archipelago, plus the dragons are back. I rate this series up there with Harry Potter and Inkheart. Amazingly good. I’m sad that it will be a long time till I read about this place again.

This was a great sequel with beautiful artwork - I could read 100+ books about the Archipelago! Christopher definitely gives Percy Jackson vibes and I loved the addition of Anya. The story was action packed but the plot wasn’t overly complicated which I appreciated. The whole time I kept thinking about Mal though and I was so excited when the new immortal made an appearance at the end!! I’m excited for see where this series goes 😊

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC 💕

Our household is a huge fan of Impossible Creatures, and we were so excited to dive into this sequel.

Christopher returns to the Archipelago at Jacques insistence to save the dragons, and we meet Anya, lover of nature and birds who is literally running for her life. The two form a friendship and work together to not only save the dragons, but Anya’s kingdom.

This was a darker book than the first in my opinion, and I loved the comic relief of Jacques. It helped break up some of the heavy scenes.

One of things I loved about the first book was the adventure. I thought there were a couple missed opportunities for adventure in this book. Either by not fully describing what happened or by skipping it all together by having everything they needed right near them... (Not going to say more than that because I don’t want to give anything away!)

That said, our family still really enjoyed this book. It’s perfect for kids who love adventure, magical creatures, fighting for justice.

Publication date: Sept 10, 2025

** Thank you Random House Children’s Books for providing this audio book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell is the third person multi-POV continuation of the Middle Grade fantasy Impossible Creatures. Since his adventure, Christopher has remained in our world, but when he's called to return to the Archipelago, he accepts immediately. Princess Anya can't stand the restrictions placed upon her for her gender and her status, but she has little choice but to play along with her grandfather's rules. When Anya’s grandfather is assassinated via poison and her father accused of the crime, Anya will stop at nothing to exonerate him.

Like the last book, the illustrations sprinkled throughout are gorgeous and take up a decent chunk of the page when they are present. The art helps to enhance the story and give visual representation to some of what is happening on the page without feeling busy.

Unlike the voicier Middle Grades of the past decade, the POV in this series is more distant and has a more classic fantasy feel to it. For some readers, this might feel old-fashioned, especially if they are more used to the current trends, but for readers who love things like The Wind and the Willows, it's a welcome change of pace.

One of the things I really liked was the acknowledgement of Mal’s existence and how Christopher loved her. She's not brought up a lot and it's mostly in the context of her being the Immortal, but the simple reminder that she existed and she saved the Archipelago and the awe that inspires in people like Anya while, to Christopher, she was someone he cared deeply for, is a very nice touch. It both makes her a hero and humanizes her at the same time.

I would recommend this to young readers who love epic fantasy with a more classic fantasy tone and readers of classic fantasy looking for an MG

Guardian Christopher returns to the Glimouri Archipelago for another incredible adventure in this sequel to Impossible Creatures.

Jacques, the tiny dragon, has returned to the Outerlands on a mission to recruit Christopher to solve the mystery of why the dragons of the Archipelago are dying. Upon his return, Christopher is quickly sent to rescue Princess Anya, who has been devastated by several family tragedies, and finds herself on the run, seeking revenge, and in need of help. Along with assistance from several new impossible creatures and some old friends, the two work together to solve the problem of the diminishing dragon population and prove her father's innocence.

Katherine Rundell's exceptional world-building and nuanced character development continue to engage in this exciting fantasy series. Readers will connect to themes of friendship, bravery, revenge, and care of nature. Includes a Guardian's Bestiary with gorgeous, detailed illustrations and descriptions of all creatures.

This was such a delightful sequel to Impossible Creatures! Christopher was just as endearing as he was in book one and Anya was such a delightful addition to the story. The plot took a different direction than I was expecting based on where book one left off, but the ride was just as fun. There are beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the book that will absolutely delight child and adult readers. There are so many heartwarming moments and good life lessons, but still with a healthy amount of satisfying justice. I hope there are many more books in this series to come!

In this worthy follow-up to Impossible Creatures, Christopher has returned to the Archipelago. He has been summoned to find out why the dragons are dying, but as soon as he arrives, he is tasked with helping Anya, a young princess in need of protection after the death of her grandfather. Anya is bent on revenge, but with Christopher’s friendship, she comes to see that there is more to life than the deeds she wishes to commit. Everything that made the Archipelago magical in the first volume is sustained by Rundell in this one – can’t wait to share it with my Impossible Creatures fans.

Action, adventure, humor, creativity, and a quest-- neatly packaged in the second installment by Rundell of the tale of an archipelago of magical creatures and those that are helping to protect them at all costs. Though in this book, a girl needs protection as her uncle has killed her grandfather, and then blamed her father who he wants to put to death, and is now ready to take her out (as the presumptive queen) so that he can be king. She is on a quest to prove this is the case and a boy has been summoned to help. Christopher and Anya have work to do.

Rundell skillfully creates hysterical banter between the magical creatures and Anya and Christopher. There are illustrations sprinkled within the pages for an extra incentive to keep reading, but there is no real need because it's magical, sparkly awesomeness that sucks a reader into a world even though there are villains. The villains need to be vanquished. Justice will prevail. Good will triumph over evil.

This is an epic tale that I can't wait to share.

Quick, cute fun read. A lovely continuation from the first book. Sometimes It felt like the author was trying to be deep and meaningful but it came across as patronizing. It's like she said "I will be the next cs lewis and no kids author is as great as me" and then forgot to.

I always worry that a sequel will not be as good as the first book. Poisoned King is just as good as Impossible Creatures. The storyline has a different arc with Princess Anya instead of Mal. Christopher goes back to the Archipelago at the summons of Jacques because the dragons are dying. In the process he finds that he needs ot prevent Anya's death. Nighthand and Irian return in this story to again assist Christopher. I am excited to share this with my book club students when it releases.