Book Review: How to Heal a Gryphon by Meg Cannistra

Title: How to Heal a Gryphon
Author: Meg Cannistra
Source/Format: Bookish First and Inkyard Press; Hardcover
Publisher/ Release date: Inkyard Press; Oct 4, 2022

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Synopsis From Goodreads: 

With her thirteenth birthday just around the corner, Giada Bellantuono has to make a big decision: Will she join the family business and become a healer or follow her dreams? But even though she knows her calling is to heal vulnerable animals, using her powers to treat magical creatures is decidedly not allowed.
When a group of witches kidnaps her beloved older brother, Rocco, and her parents are away, Giada is the only person left who can rescue him. Swept into the magical underground city of Malavita, Giada will need the help of her new companions to save her brother—or risk losing him forever.

What I Thought:

I thought How to Heal a Gryphon by Meg Cannistra would be a sweet story after I read the preview and wanted to know what would happen next. The begninning was a pretty slow start and the pacing didn’t pick up until a few chapters in. After that it was smooth sailing –moving along nicely after Giada realized what was going on. Something else I liked was that she had a supportive friend, Alessia. While Alessia followed the tradition of only healing people with her magic, she was there for Giada throughout the story. And In some ways she grounded her since Giada tended to be reactive and impulsive. But she also had a go getter attitude and would do anything to help her brother, even break from a little more than tradition. In the end my main gripe was the Gryphons. They were imbedded throughout the story, yes. But I did wish they appeared a little more.

Overall, How to Heal a Gryohon ended up being a quick read that I liked it. It was a nice little adventure story with a vibrant environment. If it sounds like it’s up your alley, especially a young reader, you may want to check it out.

I received this book from Bookish First and Inkyard Press for this review.

Thanks for reading!