The Five Impossible Tasks of Eden Smith

The Five Impossible Tasks of Eden Smith
Publisher
Age Range
10+
Release Date
January 02, 2024
ISBN
978-0823453122
Buy This Book
      
Challenged by a secret society of metalworkers, Eden must do all she can to save the only family she has left in this fantasy adventure.

When Eden Smith moves into the beautiful and bizarre old mansion housing her grandfather, she discovers a strange society of elderly metalworkers whose mastery verges on the magical. Deadly mechanical birds, a cavernous chamber full of dirty dishes, a highly dangerous game of Machinist BINGO–life at the guild is not only strange, it’s also dangerous.

Eden’s grandfather, Vulcan Smith, the most gifted of all the metalsmiths in the mansion, has just been sentenced to live out the rest of his days locked in a tiny basement room for rebelling against the guild. To save him, Eden will have to complete The Five Impossible Tasks, a series of deadly feats that have already killed off many of Eden and Vulcan’s ancestors. With the help of her new friend Nathaniel and a cast of eccentric old silversmiths, blacksmiths, and inventive machinists, Eden sets out to do the impossible before her newfound grandfather is lost to her forever.

In The Five Impossible Tasks of Eden Smith, Tom Llewellyn has crafted a wholly original world of wild contraptions, roguish characters, and perilous feats perfect for fans of Karuna Riazi, Laura Ruby, and Lemony Snicket.

Editor review

1 review
Saving Grandfather
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
What worked:
Eden and her grandfather Vulcan make an unusual pair of relatives. It’s unanimously known that Vulcan is a grumpy, old coot who doesn’t get along with anyone. He’s by far the greatest smith in the guild, maybe ever, but he has no problem breaking the rules and doing things his own way. He doesn’t show any warmth toward Eden when she shows up. Eden’s been in foster care for years so she’s looking forward to living with family. She’s stubborn like her grandfather but she’s also cunning like her mother was. She’s not afraid to shake things up in the guild and that includes forcing her grandfather to get up and take action to free himself from his imprisonment.
Subjects of prejudice and equal opportunities are parts of the plot as the Guildhall is divided into Smiths and Joneses. Smiths are the only people permitted to do smithing while those named Jones do everything else. The Smiths are subdivided based on the types of metal they use and the things they create. The Joneses cook, clean, work the elevator, and perform other tasks but the Smiths won’t allow them to work with metal. This situation creates an underlying problem since many of the Joneses dream of having a chance to try smithing. They just want the freedom to choose. It turns out that Eden’s presence in the Guildhall will certainly shake things up which will create further conflicts due to a resistance to change.
As the synopsis says, Eden’s only hope of freeing her grandfather is to complete five tasks inside the Guildhall. Unfortunately, several of her ancestors have died trying and Vulcan lost half of his leg assisting his father. He comes across as a gruff, unpleasant man but the trauma of this experience has slowly taken a mental toll on him. A man named Pewtersmith is behind Vulcan’s charges and it seems Pewtersmith’s have been behind all of the past charges against Eden’s family. He’s also conspiring to find ways of sabotaging her efforts to solve the impossible tasks. Eden’s eyepatch on the book’s cover is the result of one of his dastardly deeds.
What didn’t work as well:
The story is set in the modern-day United States, near Tacoma, but it’s really not necessary. Most of the plot takes place inside the Guildhall of master metalworkers which is very different from any outside reality. References to the real world to create connections aren’t needed, and for me, they were more of a distraction.
The final verdict:
The idea of a story focusing on metalwork isn’t immediately engaging but the world inside the Guildhall has ample drama to carry the plot. Featuring an orphan, a lost grandfather, and a clear, manipulative antagonist is a smart decision, and the countdown of the five tasks and a time limit help to generate suspense. Overall, the story is innovative and entertaining and I recommend you give it a shot!
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0

User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0(1)
Characters
 
5.0(1)
Writing Style
 
5.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0(1)
Already have an account? or Create an account
Awesome trials and family tale
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
What a fun read! Made me search for more titles from the author to read next.

This one is a fun adventure of a lonely orphan child who after spending several years in foster homes finds her way to her grandfather, a Smith from an important (almost like a cursed family of blackmiths). Eden will stay and live with her grandfather Vulcan but there is trouble... in a peculiar building with peculiar characters.

This book is like a Roald Dahl pie with a sprinkle of Wes Anderson. We're focused on this amazing building and Smith/Jones society learning all sorts of things related to metals. We also learn about the rules of the peculiar Council as well as the rules of the five tasks.

Accepting to do the five tasks (which all sound impossible is for solving riddles with science and knowledge). The winner is granted the ultimate honor but can also die. In truth, no one has ever survived (some faced exile).
The tasks are absurdly hard and funny the humor balances the story well.

It takes a bit to get started. The first trial starts around the middle of the book and the book is about 400 pages sometimes I wanted it to focus on just the trials, but the writing style is fun and engaging and all the characters are interesting.

We get a sense that we go from loneliness, sadness, and isolation to friendship, challenge, and community.

I am going to miss Eden. I hope the author can publish more stories of Eden, Nat, Vulcan, Bones, and The Sisters... even the villain is cartoonishly fun.

The book age is suggested for upper-middle graders but I think is adventurous enough and the quest to solve the tasks will please younger and older readers as well.

This is a book that I would reread and enjoy noticing more details in the second round.

The cover is amazing. Makes us curious about her eye-patch.
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0