I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken
Release date: September 5th, 2017
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: Middle grade, fantasy
Format: eBook
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“I would say it’s a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness.”
Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history — that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper’s great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made — and then broke — a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, four-thousand-year-old Alastor isn’t exactly the forgiving type.
The fiend has reawakened with one purpose — to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his future without a side of eternal servitude, thanks.
Little does Prosper know, the malefactor’s control over his body grows stronger with each passing night, and there’s a lot Alastor isn’t telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host.
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding was a delightful and quirky middle grade novel. I had so much fun reading it and can’t recommend it enough! The book has a perfect mixture of spooky, Halloween-like vibes (demons, witches, curses), real world issues (bullying, fitting in) and witty dialogue that I was never bored. While it’s labeled as middle grade, I totally believe that people of all ages would enjoy it.
The story focuses on Prosper, a young boy who just doesn’t fit in. To make matters worse, he finds out that he has a demon living inside of him! Much of the story is Prosper arguing with his demon, Alastor. I just loved their conversations so much! Prosper is very sarcastic and Alastor (while supposed to be evil) can off as a grumpy old man, always trying to trick Prosper into agreements. Every page that featured these two characters was enjoyable to read.
My only issue with the book was how uneven it was. The story started strong, became stagnant in the middle and then picked up pace near the end. I struggled to get through the middle bits and am happy that I did. It was more than worth it but I didn’t take away some of my enjoyment. Overall, even with the pacing issues, this is a must read for people looking for a fun and spooky read.
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Smoke & Mirrors by Michael Faudet
Release date: November 14th, 2017
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genre: Poetry
Format: eBook
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Michael Faudet’s latest book takes the reader on an emotionally charged journey, exploring the joys of falling madly in love and the melancholy world of the brokenhearted. Beautifully captured in poetry, prose, and short stories, Faudet’s whimsical and sometimes erotic writing has captured the hearts and minds of thousands of readers from around the world.
This is Michael Faudet’s third poetry collection. I completely adored Dirty Pretty Things but found Bitter Sweet Love to be alright. This collection harks back to what made me fall in love with his writing. It’s a mixture of poems, short stories and quotes that explore love, relationships and sex. However, unlike his previous collections, the writing here focuses more on love and relationships than sex, something I found I could connect with more.
I read this collection in one sitting, although I do have to be completely honest, I skipped over the poems that were sexually explicit. That’s just not my thing and in past books they could be quite crude, so why push to read something I know I won’t enjoy? I think I would have loved this collection more if it was just the author speaking from his heart. The poems of failed relationships, longing and heartbreak are what appeal to me and when done right, the author can really stir up feelings I’ve long forgotten. I quite enjoyed how Faudet can transmit such raw and intense emotion in very few words. That, however, is not the case with his short stories. They were long and drawn-out…they lacked the urgency of his poems and brought the book to a standstill.
So, while I think this was a significant improvement to his previous release, Smoke & Mirrors was a mixed bag. It reminded me of why I love most of Faudet’s poems, but other parts were slow and cold. I guess it’s sometimes hard to top a much beloved debut but this collection gave me some hope that the next will be even better.
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