Paranormal fun for readers who have imagined going behind the scenes of ghost-hunting shows.
Three dudes are on a mission to prove ghosts are real.
Trev, Kent, and Brian are the stars of a failing, low-budget, ghost-hunting cable TV show, aptly named Ghost Bros. After being informed of their cancellation, Trev (the ambitious mastermind of the trio) decides it’s time to visit the ultimate ghost grounds: Edgeway Penitentiary in Montana. Kent, an actor hoping to land a bigger gig, and Brian, the tech guy hoping for more, reluctantly follow Trev’s shady plan, which includes their producer Janelle’s locking them in the facility for the weekend despite her hesitations. Anticipating the chance to explore the legendary prison and its accompanying psych ward, the guys antagonize the ghosts to get their attention, resulting in their swift demise. Now they are ghosts learning how to harness their abilities while dealing with rival factions among the residents. On the anniversary of their deaths, TV rivals—the Parawarriors—arrive to solve the mystery of what happened. Now the Ghost Bros must protect the living while proving to the world that ghosts are real. The colloquial, often humorous, frat-dude lingo makes for a quick read. The hard, blocky linework and cool color palette create an edgy reading experience fitting with the gory, creepy narrative. Trev, Kent, and Brian are White; Janelle is Black.
Paranormal fun for readers who have imagined going behind the scenes of ghost-hunting shows. (Graphic fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62010-778-2
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Oni Press
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting supernatural mystery with a pair of brave protagonists.
The disappearance of a child unveils what lies hiding in the woods at the edge of a small town.
There are all sorts of stories about Picnic, Illinois, but it’s not until her toddler cousin, Madison, goes missing from her crib one night that 15-year-old Luce starts to believe them—and especially when she notices a pair of glowing, wolflike eyes through the windows of her house. To everybody’s relief, Madison is returned to her crib, seemingly safe and sound, soon after she vanished, but Luce and the child’s mother notice discomfiting differences in the 2-year-old. And yet, no one else seems to give credence to their concerns. Luce, prompted by a teacher, starts to research Picnic’s history and the many disappearances—and sudden reappearances—of baby girls, going back decades. Meanwhile, deep in the woods, Fanya, who narrates alternating chapters, tends to the baby girl and prepares for the ritual to welcome her as part of her pack when the full moon comes. As Luce’s and Fanya’s stories converge, so do past and present in Lund’s atmospheric novel. The story borrows elements from South Slavic lore about women who turn into animals to tell an affecting tale about small-town secrets, wronged people, and the bravery of two girls bent on getting to the truth in order to save lives. All characters are assumed White.
An affecting supernatural mystery with a pair of brave protagonists. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35109-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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