PAGES OF DOOM

In this sequel to Book of Screams (2023), a girl tries to save herself from a vial of cursed ink.

Tanya thinks she’s dispatched author Joel Southland, who was using the ink to steal readers’ nightmares for his stories. Now in possession of a vial of the ink, Tanya struggles to control it long enough to figure out how to rid herself of it. But the ink has a mind of its own, and Tanya finds herself stealing people’s dreams despite herself. Tanya and her former friend Niah head to the well that is the ink’s source—a decision that might turn out to be a huge mistake. The nightmares that Tanya’s collected and typed up—and which are interspersed throughout the book—will put many people at risk if they end up getting published. In the stories, everyday interactions between students, teachers, and parents become fraught with monstrous danger. Already uncomfortable settings such as a graveyard and a dentist’s office reveal their true horrifying natures, and ordinary objects such as pencils and teddy bears take on malignant intent. Ominous illustrations enhance the creep factor but are sometimes abstracted to a degree that may be less enticing for younger readers. Some tales are convoluted or slow-moving compared with those in the first volume. Still, readers will be suitably disturbed. In the artwork, Tanya presents white, while Niah is Black; some diversity among background characters is indicated through names.

More unnerving, nightmarish fare.