REVENGE OF THE EVIL LIBRARIAN

Take one part humor, add an equal part horror, and spice with teenage drama (musical and romantical) for a (slightly grim) laugh.

After the events of Evil Librarian (2014), Cyn thought all would be smooth sailing. But she’s still got problems: boyfriend Ryan has a very possessive best girl friend at musical-theater camp. Oh, and Cyn hasn’t told him that she promised the demoness two more visits. And that’s just the start. The (adorable) teen author of Cyn’s show is a demon, even if he is the nice kind—and he may have accidentally led Mr. Gabriel, who isn’t dead after all, right to Cyn. Campers and counselors start to disappear, Mr. Gabriel’s many-legged brother is lurking around, and they still want Cyn’s friend as their child bride. What’s a “super-roach” (demon-resistant human) to do? Snarky and witty, filled with some steamy dreams, bloody battles, and plenty of musical-theater references, this may not be quite as fizzy as the first book—but it’s still a hell of a ride. Levelheaded, confident, ambitious, highhanded Cyn may be imperfect, but she’s also perfectly believable. Even the love quadrangle manages to be unexpected and not without flashes of humor. One secondary character is described as dark-skinned, which, combined with the absence of ethnic cues, points to Cyn and Ryan as being white.

Campy, from the setting to the humor to the horror, and all the better for it.