This is one of those books that are tricky to review. I can’t quite put my finger on what I didn’t like. I don’t think there was anything present that I didn’t like per se, it was more of what was lacking. I just didn’t feel that burning in my chest, that rushing in my brain that I usually get when I read good fantasy books, that burning that makes me want to keep reading. This one just kind of puttered along and I dutifully followed, hoping for the best.

There were so many interesting elements in the story (nightgaunts, a boy called Nobody, a murder mystery, a witch’s ghost, and a graveyard home). So many things that should make this book absolutely fascinating. But for the most part I found it kind of boring.

Bod felt like a character in a book. He lacked personality and I didn’t relate to him at all. The story was very drawn out and ramble-y. Most of the ends tie up fairly neatly by the end, but for the majority of the novel, they just seem like a random chain of stories. Even at the end, it just wasn’t satisfying. There was no real moment where everything clicked. It just kind of all fell into a pile on the floor and then the book was over.

This book was really just missing that spark. Despite being set in a graveyard, despite the pitiable orphan boy who doesn’t fully fit in with the living or the dead, despite all of the fascinating ghouls, hellhounds, witches, and other awesome creatures, this book just felt mediocre.

Very creative, which is why I gave the book 3-stars, but really the story just felt okay. I didn’t feel invested in how it ended. I just kind of shrugged when it was over and went on with my day. 

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