by Hamish Steele
5 stars
A fantastic adventure featuring demon-possessed pugs, ghost collectors, spells gone awry, a celebrity-themed amusement park, and a cast of unforgettable characters. A little bit of romance, some mystery, and a whole lot of creepiness make for a very fun reading experience.
I’ll admit, I watched the Netflix adaptation first. While the original book and the show are quite different, I enjoyed both of them in their own way. The show stays true to Steele’s humor-spooky-strangeness-vibe, but does go in different directions at times. While they focus on different elements, they are both so much fun to enjoy. I recommend reading the book for those who enjoyed the show. It includes different adventures and switches up some of the villains.
I absolutely loved the characters in this story. Each has their own issues to sort out from family acceptance to new crushes to social pressures to feeling left out. So much ground it covered within the overarching paranormal plotline.
There’s quite a bit of cartoon violence, but nothing too graphic. There are a few references to past self-harm.
Overall, a fantastic read. I loved this one. Can’t wait to dive in to the second book for more paranormal adventures at Dead End.