The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Prosper Redding has always felt out of place within his family.
They are all exceptional and he is just, not.
He feels like a disappointment, overlooked and misunderstood.
One night however, he discovers something very interesting about himself. He has a demon living inside him.
Apparently, Prosper’s great- great- great- great- whoever, made a pact with this demon to ensure success for his family for generations to come. Somehow, he ended up tricking the demon to get out of the contract and now the demon, Prince Alastor, is set on revenge on the Reddings, with Prosper as his vessel.
I know. It seems like a strange premise but this wacky Middle Grade novel is such a fun ride. Granted, there were moments, I didn’t know what the hell was going on and honestly, I am still not sure that I am explaining it properly.
The majority of the novel takes place in Salem, Massachusetts which is a town I know very well and love with my whole heart. The atmosphere of this is Halloween all the way. Thus, it would be the perfect read for October. Replete with all sorts of monsters, creatures, haunted houses, cemeteries and malevolent spirits going bump in the night.
There is mystery to this as Prosper struggles to understand the truth behind his family’s secrets and the demon living inside him.
Speaking of the demon, let’s talk about Alastor for a moment. I love him. His is fiendish and delightful and speaks in such a snarky, old-fashioned way. Ahhhh, what a treat. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions reading his banter back and forth with Prosper.
I thought at times there was possibly too much description. That would be my one, albeit minor, issue with the book and perhaps why I think I may have missed some of the finer plot details. I was so caught up with the descriptive goodness of Halloween that plot points apparently went in one ear and out the other.
But seriously, there was a cat-bat! A cat-bat, people. I WANT one!!!
Overall, this was a super fun, atmospheric tale perfect for Middle Grade readers who like a little bit of darkness in their stories. I am currently reading the second book and it is fantastic!!! The dread and despair continues…
