| The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken |

"Light a candle and step close to the looking glass. Time is short, and we cannot delay."

PAGES: 242 (Ebook)

SYNOPSIS: The Redding family betrayed a demon named, Alastor, and he's back to try to get his revenge.

RATING: 4.25/5

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

This is the first book by Alexandra Bracken that I've read and I enjoyed it. It was such a fun and interesting story about the Reddings and their ties with a demon. The start kind of reminded me of the anime Ayashi no Ceres but less harsh. The characters were fun and enjoyable to read about. Prosper was such an active child and I love his interactions with Alastair. Alastair is not really that bad at that point. His reason for his anger was justified for me. I really didn't see the twist in the end coming. It shocked me and made me want for more. I really thought this was a solo book at first which made me kind of mad after I read it.

• I really liked the interactions between Alastor and Prosper. Even though they were supposed to be enemies, they kind of annoyed each other more than they made each other fun. It was fun.
• I really did not see the twist coming. Sure, I suspected something would happen but I didn't expect that the main villain would be Alastor's sister. The one he cared about most. It broke my heart that she betrayed him and he really couldn't believe it.
• I really want the next book now. The ending was so exciting and I want to see them in the demon realm now. 
• It shocked me that the secret that Nell and Barnabas was keeping was that they weren't related to Prosper at all. They were enemies. How did Henry survive the massacre? I felt bad that Nell was forced to join Barnabas in his evil plan. I'm glad that she changed her mind in the end and helped Prosper.
• I loved the part where the students had a contest about Greek Myth. I love Greek Myth and I love the reaction of Prosper's team when they won. Also, great teacher! Free pizza is one of the best things in life.
• I love the bond that developed between Nell and Prosper. He really did care about making her happy even if they weren't really relatives at all. It seems a bit weird to ship them together because they were supposedly relatives but hey, they were adorable together.

FAVORITE QUOTES

It wasn't that me and Prue hated our grandmother. It was just we thought she might be the Devil in a dress suit.

"Ooooh, children!" she sang out. "Hurry, won't you? We've been waiting for you."
That was it. I whirled around with only one goal: to run back up that hill, through the creepy forest, and straight out of Redhood. If she was giving us sweets and talking in that strange drippy voice, it could only be for one reason. She was going to poison me.

He was missing his left eye, which Grandmother swore was because he had an "unfortunate run-in" with a fireplace poker. Personally, I think she was aiming for his heart, and had missed.

"With stories like these, it's best to start at the very beginning," Uncle Barnabas said. "Tell me, Prosperity, what do you know about the family curse?"

"Why is he talking like that?" I asked Uncle Barnabas. "It sounds like he swallowed a Pilgrim."

"We don't suck! We don't suck!" Blake's friend began to chant.

What foul treachery is this? Alastor wailed. By the realms, you smell of roses and spring. Find mud, Maggot, and quickly rid yourself of this rotten stench.

Human "junior high". as it were, was an excellent breeding ground for misery. Alastor had feasted on the feelings of frustration, anger, and hopelessness he'd felt there.

Nightlock pounced on the stuffed animals before they even hit the ground. He scooped them up and cuddled them close to his chest, rocking them back and forth even though they were almost as big as him.

Stop pretending to feel sorry! Al hissed. Stop pretending to be anything other than another Redding wretch.


The boy's heart, it would seem, was a rare sort: incorruptible by greed, incompatible with jealousy.