The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken

Title: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Cover: I love everything about this cover. I love the colors. I love the fox and his expression. I love the use of font size for certain words in the title. The cover is very appealing to me.

Review: This middle-grade novel is about a twelve (almost thirteen) year old boy, Prosper Redding, who doesn't really fit in with with extended family or at school. His family is known for being wealthy, successful, and important. It was one of Proper's distant relative's who founded the town of Redhood, where the family still lives. Just two weeks before his thirteenth birthday, Prosper finds out that his ancestor made a contract with a demon, or fiend, and that that fiend now lives inside of him. This sends Prosper on a path to trying to get rid of the fiend, all while communicating with him and trying not to let the fiend control his body. Nevermind that he has to ignore the fiend's request to make a contract. This is a fun, slightly dark, paranormal tale with a bit of mystery mixed in that I think young readers would enjoy.

Other thoughts: I was initially drawn to the cover and summary. It sounded like something I would really enjoy. However, halfway through, I was questioning if I might not like middle-grade and younger books anymore because they're not meaty or in depth enough. I am fully aware that this is a personal preference though, and it does not detract from me thinking this is a good book for young readers. And as for me, half way through, I finally started getting into the story more, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Comments

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