“Don’t come back to haunt me.”

How can I even begin to describe this book? It was like reading a mashup of Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas. I could perfectly envision the telltale creepy stop animation in my mind of the ever dark Halloween esque town of Grimworld. Simply put, I loved this. It’s clever and original and genuinely creeped me out. For a children’s/middle grade book it did a fantastic job at being age appropriate yet suitably creepy.

The gist of the story is that Henry Bats has lost something dear to him for the exchange of a rare comic. That something is a portion of his life and NO, HE DID NOT GET THE COMIC WHICH IS AN OUTRAGE. Of course he has to try to get his life back but time is literally ticking in the form of a pocket watch fused on his neck. With the help of some newfound friends Henry goes around the creepy, curious planes of Grimworld to take what is rightfully his.

Characters:

They are all amazing in their own rights. Even the monsters. Especially the monsters. Special shoutout to Henry and Hattie’s grandpa who has an addiction to lettuce. I loved the interactions between all of the kids and I loved all the different creatures introduced.

My thoughts:

I had to add this to my favorite books of 2019 because it was that good and I will be buying this when it comes out. I don’t think my 7 year old is quite ready to read it yet as she gets scared easily but I’ll place it on the bookshelf. I hope to see more work from the author truly! Thanks very much to the publisher and Netgalley for this Arc. All opinions are my own. Please check out my blog for more reviews:
https://aelilyreads.home.blog/

Avery Moray has written a fine fantasy young adult novel with Grimworld. I enjoyed this book as an adult reader and would readily share it with young adult/middle school and high school readers. A nice balance of elements that appeal to older and younger audiences.