The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding
Book 1
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
Every family has secrets - but not every family has a secret pact with a demon.
A darkly comic tale with thrilling twists and turns that will keep every reader guessing. Perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket, Jonathan Stroud and Skulduggery Pleasant.
Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his remarkable family. So, when he discovers that an 800-year-old demon called Alastor is responsible for their luck - and that this demon is currently living inside him - he's more than a little surprised.
Alastor isn't keen to be banished back to the demon realm and will do anything to try and trick his unwilling host into a contract - from nasty insults to wild promises. And even more unnerving, his power over Prosper seems to be growing with each passing night.
Prosper has only days to break the curse - a feat that seems impossible. But with the help of a feisty witch-in-training, maybe he can do it?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Every family has its secrets, but not every family has a secret pact with a demon. In a promising series opener, Bracken (Wayfarer) kicks off the darkly delicious story of Prosperity "Prosper" Redding and his powerful family's efforts to protect its legacy. Hapless, unpopular Prosper and his twin sister, Prue, are on the cusp of turning 13 when their frosty grandmother holds an impromptu family reunion, with nefarious intent, while the children's parents are away. Soon after, Prosper is whisked to a haunted house in Salem, where he learns that his body and mind are entangled with a fiend named Alastor ("I know all of thy fears, thy desires, thy jealousy where thou hides thy collection of small porcelain ponies," the demon informs him). The story's mysteries, which involve the fates of multiple dimensions of reality, unfold slowly enough to build anticipation but quickly enough to keep readers furiously flipping pages. Prosper shows tremendous growth (his testy interactions with Alastor may remind some readers of Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books), Bracken's cast is drawn in loving detail, and her twisty plot will keep readers guessing. Ages 8 12.
