Mojave Green

September 15, 2014
Cal Jones and Camm Smith may have left their hometown of Trona, but the spooks and ghouls sure haven't. Camm is off at Yale, and Cal is attending Florida State. Both are making new friends while keeping an ear out for any unusual occurrences back home. Sure enough, something weird happens: A young boy named Dylan has gone missing, and that's all the duo needs to reconnect and head back to Trona and investigate. The ensuing adventure is a solid mixture of scares and action, supplying readers with plenty of reasons to keep turning pages well past bedtime. The interpersonal drama between Cal and Camm works all on its own, highlighting a friendship built to endure across dimensions, let alone several hundred miles. The horrors and creatures weave around a few flashbacks to the previous book, Pitch Green (2013), and there are a few sprinkled seeds preparing readers for future installments. The book ends on a cliffhanger, which is maddening but also to be expected, given the series' ambitions. Creative bits of humor and stylization set it apart from other cookie-cutter series entries, making this one to watch and be hopeful for. Scary, fun and cool. (Horror. 12-16)

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