Curse of the Evil Librarian

June 15, 2019
Knudsen has a shtick and she's sticking to it. Demon-resistant set designer Cyn feels good about senior year. She and all her friends are blissfully coupled up; they defeated titular evil librarian and powerful demon Mr. Gabriel; and if Cyn is having sexy dreams about nice demon Peter and not boyfriend Ryan, well, they're just dreams. Then Mr. Gabriel returns and the roller coaster of horror and humor resumes. This trilogy conclusion gives more of the same, with extra agency for best friend Annie, who has been magically gaslit by Mr. Gabriel and has emotional scars as a result, and emotional growth for alpha Cyn, who learns to accept that she's not always in charge. Humorous beats balance the gristle and gore, and sure, it's mostly plot and wit with emotional content largely relegated to the final denouement, but the fans--and this is purely for fans; new readers will be lost--are already on board and will happily enjoy this pacy third act, complete with musical theater references (and Cyn's mental playlist). Physical descriptions are rare other than for inhuman demons; previous volumes indicate a white default among the main characters and a diverse extended friend group. Fun closer to the best musical theater demon trilogy around. (Humorous horror. 13-18)

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