I don’t know about you, but to me, the thought of a demon possessing someone I know and love is quite terrifying. I don’t typically find myself stewing over it, but Small Town Monsters had me just a little freaked out by the end. The addition of a cult that may be behind some of the strange things that go on gives this book an interesting vibe. Thankfully, this is a fictional book; so, it was both scary and fun to read.
Vera’s parents aren’t your typical go to work, come home, spend time with the family type. Nope, her parents are demonologists and they have a basement full of what they call artifacts, items that Vera herself is too terrified to even set eyes on, and that stoke the rumor mill at school. Needless to say, she doesn’t have many casual friends despite the fact that she herself has nothing to do with her parents’ special abilities.
Max’s mom is atypical too, even more so after the horrible occurrences that have turned her into a drugged-out zombie. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, they do. And the only person he can think of to help him out is Vera. Vera, however, wants nothing to do with Max or his mother, and for good reason. Because Max thinks his mom might be possessed by a demon, and who wants to get involved with that?
Unexpectedly, Vera’s parents have brought our protagonists together, despite the fact that they are miles away in Spain for work. That doesn’t stop Max from basically stalking Vera so he can at least attempt to rope her parents into some sort of exorcism or at the very least, a prayer over his mom. I don’t know much about demons, but if there is one thing I gleaned from this book, it’s that demons have a mind of their own, and they don’t take no as an answer. Thus ensues a race against time to save Max’s moms soul before it’s too late!
Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Random House Children’s Books
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 10 religious exclamations; 8 mild obscenities; 1 religious profanity; 14 scatological words; 4 anatomical terms.
Violence/Gore: An old man talks about death and dying and scares a girl; a nurse observes a patient thrashing and in pain being held down by nurses so she doesn’t hurt herself further; a brief scene occurs where a character is mentioned to walk into a body of water and be swept away by the current; characters talk about an accident that occurred that killed five under suspicious/ominous circumstances; a hurricane is mentioned and a girl recalls when she saved the life of a man and his dog when he slipped and fell in the wind and rain and she helped him inside; a report is made of a building exploding and killing eighteen people; a character is mentioned to see a creepy skeleton face in the clouds, a report is made that a boy pushed a girl off a bridge, she didn’t fall; a brief scene occurs where a boy observes his mother acting strangely and speaking in a creepy voice with smoke pouring out of her body, another scene occurs later where the woman is mentioned to make verbal threats and her skin is described to look charred and her eyes sunken, with a horrible smell coming from her; a girl recalls/has a vision of a hurricane causing flooding and being trapped in a house with a relative; a brief scene occurs where a girl observes a character fall onto his back in the mud; a reference is made to the occult and serial killings, women being found mutilated; a mention is made of what can be sacrificed to a demon for a possession to end; a brief scene occurs where a possessed woman tries to strangle her young daughter; a woman is hospitalized and attempts to break free of restraints in a brief scene; death threats are made; a recollection of a building exploding with people trapped inside and perishing is referred to, it is implied that the “accident” may have been planned; a character has a vision of a cult facilitating a mass suicide of both adults and children and she is reported to pass out; a brief scene occurs where a possessed woman has black fluid leaking out of her, body is described as rotting with blood gushing from the nose during exorcism; a minor is mentioned to have an injured arm, some blood is mentioned.
Sex/Nudity: Sexual harassment is referred to; a mother asks a girl whether or not she likes the company of her son, refers to “impure thoughts”; a man kisses his wife; a brief scene occurs where a boy and girl embrace and it is mentioned that the boy begins to touch the girl on her side under her shirt, it is implied that sex occurs.
Mature Subject Matter:
Natural disasters; cults; demons; demon possession; death.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Beer is consumed by adults; a mother is mentioned to abuse drugs and alcohol; substance abuse and sobriety are mentioned; a boy is mentioned to have OD’d and died; smoking cigarettes is mentioned; addiction is referred to; a woman is mentioned to be addicted to pain pills after a C-section; a town is mentioned to have a drug problem, a girl thinks about how she can’t imagine getting into a car with a drunk driver.
