The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding: Book 1 (Prosper Redding, #1)

by Alexandra Bracken

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?

• ISBN10: 1786540681
• ISBN13: 9781786540683
• Publish Date: 4 October 2018 (first published 5 September 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
• Imprint: Quercus Children's Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 362
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars !

I have no clue why I left this sitting on my “long term TBR” bookshelf for 3 years! This was absolutely incredible. This middle grade fantasy was just absolutely delightful. Funny, spooky, great friendships, demons, witches, fiends, FUN!

This was filled with heart & laughs and one hell of a cliffhanger! I loved it & am about to order the sequel..... NOW!

Recommend 100%!

Middle grade isn't for me normally, but I seem to like everything that Alexandra Bracken writes so to no one's surprise, I really enjoyed this book.
While the story itself maybe wasn't the most interesting one (because middle grade, not any other reason), the overall vibe and atmosphere really made this book great. I actually really liked the backstory and the betrayal in this novel, which I somehow hadn't expected.

[sa090]

It’s been over a month since I finished a book (last one was late August iirc) so I feel a little rusty with these lol. But I’ll try anyway, if I had to describe this book’s experience then it’s about 80% of how I thought it’ll go before I even started it.

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Stories that are similar in elements are fine with me, the execution is what really matters when I’m factoring in my enjoyment. For this book, I’m honestly not sure what to think of it. I didn’t like the first half of the book, the premise itself isn’t so bad, don’t get me wrong but there was something about the way we went by it with Prosper and his family that just made it feel like the author is trying a little too hard to make him seem ostracized. I’ve never read a book by Alexandra Bracken before so I’m not sure if this is her usual style so this me from my first impressions. Since I’ve seen this approach in many mediums, I want something a little more than that feeling.

Now after the whole incident happened and we meet our new friends, Prosper seemingly had a complete personality change. In one city he was the loser but in another those loser-ish actions don’t actually carry on with him which makes it seem a bit inconsistent if you will just for the sole reason that nothing noticeable seemingly happened to cause something like this. It could be because of Alastor which in some way would be a clever twist BUT it doesn’t exactly happen in a way that makes that cleverness shine, just projected a feeling of inconsistency to me in some places. That being said, I enjoyed the second half of the book way more than the first half.

The banter between Alastor and Prosper was more amusing than when we started, theories appearing here and there implied that a nice mystery thing was going on and of course left me wanting to solve it. It wasn’t that difficult painting the edges of said mystery but the full picture needed more information before becoming clearer which to me was a nice side thing to follow.

So if I’m thinking sequels, I can’t see this book going beyond a second book tbh unless Alexandra Bracken can actually whip up something that calls for it which is just lost to me at this very moment. Would I be reading the sequel? Yes, it went like I expected but I do want to see where she’ll go with this and for how long. One thing I will definitely hope for though is more world building, since this one didn’t have all that much.

Final rating: 2.5/5

[chymerra]

There were a couple of reasons why I requested this book on NetGalley. One was because of the cover. I feel that the cover of The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding totally captures what this book is about. The white fox in the mirror with a candle is creepy and a little surreal. The other reason is a personal one. I am forever on the look out for books for my 9-year-old to read. So, when this book turned up on my homepage, I requested it.

I wasn’t disappointed with The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding. It was a quick read with likable main characters, evil secondary characters and a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. Now, saying that I do think that it might be a little too scary for some Middle-Grade readers. There are some situations and scenes that could scare a tween/early teen. Like the scene in The Castle….when Prosper and Prue were getting tested or the scene at the end of the book with the mirrors. So just keep this in mind if you are going to buy/take this book out from the library.

I felt bad for Prosper in the beginning of the book. He was bullied mercilessly by everyone, including his own twin….who he used to super close with. His grandmother reminded me, strongly, of Joan Crawford and I won’t even begin to talk about his parents. What I got out of those first chapters was that they weren’t around much, leaving him to be with his grandmother most of the time. His family was also almost unnaturally gifted. Everything they touched turned to gold. Prosper was one of the only ones in his family that weren’t good-looking or had a gift (or so he was told). It was a very screwed up family dynamic going on in those first few chapters.

The night that Alastor, a malefactor from Downstairs (the different realms are fully explained in the book), who is heir to the throne of Downstairs (again, explained in the book). He got sent into Prosper’s body during the ritual that Prosper was forced into. He had a vow that he would destroy the Reddings and then go back to the Downstairs to retake back his position as heir. But, it was easier said than done because Prosper was doing everything in his power to get rid of Alastor….that didn’t include killing Prosper. The dialogue between Prosper and Alastor was pretty funny and Alastor did make himself known in different ways throughout the book. Like when he made Prosper run super fast and he smelled like eggs afterward or when he forced Prosper to write in Greek. He also would hijack Prosper’s body and go around town, trying to find out who was ruling the Downstairs.

Now, I did figure that something shady was going on with Nell and Barnabas but I was a little floored by what it was. I had actually liked Nell. She was the first person, ever, who actually treated Prosper like a person worth spending time with. So yeah, I was a tad floored when certain things were revealed about her and Barnabas.

I really liked that the author took her time and researched Salem. Having lived the next town over for years, attended college there, given birth to 2 out of my 3 children there, and having gone to the Salem Willows every summer for years, it irks me when I read a book and everything is wrong. She got present day Salem, with the strip malls and the touristy shops, right. She also had the history of the Salem Witch Trials right too. They weren’t just held in Salem. They were also held in Danvers, Andover and a couple of other cities nearby. Actually, in my hometown, there is a monument, which off the bike trail, to the only man who was executed (and his wife) during the Salem Witch Trials. So yeah, I was pretty happy to see that she did her research.

Like I said above, there were a couple of twists at the end of the book that I didn’t see coming, besides the Nell and Barnabas one. The one that shocked me the most happened literally at the end of the book and I was left going “What just happened”. The other one, I should have seen coming because there were plenty of hints but I didn’t catch onto it.

I am hoping that there will be a book 2 because I need to know what happens to Alastor, Nell, Prue, and Prosper. Also the other people….but mainly them.

How many stars will I give The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding: 4

Why: A deliciously scary story with a great plotline and great characters

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Young Teen

Why: Mild violence. Like I said above, there are some situations in this book that could scare a tween/young teen reader.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**