Book Review: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Publication Date: September 5, 2017

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Series: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding # 1

"I would say it's a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness."

Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history — that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper's great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made — and then broke — a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, four-thousand-year-old Alastor isn't exactly the forgiving type.

The fiend has reawakened with one purpose — to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his future without a side of eternal servitude, thanks.

Little does Prosper know, the malefactor's control over his body grows stronger with each passing night, and there's a lot Alastor isn't telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host.

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexandra Bracken comes a tale of betrayal and revenge, of old hurts passed down from generation to generation. Can you ever fully right a wrong, ever truly escape your history? Or will Prosper and Alastor be doomed to repeat it?

“See how many doors open, Alastor said, when someone with influence and ideas comes along with a key? Fortune can be hoarded, or it can be shared.” 

“I was no stranger to lies. In fact, I think if you were to line up all the lies I’d been told in my life, the ugly chain of them would probably stretch from Redhood to Jupiter.

“Come, servant. The moon sets, and the fiend rises.”

“It got bad. Real fast.”

This book was perfect for the upcoming season and gave me serious Hocus Pocus and Series of Unfortunate Events vibes. I fell in love with Prosperity Redding, our main character, from the very first chapter and never felt a lull in the story. I have read several other reviews that said the story was slow, but I must say that I strongly disagree. From the beginning of the novel, the readers are immersed in the lives of the Redding’s and all the good luck and bad luck that comes with them. The town that Prosper lives in is so charming and cozy and the descriptions are full of Halloween and fall festival vibes. I think this is what hooked me the most. Prosper was such a funny, charismatic character and the descriptions were so vivid and jumping completely off the page.

The ending of the book left on a pretty huge cliffhanger and of course I am heavily anticipating the next release in the series. This book has just enough “spooky” elements to be scary but not too scary for the middle grade audience that it was written for. Prosper goes on quite the adventure and I usually get lost in the action – I am more of a background story reader, meaning I like the small details about a character, a town, or a curse instead of the action that usually ensues after the world building. However, I must say that I was along for the ride the entire time. The pace was just right and enough twists and turns were happening to keep me guessing as to what was going to happen next. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did!