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From Publisher's Weekly

July 25, 2022
Ever since her parents were declared legally dead, Evelyn von Rathe, a copper-haired 12-year-old who experiences anxiety and panic attacks, has lived with her aunt Desdemona in Blight Harbor, "the seventh most haunted town in America (per capita)." No stranger to the uncanny, Evie occasionally helps her aunt, an advice columnist on matters supernatural, when she takes on cases of "otherworldly concerns" around town. But when Desdemona is captured by frightening creature The Clackity, it offers Evie a bargain: she must venture into a nightmare realm to find her aunt, surviving a series of seven eldritch houses, and lure in the ghost of Jeffrey John Pope, a notorious serial killer who used an abattoir for his crimes. With only the magical tattoo of a sparrow for companionship and protection, Evie undergoes a terrifying journey, testing mind, body, and spirit. Adeptly invoking folkloric elements while creating something darkly original, Senf intimately renders Evie's trials as both internal and external in an atmospheric adventure that will appeal to readers of Neil Gaiman and middle grade horror. Occasional b&w art by Cáceres adds to the book's eerie feel; human characters cue as white. Ages 10—12. Author's agent: Ali Herring, Spencerhill Assoc.

From Booklist

May 1, 2022
Grades 4-7 Senf's atmospheric tale will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Evie is 12 and came to live in Blight Harbor with her aunt Desdemona after her parents died. Blight Harbor has a lot of supernatural problems as the seventh-most haunted town in America. When Aunt Des disappears, Evie meets a scary presence called the Clackity hiding out in a slaughterhouse. He sends Evie on a quest to save her aunt, during which she must cross over into an eerie realm and search seven houses to find the only family she has left, all while being chased by an evil ghost. The setting of Blight Harbor is already strange and intriguing, with its witches and lost souls, but Senf's adventure story is hard to put down because of its grounding emotional impact, especially the importance of facing some of life's darkest truths in order to move on. Fans of David Almond's Skellig, Holly Black's Doll Bones (2013), or Katherine Arden's Small Spaces quartet won't be disappointed by this.

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From Kirkus

April 1, 2022
Evelyn Von Rathe is on a twisted, spooky hunt for her aunt, who has been taken into a supernatural maze by an evil creature called The Clackity. Blight Harbor is one of the most haunted towns in America, and 12-year-old Evie's Aunt Desdemona, who has cared for her since her parents died, is well versed on the otherworldly. However, when Aunt Des goes to investigate the town's abandoned abattoir, she disappears. Despite its being off-limits, Evie goes in after her and makes a bargain with The Clackity, a demented, sharp-toothed creature: She will find her aunt and in return, fetch him the ghost of serial killer John Jeffrey Pope, who famously used the slaughterhouse for killing humans in the early 20th century. What awaits Evie as she crosses into the other world are seven dangerous, cursed, booby-trapped houses that she must navigate in order to save Aunt Des. Senf's worldbuilding is fantastical and compelling, the scares hair-raising. Evie is a capable, vulnerable, brave, and anxious hero; she's real. She hangs tough, with a magic sparrow companion serving as a sidekick, savior, and coach. While Senf opens the book with a lot of exposition, the story really settles in as Evie begins her quest, and the skilled storytelling will keep readers spellbound and spooked. C�ceres' eerie black-and-white illustrations enhance the mood and atmosphere. Main characters are cued as White. Full of thrills and scares. (Horror. 9-12)

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