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Midnight Showing

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Discovering her father's strange final manuscript has brought only mayhem and darkness to Haven Marbury's life. In Book Two of the Malice Compendium, what has leapt of the page threatens everybody.

"Gripping, chilling, creepy, and enthralling . . . Malice House channels Shirley Jackson." —Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

"Beautifully written and steeped in Gothic lore, Malice House explores themes of family and legacy, magic and curses, and the mysterious power of stories." —Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls

Now both hunter and prey, Haven travels far and wide to discover the contours of her family curse and escape the worst of her late father's creations. Constantly looking over her shoulder, she fears Uncle Arnold the most. His irresistible whispers compel victims to commit horrifying deeds, and he's hungry to use Haven's abilities to rewrite the world to his liking.

Drawn to the desert scrublands and Hollywood mansions of California, Haven discovers a string of murders that point directly to members of her family. Given shelter by a mysterious benefactor, Haven and her sister forge questionable allegiances, using some otherworldly creatures to hunt down others. And when the trail of death ends at a studio from the Golden Age of horror films, reality and fiction become the strangest of bedfellows indeed.

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    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2023

      In this sequel to Shepherd's adult debut, Malice House, Haven is on the run from her family curse, her personal demons, and literal monsters, accompanied by her half-sister Kylie. Uncle Arnold is their biggest fear, with his uncanny ability to bend others to his terrible will. Determined to use Haven's curse--the ability to create real-life monsters from her drawings on paper--and Kylie's curse--the ability to create reality simply by writing the words--they seek shelter with mysterious producer, hacker, and horror aficionado Donovan Robles, or as his online persona is called, SlasherDasher, in the hills of Hollywood. What follows is a hunt for a killer who seems to be targeting Haven and Kylie's bloodline, complete with monsters of the worst kind. The hunt's conclusion is as gut-wrenching as the horror screenplays sprinkled throughout this joyride of a novel, but Haven's personal journey has an even more heart-wrenching conclusion. VERDICT For fans of horror and Hollywood (and Holly-weird) and for any creative who has contemplated the nature of art, the concept of reality, and a creator's responsibility for their creations.--Alana Quarles

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      September 15, 2023
      Having escaped the fire at Malice House, Haven Marbury and her sister Kylie fled Lundie Bay to find answers to the family curse as well as evade the Lundie Bay police and their questions. Their quest brings them to L.A. and Haven's friend Rob, a movie producer who alerts Haven to a curse that echoes their own, the curse of Sigil Pictures. Sigil Pictures made horror films in the 1940s and 1950s, and those who worked on the films came to bad ends. Urban legends assert that the monsters are not just limited to the screen. These two story lines intersect in a showdown at the scariest hotel this side of the Overlook. In book two of the Malice Compendium (after Malice House, 2022), Shepherd ups the monsters and deepens the relationships between the characters. Once the scares wear off, readers will contemplate the nature of art and creators' responsibility for their work. A winning second book in a series that is highly recommended for public libraries.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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