Wicked Little Things by Justin Arnold // Book Review

Blurb

Join a coven.
Catch a killer.
Get a makeover…?

When his cousin is murdered, recently outed 16-year-old Dane Craven is forced to return to his unbearably small hometown of Jasper Hollow. It would be easy enough for him to keep his head down if it weren’t for three inescapable facts.

One, Dane is a witch with fiery powers he has little ability to control.

Two, Dane thinks he’s responsible for the death of his cousin.

And three, he’s already been claimed by a coven of fashion-forward ‘mean girls’ desperate to give him a makeover.

Being the gay best friend to a trio of teenage witches wasn’t ever high on Dane’s list of aspirations, but fortunately for him these girls have the necromantic powers he needs to figure out who killed his cousin. Plus, he could do with some new clothes.

While on the hunt for his cousin’s killer Dane discovers life in Jasper Hollow isn’t all bad. There’s the cute boy who works at the local coffee shop and enjoys long walks in the woods, for one.

But when the rabbit-faced killer comes for Dane, he’ll be forced to come to terms with who he is and where he belongs before it’s too late for him and everyone in Jasper Hollow.

Rating

Review

Got this from Tiny Press for review! – V

Camp horror is so fun, and this is no exception. A killer bunny, a coven that wants to make Dane their Gay Best Witch and a missing homophobe to find, this was a super fast paced read that even managed to squeeze in an adorable romance with a cute coffee shop boy without feeling rushed.

This story is a little scary and gory, but I never felt too creeped or grossed out due to the author balancing that out with lighter elements, like Aloysius, Dane’s talking raccoon familiar and sweet moments with EJ as Dane struggles with his feelings of guilt over what happened to his cousin Grant.

Despite tackling heavier themes of outing, homophobia and assault this story manages to be really fun and overall it felt like a really good introduction to the town and Dane’s coven. I would like a sequel or two continuing this!