THE SMASHED MAN OF DREAD END

Noelle is excited about her family’s new house—until she learns of the monster in the basement.

Since Noe Wiley’s night terrors led to a friendship-ending incident, she’s glad to be moving. Right from the start, though, this place feels off, and the kids in the neighborhood tell her to stay out of her basement at night. A sleepwalking episode leads to her understanding the warning when she wakes up to see the Smashed Man oozing out of a crack in the wall. He can only come out after dark, and only children can see him. Noe slowly forms friendships with the neighborhood girls, Radiah, Ruthy, and Crystal, and they band together to learn more about the monster and how to defeat him once and for all. Vivid descriptions create a strong setting with plenty of tension and make scenes with the Smashed Man the stuff of nightmares. The girls are realistically portrayed, although their characterizations are lacking in depth. The pacing and plot get muddled in the middle as the overly complex paranormal world at large is explored and explained, but it’s worth wading through to get to the exciting final confrontation with the Smashed Man. While the ending is satisfying, new reveals at the end signal possible sequels. The majority of the cast is assumed White; Radiah is implied Black.

The imaginative and truly horrifying monster at its center makes this tale stand out.