DEATH IS A HUNGRY ANGEL

A teen grieving her sister’s death discovers that her family’s new house, a former funeral home, is haunted.

In 2021, six months after her 7-year-old sister, Abby, died in a car accident, 14-year-old Anna and her parents move into gloomy, remote Wade House for a fresh start. But Anna can’t escape her grief, especially after Dad leaves for a business trip. Alone with Mom, who’s often depressed, Anna feels “like the wrong daughter has died.” Mom’s physical and mental health worsens dangerously, and Anna experiences attacks from unseen forces, leading her to realize that a malevolent presence is preying on them. Anna’s first-person perspective alternates with those of her mother and the house’s last occupant, Beverly Wade. Spanning the years 1918 to 2014, Beverly’s chapters recount her family’s corrupt operation of the Wade Family Death Hospital and Funeral Home as well as Beverly’s infatuation with the Angel of Death, Samael, who devours people’s souls. Beverly attempts to bind Samael to her forever but only intensifies his hunger. When Anna discovers Beverly’s journal, she wonders whether she can summon Samael to resurrect Abby and if there’s a way to save Mom. The narrators’ florid prose occasionally feels stilted, and a late twist risks muddying the plot. However, the grim setting is richly detailed, and Anna’s and her mother’s perspectives offer poignant portrayals of grief, guilt, and healing. Most characters read white.

Sympathetic and satisfyingly creepy, if somewhat overwritten.