DARKNESS AND DEMON SONG

Marius was warned that people “don’t come back right” after they’ve died; his mom’s no exception.

Having saved his mom from Hell in Brick Dust and Bones (2023), Marius is glad to have her back and hoping for a return to normalcy—well, as normal as it gets for “fringe people” like monster hunters. But his mom suddenly isn’t doing so well; she’s sick, cold, and haunted by dark figures. Worse, though, are her odd behaviors and the gaps in her memory. It will take Marius’ support network and some new allies to unravel what’s happening to her and how to fix it. The hints and foreshadowing are well placed, and all have narratively satisfying payoffs. In a side storyline, Marius ponders the ethics of monster hunting—after all, his best friend, the mermaid Rhia, technically counts as a monster. Though some of the monsters he faces (such as demons) are purely predatory in an evil way, where does that leave the ones like Rhia? The variety of monsters in the story results in high-stakes action sequences. Throughout, the Deep South setting is as vivid and authentic as the interpersonal relationships, and many of the decisions characters make have to do with the bonds of trust (or lack thereof) among them. The resolution is hard fought, and the epilogue provides a sinister hint of what’s to come.

A delightful deep dive into a swampy world of hunters and prey.