A beautiful start of this new trilogy/duology by Alexandra Bracken.
This book talks about this super rich and successful family, that has reached this state of prosperity thanks to a pact signed with a demon a lot of years ago.
But every pact comes with a prize, and the forefather failed to respect it, dropping a curse on his family: the demon will be reincarnated in one of his successors.

This was a super fast paced and funny book, I've loved the point of view of the main character, because you couldn't help but root for him, because he deserved it.
I really liked the world building and the various plot twists in this book.
I can't wait to read the sequel!

((Video review to come))

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding may not be truly bad enough to warrant such a low rating, but it committed the sin of seeming like it was going to be way more interesting than it actually turned out to be, and I could never quite forgive it. Besides, there were a variety of things Bracken did here that annoyed me.

But where do we start? Young Prosper Redding seems to be the singular failure of the illustrious Redding clan of Redhood, the New England town that bears their name, and over which their family has lorded for generations. Redhood is both familiar and bizarre, with odd traditions connected the the Redding family history, a town under the thrall of Prosper's terrifying and all-powerful grandmother. It would have made a wonderful, unique setting for a middle grade urban fantasy novel, and these initial chapters feel laced with ominous fairy tale. Unfortunately, most of the book does not actually take place in Redhood, and maybe I was reading too much into the perceived fairy tale references, because they ceased to crop up as soon as we left Redhood as well.

After a bizarre and occult incident at the ancestral Redding home, Prosper is whisked away to... wait for it... Salem (of course), where a man who introduces himself as long-lost Uncle Barnabus promises to keep Prosper safe from his maniacal grandmother and help him exorcise the demon that long-ago Honor Redding made a deal with, which is now living inside of Prosper. There's an info-dump about the demon world, other worlds, and all things magical (The Big Reveal that Magic Exists is one of my least favorite fantasy tropes ever, by the way). Prosper, now struggling for control over his body and mind with the demon Alastor, starts to attend school with Uncle B's estranged daughter Nell, who inherited witch powers from her late mother. But without the Redding legacy looming over him, or his history as a failure, Prosper starts to succeed at school like he never has at home. It's Nell who's the social outcast here, and Prosper is determined to help her, since he's been there too.

Meanwhile, there's a bat-winged kitten, a haunted house attraction where the spooks are 95% fake, the obligatory school production of The Crucible (though I did appreciate that the casting controversy was about whether or not Nell should be allowed to audition for the male lead), and the even-more-obligatory surprise monster attacks. You get the picture. Suddenly all the originality that had gotten me excited in the first couple of chapters was gone, and I mourned its loss. And the attempt to turn the Prosper/Alastor relationship into a supernatural buddy comedy was really unconvincing for me.

Now, I think I have to address the cliffhanger ending (no spoilers here, though). Full disclosure: cliffhangers usually work on me. And by "work" I mean that they make me want to read the next book *more* than I otherwise would have. I went into this book not knowing whether or not it would stand alone (Goodreads lists it as the first in a series, but that can mean any number of things, and no description I could find was clarifying). So without the positive knowledge that this would be the first in a multi-volume story, I was falsely lulled by the elements of this book that FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG TO A STANDALONE.

What draws me through the multi-book story arc is ultimately the characters. I love first books in series, because they introduce me to protagonists who have so far to go on their journeys, and make me care deeply about where they're coming from. The real heart of The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding, where it actually has emotional weight, is in Prosper's growing confidence in his own abilities and in his friendship with Nell. But all of it feels like a standalone story that would have reached its natural conclusion by the end of the book except for the intrusion of all of this over-complicated magic intrigue stuff that I couldn't really bring myself to care about. The character development was good, just not on a scale that I felt would justify a full series following the adventures of Prosper and Nell. Right up until the end, I expected one more sequence of revelations and an epilogue to tie the whole thing up, and only after stumbling off the cliff of the final chapter did I look back and realize how much PLOT Bracken had started to build up for a series. Plot that I didn't care about and hadn't been paying much attention to.

Finally, it seems important to mention that The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding is a decidedly seasonal Halloween read. So many of the trappings of the story seem like they came straight from your local Halloween pop-up shop that, like said shop, I can't imagine this book having much appeal at any other time of the year. So if you're looking for a Halloween read for the kids, by all means this will do the job, but it wasn't what I was hoping for.

P.S. One more pet peeve... I can't stand it when authors have characters speaking in Shakespearean-era English, but can't be bothered to get it RIGHT, or make it convincing. I wanted to fly at all of Alastor's early dialogue with a big red marker and just re-write it, but I was reading on my Kindle, so I couldn't.

I raced through the last third of this book. Very engaging. I really enjoyed Prosper as a narrator. And Alastor is very funny. However, I was a bit frustrated by the ending. Holy cliffhanger, Batman.

[author:Alexandra Bracken|2973783]'s [book:The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding|33785202] has a little something for every middle grade reader. Fantasy, suspense, humor, plot twists, and even electric blue boogers make an appearance here.

I am a fan of [author:Alexandra Bracken|2973783]'s [book:The Darkest Minds|10576365] series and was interested to see what she would do with a middle grade series that I could put on the shelves for my students. I wasn't disappointed. This is a perfect novel to stick on your shelves at this time of year (FALL/HALLOWEEN) for your students to enjoy.

If you are a fan of happy endings that are tied up neatly with a pretty, little bow, this book is not for you. MAJOR cliffhanger ending.

Thank you Netgalley and Disney Book Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I read Passenger, I wanted to read more of Alexandra Bracken’s work. Though I haven’t yet read Wayfarer (I will, I swear!), I was very interested in checking out her newest release, The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding. It’s not really listed as a YA novel, but more of a middle grade novel. I’m guessing this is because the main character, Prosper, is twelve and the elements are actually suitable for younger readers.
If you know my reading style, you know that I don’t venture toward middle grade reads a lot. But, I put my faith into Alexandra and her writing style so I wanted to read this one before it came out.
I loved this book very much! The action immediately starts in the book when Prosper and his sister Prue arrive at their grandmother’s “cottage”, more like a mansion, and they find it very odd that pretty much their entire family tree is present. It turns out that the crazy grandmother has plans as she leads them to a dungeon where a spell book is present. Prue can’t read the writing inside, but Prosper can.
This means that he has a demon (melafactor) inside him and can literally control him. He is taken to Salem where he meets a man and his daughter Nell, who is a witch. Now, he must be tugged back and forth with making a contract with this demon or working with these two people in bringing out before his thirteenth birthday.

I really liked Prosper’s character. Though he is twelve, his mindset is so much older. When I was twelve, kids my age didn’t have an ounce of Prosper’s courage or strong mind. We acted like immature little kids who were curious about our bodies changing and what that was down there or up there. Yeah.

I liked Nell’s character and I feel like, with Prosper being away from his sister, she filled that role for him as much as she could. It was kind of interesting that she was so knowledgable and powerful for a young witch, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since Marnie from Halloweentown was powerful, too. But, she had the same strong-willed mindset as Prosper, though she had her moments where her vulnerability would show. It made her a real person, even in the end.
Let’s talk about this demon. Prosper calls him Alastor and this demon can be seen in the mirror, looking like the fox from the front cover of this book. He talks really old-timey. You know, using words like “thou”, “thy”. Sanderson sisters talk. He does try to learn the normal English language, though. He is kind of humorous, but he does have a darkness. I mean, he is a demon. He is very concerned about what is going on in his own home, the Downstairs. Though he is meant to be seen as evil and someone (thing) you can’t trust, you can’t help but like this demon. I mean, after I finished reading this book, that’s how I felt about Alastor. For right now, he’s on my good side. But, we’ll see what direction Alexandra takes this in.
I loved that the setting was mainly in Salem, where the witch trials occurred so long ago. Maybe it’s because I’m binge-watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but I loved picturing this whole book in my head with the Salem backdrop. Like, if they get the film rights for this, can we REALLY film this in Salem? All that history in the town would just make it EVERYTHING.
Like I said, I’m not much for a middle grade book because I can be picky about settings and plots and such. However, this book was really good. It doesn’t have to be solely for younger readers under the age of fifteen or fourteen. People in their thirties could read this and still love the magic and the mystery surrounding the characters and the world that Alexandra created. I’m really excited to find out what happens next, especially with that cliffhanger!

I'm a huge Alex Bracken fan, so I bumped this one up to the top of my TBR the moment I was approved for it. This is a book that just feels like Fall, like a classic Halloween story to return to again and again. (This reference will be dated to the target audience, but it actually reminded me a lot of an episode of Sabrina The Teenage Witch). It was voicey and fun, a little spooky, yet magically atmospheric. I don't often read Middle Grade, but I enjoyed this so much that I might just have to start up again.

This was such a fun read! It’s middle grade, but I totally enjoyed it nonetheless and I really think readers of all ages will enjoy it. The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding is the perfect read for the fall. The story features witches, demons, Salem, curses, pumpkins, and other magical creatures that definitely put me in the mood for Halloween!

The story is very well written; it’s creepy and mysterious, but light-hearted and humorous at the same time, which can be hard to execute but Bracken does it perfectly. It features the perfect cast of characters, and I loved both the main character, Prosper, and his inner monologues with Alastor, the fiend.

The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, but I really enjoyed this and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel!

Raise your hand if you're ready for autumn! If you are, boy, do I have a book recommendation for you today, especially if you're a middle grade fan. Friends, I present to you Alexandra Bracken's latest release The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding. It's the story of a boy named Prosper, who is unremarkable as far as Reddings go... until the day he discovers that he has a demon living within him, a direct result of his ancestor making and then breaking a deal with a demon. Alastor, the demon in question, has woken up within Prosper in order to destroy the Reddings, and it's up to Prosper to curse and banish him back to the demon realm before that happens. But there's more happening than either one is aware of...

I enjoy fantastical middle grade reads a lot. So, it's with a happy heart that I can tell you that The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding is most definitely another one to add to my collection. Autumnal vibes and Halloween feels? Check. Magic and mayhem in spades? Check. Humor and heart all rolled up in a tale? Check. I was really impressed by the way Bracken wove the elements together into a story that was compelling, funny and engaging! Plus, she really had me feeling for Prosper and his plight, enjoying Nell and her magical abilities and relishing Alastor's wicked ways and snarky comments - which certainly made the overall experience even more enjoyable.

Really, the only reservation I had about this one was that it took me a little longer than I would've liked to get fully invested in the story. But once I settled into it comfortably, it was such a fun book! I'm so glad that Alex wrote this story, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one for sure. Do check out The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding if you're a middle grade fan, or give it to the middle grade reader in your life who enjoys fantastically funny adventures.

Anyone who knows me can tell you I love Alexandra Bracken. So of course it is no surprise that I had to get my hands on this! Of course I loved it! It has been a long while since I read a middle grade book, so I was a little worried I may feel a disconnect. NO DISCONNECT HERE! This story was so cute and fun to read. It was set at a great pace never lulling or losing interest.
The character development was fantastic. Our main character Prosper is certainly put through the ringer throughout the story dealing with possession and what not! That being said he also grows so much even while having to share his mind with Alastor. It really has a great coming of age aspect.
Alastor was also a pleasant surprise. He is the demon possessing Prosper but he becomes more than just "the bad guy." He brought so much comic relief. Nell was a breath of fresh air with her cute eccentric style. She marched her own drum beat and I LOVED IT!
I love a good middle grade book and this one did not disappoint. Perfect fall read. I loved all the supernatural aspects. Fans of movies like Hocus Pocus and Halloween Town are going to love this! Alexandra is my favorite for a reason. Another fabulous five star read.

This story was good and it wasn't. There was something lacking and there was a confusing "magical system"; it's in quotes because it was more like a metaphysical system. It has a ridiculously giant cliffhanger at the end. It's one of those endings that could have gone into the new story just a little bit more and still been enough of a cliffhanger to make you want to read the next book.

My thoughts were classic Addams Family television show meets Harry Potter. The good parts were wonderful, but the confusing and boring segments balanced that out to three stars. There was a good sized twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but it still underwhelmed me. So many times I wanted to go back and reread parts to make sense of the way things were happening, but I didn't because frankly, who has time for that when you shouldn't have to, especially with Middle Grade. However, I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'd never read anything by Alexandra Bracken before - I know, I'm a little surprised, too - but this sounded like a ton of fun. New England, fall, middle grade adventure/mystery with some demons and such, sign me up.

Overall, I liked her writing. There wasn't any part I was super in love with, but nothing really put me off the story, either. I did feel like we got bogged down in the middle, even though stuff was happening I just felt like of bored with it? This might of been my jetlagged mind or something else me related, especially since it didn't last that long, but still a factor for why I didn't give it five stars.

Let me be clear, though, I really enjoyed this book. Three point five out of five is a good book. And this one was, even though I didn't completely love it. Our characters were interesting, but didn't pull me in all the way, which is probably why I felt that drag. Although, would read a whole book about Toad. I have no idea why, and I'm not going to explain Toad, but... best.

Prosper, our main character obviously, is interesting, though. Coming from a large, rich, successful family and being... not successful, having the worst luck. It was so... not pitiful, at no point is he pitiful, but he is kind of something. Sad? Melancholy? His voice is a little melancholy, we see from his POV in third person, and there's something about it that makes me think melancholy. But I really liked that about him, and about this book.

Al was also a great character, possibly my favorite, which says about me then I am comfortble with but I do love a good "villain."

Overall, I think this was just a solid book. Good writing, good characters, dragged for me but I don't mind that too much. And I'm definitely going to pick up the second book, hopefully next year? And I think it'll be drastically different in tone then this one, that's for sure, and I am super excited about that.

If you pick up this book, or have already, let me know! Especially if you've got thoughts.

Happy reading!

Prosper Redding could not believe that is life could get any worse. Boy was he wrong. Turns out that the Redding family made a deal with the "devil" and it is time to pay up. This book had everything, adventure, mystery and humor. A great read for middle readers and above.

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding is an interesting take on the whole witches and demons sub-genre that has become popular in recent years. I will be interested to see if there is a series in the works-some questions remain unanswered.

This was a great story but not something that could capture and sustain my attention.

On the whole this was a fast and fun read. It had a great setting that is perfect for Halloween and fall, a plot with plenty of mystery and adventure, and likable characters. I'm not a big reader of middle grade but I still enjoyed it. I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it. If you are looking for a fun fall read for a teen or middle grade reader in your life, definitely give this one a try.

Alexandra Bracken and I have a rocky relationship. It started out with flailing love, fizzled with lukewarm disappointment, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean with a vow never to pick up another one of her books again.

So why in the world was I reading The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding then? Well, because I'm a sucker for pretty things and when the publisher sent me an ARC in a pretty box with fall leaves, throwback Halloween candy, apple cider mix, and other goodies? Um, yeah, like I said, I'm a sucker.

I'm glad my will is so weak and Disney decided to send me an ARC because, overall, I had a nice time with Prosper Redding. It's not a perfect book. It's actually pretty rough. The pacing is off, the plot is tenuous, the characters are underdeveloped and pretty stock, and the main character felt like he couldn't decide if he was 12 or 17 years old (for the record, I would have preferred 17. It rang truer.). If I didn't know any better I'd think this was a debut.

But all that said, I still just liked the book. It felt good, if that makes sense. It felt like a Disney Channel Original Movie. Kind of goofy, far from perfect, but light, airy, and fun. The atmosphere of the story evoked all the right fall feelings: crisp air, the silliness and creepiness of Halloween, sweater weather, and childhood bliss.

Not much happened overall, and while there are a lot of pages in the book, this is very much just an introduction to the story. I suspect that when all is said and done, all the books in the series probably could be edited down into one book. So, will I read the sequel? Maybe. I'm not rushing out to get it, but if I came across it in the library or was sent a copy, I'd read it. If not? I don't know that I'd go out of my way to get it.

3.5 stars

Foreword: I have received an ARC(Advanced Review Copy) of The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding from the publisher to do an honest review on it.

"I would say it's a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness."
-Alexandra Bracken, The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

5/5 stars

In one of the oldest towns in America, Prosper Redding is celebrating Founder's Day with his family, and realizes something is brewing. Prosper is an outsider with no friends, a weird family, and now a fiend is living inside of him due to his more than great grandfather breaking a contract with Alastor, a fiend who wreaks havoc on the human world. Prosper's evil grandmother tries to kill him, which leads him to be rescued by a man said to be his Uncle Barnabas and his cousin Nell, who may be too helpful to his condition. He, then, enrolls in the local school, creates a whole new identity for himself, and finds himself creating the perfect life for himself. However, there is something suspicious going on with Nell and Uncle B's relationship with magic, and now, with Prosper and Alastor. Alastor is preventing Prosper from functioning as a normal human being and requesting Prosper to free him with a contract. Prosper says he will never come to fulfill Alastor's request, but things start boiling and churning in Salem until no one can take the betrayal coming nor the exciting twists and turns keeping you on your feet.

Discussion:

So, I like this book; I really like this book. I LOVE THIS BOOK! Oh, my goodness! I adored this book so much! Ugh, I have got to stop gushing about a book even when I have not even explained my opinions and different reasons or explanations on why I like this book. Since we are off on a rocky start, let's just get on going about the many characteristics in The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding.

As I always do in the beginning of the parts of my reviews, I will discuss the characters and their qualities, some of which I very much enjoyed:

1. First, Prosperity Redding, or as he likes to called Prosper instead of his embarrassing name, is the best artist in Redding anyone has ever seen. He is also compassionate for his family, especially for his sister Prudence, or Prue for short, when she had troubles with her heart; also, he has a fiend, or a demon or whatever you may like to call it, in him. Prosper is very observant to his surroundings, especially when he thinking in an artistic sense. It is nice to see a character particularly not very good at school nor at understanding others. Even though I may have said he can be observant at times, he can be naive and will not pick up on the most obvious of clues. Also, he believes if someone is family and is hoping to help him, it means they are trustworthy and will take all your needs before theirs. This is proven wrong with his new enemies, and also, he is very wrong about his grandmother when Prue explains what their grandmother was doing with that knife on Founder's Day. Even though I may have seen the faults in Prosper's character, I found him relatable since I am also very much an outsider and never feel as if I fit in anywhere particular except for books. I hope I see as well-thought out characters as Bracken's were in this book.

2. Alastor is the second character of the iconic duo that I can laugh with and at for calling Prosper and other people maggots and other silly names and for scheming evil plans with. With his hilariously long title telling all his subjects(human, fiend, and witch)he is the First Prince of the Demon Realm, Master Collector of Souls, and of course, the Commander of the First Battalion of Fiends, I really liked him. He was dark and a little creepy, which is just the perfect blend of fun for the upcoming holiday of Halloween. He also said all the right things up until the end when one of his siblings intruded his evil plans. However, that does not mean he cannot say all the right things one needs to hear and write down for inspiration.(Oh, please, Alexandra Bracken, make a poster of Alastor quotes. I will be a good little fiend.) That is one of the similarities between Alastor and Prosper: their love for their families. This shows that even when someone can be really evil, they can have a soft-side to them, which shows they really do care about important things, such as Prosper and Alastor's forced relationship becomes a friendship.

3. Nell is my least favorite of the main characters. She is always judging Prosper upon his family's decisions and past. So, what if one of his past family members made a contract with an evil being who is now taking over his life since the point in time when the contract was broken by great Honor Redding? That does not mean Prosper cannot be a compassionate, observant boy who has the same troubles as a normal person no matter how many fancy lunches he may eat. Through the pages of the book, I learned many things about her past and her family. I learned about her mother's death, her father's forceful behavior and his unconcern for her, and her friend Missy who is a witch like her. She is very much an outsider and does not really fit in very much like Prosper, and finds herself to be more related to a spoiled, privileged Redding than a regular kid in Salem from the time they spend with each other. Also, I liked how she would break the rules and would be a rebel by wearing rainbow glasses and taking a boy's role in play, which Prosper got for her since he sticks up for the little guys. Nell, also, stands up for the little guys but stays more in the shadows. I really wish I could have gotten a closer look at Nell, but I was only reading about her from Prosper's point of view, which would only give us from his observation, or from Nell telling Prosper about herself.

Also, later in the story, I was so surprised by the plot twist that Bracken had obviously dropped clues and foreshadowed about. I knew Uncle Barnabas had bad intentions with Prosper; also, with Nell running around Salem looking for magical ways to summon a demon, this only assured me of my assumptions for the two newly introduced Reddings. Also, when Prosper was becoming Ethan White, she told him to be the actor with an imaginative and flexible past, which she would know a lot about from her job at House of Seven Terrors and her made up character's persona. When Uncle Barnabas reveals he is Henry Bellsgrave and Pyre is revealed to be Alastor's evil sibling who wants to take his power, Prosper breaks his promise he made to himself in the beginning of the whole mess and agrees to a contract with Alastor to save Prue from Pyra, the villain in this story. I was having so many emotions come out at this moment, and I was yelling every word I could think of at the pages. Ugh, the emotions! These emotions always come out with my favorite books.

Okay, even though I may adore the characters I have listed and more, I loved Alexandra Bracken's writing. I could quote it all day. I was highlighting lines from the book, quoting it throughout the days I read it, and wrote notes on every single line and what it means to me. I will be adding these notes, which include most of Alastor's advice and just beautifully written words written by Bracken, to my notebook and anywhere else where it is important.

Some others quotes and wise words from ours truly Alastor that I enjoy are:

"Test me, and you will learn precisely how fragile the human heart can be."

"It is a difficult thing, to lose, Alastor mused with a smirk in his voice, when one is so accustomed to winning."

"If a man desires respect, he must not frame his every sentence as a question. If you consider yourself to be an artist, then be an artist."

"...a soft heart only makes it easier for a knife to slip in."

"The boy's heart, it would seem, was a rare sort: incorruptable by greed, incompatible with jealousy. Unlike Honor, he saw the destruction that Alastor's good fortune wreaked on others. But like Honor, his own weakness, his truest wish, was nothing more than the survival and success of his family."

"Maybe it was true that we never really escape our histories. That revenge is a poison that stays in the hearts of families, reborn with each generation. I was nothing like my family but I was still a Redding. I didn't get to choose my family, or the curse but I couldn't run away from home."

After all the praising for and quoting from my new favorite The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding, I hope one of you readers can find interest in this book from my post or just general praise, which there will probably be a lot of. I hope I can find more books that I will find as my favorites of 2017 and my life. I cannot wait to read more of Bracken's books to see if one can become my favorite. Good luck, Alexandra Bracken, with your endless writing journeys and your job of making people's dreams come true with a flip of a page.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!

Love,
newbookcats

I would recommend this book to fans of middle grade who are looking for a spooky, but not scary, fall read. The voice was quirky and fun. It is told primarily from the perspective of Prosper, a 12-13 year old who is the only unremarkable and unpopular member of his family. The voice felt very authentic. The second perspective we see is from Alastor, the demon living inside of prosper. Alastor was my FAVORITE. As a demon from the 1600s, his language and voice were definitely unique! I just loved his insults!