Good solid middle grade writing and plot.

It will be interesting to see how Ronald L. Smith develops as time goes on.

I liked the premise for this one and the cover is a bit spooky and cool at the same time! There are things that I enjoyed and then there were other parts that were a bit confusing.

Let's start with the good. I liked the friendship between Rory and Isabella/Izzy. She is always there for him and will help in any way she can even if that means freeing the town from evil. Rory is a brave kid and does what he must to keep the house his mom and him live in. It's nice to see a kid take on responsibility. Although getting a job leads him into some trouble!

The plot was interesting and creepy. It has you wondering what will happen next and if their luck is about to run out. I liked the plot twists that were involved and it was cool to see how it would all play out. I wasn't expecting the ending and that is where it got confusing. I am sure it was made for another book to come (maybe?) but at the same time it just came out of nowhere.

Another part that I wish more was said about was the evil. We got a bit of backstory but there were still things that were left unsaid and I just wanted to know why it existed and happened to plant itself in this town. Maybe if there is another book there will be more backstory for it.

Overall, I think this was a good read and if children love books about fighting evil with a dash of creepy then they will certainly enjoy this one!

Due to dire finances and the threat of eviction, 12-year-old Rory gets a job as a valet for the creepy Lord Foxglove. But something isn’t right in the strange mansion. He and his best friend Izzy determine to figure out what’s going on, following the clues and pondering Rory's strange dreams. They learn that Foxglove bought the town and renamed it Gloom, stealing shadows from the entire town, to feed an ancient evil. It's an intriguing premise, the writing clips along, getting creepier and creepier!