Thank you, Random House Children's, for allowing me to read The Wicked Unseen early.

I'm sorry but I didn't connect to the characters as much as I wanted to and somehow the writing fell flat for me. I hope other readers will love this one more than I did.

This book shows the reasons why someone should check out a town before they take a job there. An unsuspecting mom takes a job as a mortician and her teen daughter discovers that the dead are a lot more polite than the living cult members. (I learned that dead bodies could fart which I guess is not that polite. They don't say excuse me.)

Everyone in town, except the dead people, are obsessed with Hell. Audre, the teen daughter, is goth and her dad researched the occult for the books he writes. Oh boy, that sets off some alarms in the cult community A girl goes missing and Audre's dad is arresting because why not. The family is considered a bunch of weirdos so why not blame them?

Here's the thing. The occult studying dad and the mortician mom are way more loving and understanding, and smarter, than the overbearing cult members. The people who are considered weird are the most grounded people in town.

Some blood and gore and one particularly nasty way to die. But ultimately, it's a story of a family that hangs in together due to their love for each other. I should mention that it's also a good mystery.

Thanks to Underlined Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of The Wicked Unseen.

This was a basically good mystery/horror story with the added dimension of a religious cult running the town. There were a couple craft choices that created weaknesses in plot and character, which prevent me from rating it higher, but they were minor and I'll still recommend the novel to teens who love horror and suspense. I'd like to read more from Griffis.

Although the overall writing/prose is pretty mediocre and cringe at times (I’d give some examples but this is an ARC) and the narrator has this preoccupation with Spanish which they supposedly learned solely from their best friend when they were a kid, I think the discussion of zealot religious people was meaningful.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an ARC copy of this book. This has not influenced my review.

Summary: Audre is the new girl in town and is having a hard time fitting in. When the girl she’s crushing on goes missing, things only get worse. Not only is she the girl Audre is crushing on, Elle also happens to be the daughter of the town preacher. A preacher convinced satanists are at fault. Can Audre save Elle? Are satanists really to blame?

Review: I loved this book. I thought it was unique, funny, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn’t guess how it would end at all. I thought the writing style was amazing, and really appreciated how the switching of POVs lent to the story telling. I’d definitely recommend this book and I’ll be reading more by this author in the future.

I really loved this book. I read it in six hours. As a bisexual spooky Latina I very much related to this book right away. I found it super fun but kept me questioning every turn along the way. A 10/10 for me.

May I tell you a secret?

Im not sure what I think of this book.

“The Wicked Unseen” is touted as a thriller/ horror novel. The blurb for the book reads as such. We have a young girl, Audre who moves to a new town, and who instantly is labeled ‘bad’ as she doesn’t agree with the local Church and their views. Then, the girl she is crushing on goes missing who also happens to be the Preacher’s daughter! Well, instead of searching for Elle, everyone is praying because they are worried about Satanists?

The father uses God as an excuse and a weapon to treat women badly, he scares his congregation into submission? The author uses the Satanic Panic theme of the 90’s throughout the story, this theme centers around cults, parents, and adults in general, thinking if you played heavy metal music backward, you heard the devil, if you played RPG’s you were being sucked into evil, and don’t get me started on My Little Pony! These themes and elements were a smoke screen for churches and men to instill fear and spout conspiracies. Think Quanon today, same concept.

In other words, it’s not about demons and Satan, it’s about the evil men do, and if you do not agree with them and their beliefs then YOU are the problem and the evil.

I guess that stream of consciousness was throughout the book and I just got fed up. I don’t appreciate men using God as an excuse to be Asses.

I will say Audre, was funny comparing life to particular horror movies. Though her narration didn’t sound like the voice of a teenager? The story was compelling in parts, and if you know nothing about the Satanic Panic days, you will learn something

I just felt this novel was choppy. I like Audre, she stood her ground. The descriptions of the hell house is cool, but the religious fanatics ruined for me. So parts I liked and parts were just maddening. I was angry. I don’t like to be angry reading a mystery or thriller.

The Cover, Awesome!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis was a gripping YA thriller/mystery!
I was caught by this intriguing cover. And once I read the synopsis I knew it was going to be one wicked ride!
This was a fantastic, gripping horror novel!
I had the best time reading it and I'm now adding this author to my list.
The characters are well set up, believable, and complex throughout.
Gigi Griffis detailed descriptions bring the characters and setting to life.
And the twists will keep you entertained and flipping through pages all the way to the end.
She wrote a very unique story here.
Overall, this was a blast to devour!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Random House Children's & Underlined,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Audre and her family don't fit into their new community at all. She loves horror movies and has a pierced nose. Her parents collect ouija boards and her father is a former member of the Church of Satan. They don't blend into the highly religious rural community that was worried about secret devil worshippers even before a teenage girl vanished.

I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. The Satanic Panic still fascinates me. The writing style pulled me right in, but if it hadn't been for the lack of cell phones and two mentions of movies that had just come out, I wouldn't have been able to tell that the book was set in 1996. Audre's attitudes make it feel like she's living in 2022. She's angry and mean, lashing out at everyone whose views differ from her own. Yes, some members of the local church as terrible and deserve it, but she seems to hate everyone, even friends who have done nothing to hurt her. The book makes some great points, but it's very anti-Church and anti-police.

Writing: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5
Scary: 2/5

Warnings: Language, Religious fanaticism

Themes: Thriller, Mystery

The Wicked Unseen is about a girl who moves into a new town and is automatically marked as the black sheep just because her family doesn’t agree with the local church and their priecher. I really enjoyed the historical nods to the 80s satanic panic. The mystery of Elle going missing had me guessing in all different direction and wonder who could be trusted. Audre comparing her life to horror movie classics and assigning different people into the stereotypical horror movie roles was funny to read. This book was more thriller and wanting to solve the mystery than it was a scary story.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery and the historical events of the satanic panic.

I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.

This story was gripping and thought-provoking. I think a lot of small towns can relate to the whole satanic panic thing, and this story has that woven into it extremely well. Thanks for the advanced copy of it. I definitely don’t regret reading it. 4⭐️

Now this is a fun book. Not sure if a religious reader will feel the same. But for me I loved the MC and it just shows the hypocrisy that the world is drowning in. Will definitely keep up with this author.

A quick and exciting debut that's equal parts horror and thriller! Definitely one you can finish in a single sitting, that'll keep you guessing until the very end!

There really wasn't a good flow to this book. It felt choppy, and the narrator did not read like a teenager. It totally felt like the author inserted themselves in as the main character.

Dang! What a read! Read this one in mere hours and was sucked into it right away. Satanic cults in a small town? Can’t get much creepier than that for middle grade/ya while still being realistic!

4 stars
This was a fantastic book. Easy to read and kept me guessing. I was able to finish this in two sittings. I could see how it played on some real life fears and payed homage to some of our 90’s familiars.
I look forward to more by Griffis

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Audre moves with her parents and younger sister to a small town, where Elle—one of the first friends she made after moving—goes missing. Elle’s father is a minister who preaches about the dangers of demons. Elle’s church youth group would rather pray than search for her. The cops blame Satanic Panic and focus right away on Audre’s family. When it’s obvious that no one in the town is actually looking for Elle, Audre steps up, but she’s met with resistance at every turn.

I like how one of the main themes of the book is Christian zealots and the ego of men who think they know what’s best for women, and using God as their excuse to do as they see fit. Another is crooked, racist cops. The real evil in this book isn’t monsters or demons; it’s men.

I was a teen in the 90’s, so I remember some of the Satanic Panic, but it hasn’t really went away. With QAnon conspiracy theories, some people still believe in it.

I enjoyed this book. I could relate to the main character. I recommend reading this book if you grew up during the 80s’ or 90’s, but especially if you grew up later.

This is the first book in awhile to give me literal nightmares.

There is nothing spooky or supernatural about this book, it is true every day horror which is the most unsettling horror.

The description of the Hell House was what got me the most and it will stick with me for the rest of my life.

I was uncomfortable 100% of this book but I couldn’t stop reading.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review early

Good book, even though I feel it had a slow start. Characters were fine and the plot and atmosphere was good. Had it’s creepy moments and it did keep me entertained.

Absolutely loved this book. As someone who grew up around the hellfire and brimstone Pentecostal fanaticism, it rings true to the overall subject matter while also creating an incredible story and characters around it.

While trying to figure out what happened to Elle, we think of demonic worship, sacrifices, and blood cults. But the true evil is more mundane yet even more terrifying. It's a great example of taking real life and spinning it into a fast paced sharply narrated horror fiction. I'd definitely recommend this!