Middle-grade horror storytelling that warmed my Goosebumps-loving heart. Effortlessly diverse and full of characters I'd love to spend more time with. Hoping this leads to more!

"**The Doomsday Archives**" by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos is an exhilarating adventure that expertly blends mystery and high-stakes action. The dynamic plot and engaging characters make it a thrilling and captivating read for fans of middle-grade fantasy.

This book was such a blast! There was so much to love!

This book follows Emrys, a kid who loves the creepy stuff that pops up in his hometown, New Rotterdam. He and his friends work together to stop the urban legends come to life that threaten to take over their town. It's such a fun read and has mass appeal to many kids of middle grade/tween readers.

From a librarian or educator perspective, there is so much you can do with this book. You can use it to set off a unit about researching your own hometowns or how people make wiki pages for data collection. The Wikipedia-type entries in between each chapter lend some real depth to the narrative, making it feel more immersive. The characters were fun and realistic and the plot was engaging enough to keep kids reading. This is one of those great books that would work for a more advanced younger reader, or as an entry point for older reluctant readers. It's a short book with short chapters, creepy illustrations and varied narration throughout. This is a must for any library!

Described as Stranger Things meets Goosebumps for middle schoolers, The Wandering Hour definitely lives up to the hype! The characters were relatable and fun. The world building was well done, and I loved the inclusion of media such as the wiki pages to make it all seem more real. The plot was simultaneously scary and fun. This is already planned for a series and I can't wait to see where this goes. This will be a staple for children's horror like Percy Jackson is for children's fantasy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Projects for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

This was such a fun, spooky story, and one that I would have lapped up immediately if I had read this as a kid.

Emrys Houtman has recently moved to the town of New Rotterdam and he lives in the same apartment building as his best friend Hazel. Hazel's best friend Serena also lives in the same building. Emrys and Hazel attend the same school, while Serena attends the private school in town. Emrys and Hazel are big fans of paranormal, unusual occurrences and monsters, while the three love watching horror movies together.

Emrys knows that New Rotterdam has a strange reputation; odd and terrible things have happened here for years; it's always overcast, there have been disappearances, cursed objects are reputed to be in the town, and monstrous creatures appear at night. Or so the urban legends about the town state, and are captured in a wiki about New Rotterdam's weirdness.

After a bad storm one night, the trio check in on a mysterious resident of the apartment, Mr Alyx Van Stavern, and stumble upon an amazing, massive collection of relics, books and oddities. And they discover their mysterious neighbour is now transformed into a spellbook.

The trio dub the library the Doomsday Archives, and Van Stavern informs them that because they found the library they are now members of the secretive Order of the Azure Eye. And there's an opposing secret, evil group, the Yellow Court, hunting them.

If this wasn't shocking enough, they realize that there are new disappearances in town, and that a bizarre hourglass and frightening old woman are involved.

This was a lot of fun. There was terrific atmosphere, much creepiness, and some pretty scary situations featured, and I liked the introduction the two secret societies working in the shadows against each other. And all the monstrous apparitions and well-constructed in-story legends about them were well constructed and even a little horrifying.

The character dynamics are well handled, with Emrys and Serena having to deal with their fears and jealousies, while having to learn trust each other while evading pursuit. Hazel has a less prominent role, but I suspect we'll be seeing her do more in further books in the series. And I'm looking forward to how the three kids develop as they begin working together against the monsters and the Yellow Court.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Zando for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was so much fun in the creepiest way possible. It’s difficult enough moving to a new town and making new friends as a kid but then add in the fact that you’ve moved to a town that seems to be a portal for monsters to come through and kids are disappearing at an alarming rate and maybe this wasn’t the best place to move. Luck for New Rotterdam, Emrys is not easily spooked and is hunting for just this type of activity to update the Wiki. This story was creative with just the right touch of suspense and horror to keep you invested but not too much for younger readers who like this genre. I loved the way the tale unfolded and can’t wait to see what they face next.

Emrys Houtman, a relatively new inhabitant of New Rotterdam, senses something is not right in the town, especially with a rash of youths disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Emrys and his friend Hazel contribute to a Wiki that chronicles the urban legends and strange events in the town called the Doomsday Archives. Their other friend, Serena is far from enthusiastic about the weirdness being off screen, despite being a horror movie fan, but she won’t be able to stay uninvolved for long. Can the trio prevail over the evil shadow looming over their town?

The Doomsday Archive: The Wandering Hour is a gem. Delightfully creepy and atmospheric, with a very contemporary concept built around an online wiki for supernatural/weird phenomena and urban legends. It also integrates concepts of cursed objects and arcane elements that herald back to HP Lovecraft and other classic horror story writers like MR James, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, and Manly Wade Wellman, who were excellent at crafting so much lore into their stories. Equally, horror movie enthusiasts will enjoy the self-aware tone and the metafictional approach in which the chapters begin with Doomsday Archive wiki entries. The illustrations are beautiful and very scary, rendered in black in white.

This book is for the weird kids who love anything along those lines, old and young. Emrys is such a relatable character for people who don’t fit in and are deemed “oddballs.” He has so much to offer, kind, caring, generous, but his personality traits make him the odd person out. Serena is a popular kid, someone that Emrys never would have become friends with, except for their mutual friend, Hazel. It was great seeing the two come to an accord and develop their unique own bond.

This book is quite scary and disturbing in ways. Due to some of the content, it wouldn’t be ideal for younger readers below twelve or those sensitive to content with kids in danger who cannot look to parental figures to keep them safe from arcane horrors. However, it’s sure to be a lot of fun for kids who like to be scared, and have grown up with horror being so mainstream, and of course, older readers who like a good, scary middle grade book.

The Doomsday Archive: The Wandering Hour is an auspicious start to what is sure to be an excellent series of books. The next installment will be eagerly awaited by this reader.

The Wandering Hour” is the captivating first installment in the Doomsday Archives series.
Set in the eerie town of New Rotterdam, where urban legends come to life, three friends—Emrys, Hazel, and Serena—stumble upon a world of magic and malevolence. As they delve into the Order of the Azure Eye, tasked with safeguarding occult relics, they uncover chilling secrets and face evil forces threatening their community
Clark and Eliopulos did an excellent job in mixing supernatural suspense with relatable characters.
The wiki-style framing adds depth, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the town’s mysteries.
The scary moments are balanced by the kids’ resourcefulness, making this a thrilling read also for older children.
I can't wait to read the next story in this series as this one is exciting and gripping
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Emrys Houtman realizes that something is not quite right in the town New Rotterdam, although no one talks about it especially the adults. The town’s skies are always overcast and there are so many urban legends, mysterious disappearances, cursed objects and strange creatures. Emrys bonds with his new neighbor Hazel and Serena. The three of them are horror fans. Emrys has been documenting the town’s creepy legends and cryptic sightings. One day the trio discover the Doomsday Archives. It has a mysterious collection of relics. Why? What does the trio learn from it? The trio discover that they have been hunting the monsters while at the same time the monsters are hunting them. Why are the monsters hunting them? Emrys, Hazel and Serena realize they must stop the “terrors” or lose their home and perhaps their lives.

The writer has written a creepy adventure with heart-pounding suspense with its monsters and relics. There is humor and more. Reading this book gave me chills as I wondered what was going to happen next. I like that the trio liked each other in spite of their own weirdness. I also loved that they were horror fans. It reminds me of “Goosebump” books that I have read. I can’t wait to read the next book of this series!

Emrys has always been considered a bit weird and so when his family moves to New Rotterdam he is thinking things will be better or at least the town would be weirder than him. He has a friend there that he knew before moving and was excited but never thought she might have a friend, Serena. Him and Serena sort of tolerate each other because of their both being friends with Hazel.
There are strange things that happen around New Rotterdam and there is a wiki that keeps track of those things and Emrys and Hazel contribute to it and are a bit fixated on those things, while Serena is not but one night they end up finding out that those things that people talk about might be true and end up becoming a part of something that they might not have been ready for.
I liked it, I liked the characters. It was slightly spooky but not really that much but it could be for some kids.

I enjoyed this one a lot. I do wish it had been a bit longer as the climax felt a bit rushed. The "online articles" were a fun plot device and I think is a good current device for the intended age audience. I would rate this a 3.5 rounded up as the pacing was off. I understand that this was starting a series but it didn't feel like a complete story on its own. Maybe for a slightly younger audience.

Oh I love this book so much, what an amazing first book!!! I love urban legend and creepy pastas, and this story set in a town famous for such things. The town even has its own wikia pages and guess what?? We got wiki entries AND images of all the mysterious things in this town!!! I had so much fun reading due to these media inclusions. Plus the characters were great- I wish we got to know more Hazel and Serena more but Emrys definitely easy to root for. Also love how present their families are in their lives!

It took me a minute to grasp the format of the book which is interspersed with wikipedia-esque articles from a spooky site. And I was also a bit lost at the transition from the first chapter with it's deliciously creepy supernatural event, into meeting our main character and how those related. Once I got on board, I found this to be a good horror option for younger middle school readers. It definitely has so seriously scary events and creatures, but still manages to stay middle grades, not YA.

What a great creepy middle grade story full of magic.

Emrys knows something isn’t quite right in the town of New Rotterdam. Together with his friends they will try to investigate all the urban legends and see if there is any truth to them.

The book has some mixed media elements and we get to see the entries in a wikipedia designed to track all the information related to the urban legends and the cases of missing people. Because in New Rotterdam people go missing all the time.

I truly loved the kids and to see their love for horror movies and how they commented on the fact that horror movies are not that scary considering how scary the real world is.

We also see parents that are supporting the kids and their weird club investigating all these legends. The kids were also smart and analyzed the situations before just jumping to do something stupid and that was refreshing.

The horror is also merged with magical elements that made the plot even more interesting and they set up a great ground story that opens up many interesting options for the next books in this new series.

A great fun fast paced read that will have you truly invested in the mysteries of the town.

This middle grade fantasy mystery was so good! It's fun all the way through with non stop action packed madness.

The children were very disappointed that the illustrations did not come with the book, they are especially important to the younger ones to visualise the story. As it stood, it was a fair story and the children did enjoy it but not one of this years favourites.

The Doomsday Archives is the start of a new series in the vein of Stranger Things and Goosebumps, that has the potential to be an incredible hit amongs middle-grade horror readers. It features a town rich with urban legends about ghouls, cryptids and monsters, a fast-paced story and a cast of likable characters to root for.
Although all the great ideas are there, the story in itself never réálly elevates itself above a average though. The pacing is a little too fast, making for a very abrupt start and a bit of an unsatisfying ending.

What this book will ultimately stand or fall by, will be the illustrations. With books like these, the illustrations can transform a story, and lift it from a 3- to a 5-star experience. Unfortunately the illustrations aren't included in the ARC, so I can't give an opinion on those. Potentially with those, this book might be a 4 or even 5-star middle grade horror. Based on the text alone, it's unfortunately stuck on a 3,,.

Many thanks to Zando Young Readers and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a person who grew up reading Goosebumps, I will say this book captures what made me love those books. It's somewhat fun, a little mysterious, and pretty spooky at times. The events that happen are always interesting and kept me engaged. For reference, I read this from start to finish in one sitting, which is rare for me. Job well done! Even the prose is great. I'd highly recommend to younger readers getting into horror.

Thank you so much to Zando Young Readers and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

New Rotterdam is a small town that has never ending mysterious things happen, with many missing people. Emrys, Serena and Hazel all find the town legends and myths fascinating and together start researching into them. Then one mystery leads them to a secret hidden relic room and they become part of the mysteries.

This storyline was so good it had so many mysteries and I loved all the myths and legends of the town and how so many strange things occurred within it. I loved learning so much from it. It was so haunting, eerie and mysterious but it will grip you right away. I really enjoyed diving into this story I really enjoyed the characters and the way the story went. The wiki style pages were so fun to read, I love the added touch especially as the characters in the book contribute information to it. I really enjoyed the Wiki entry Orchid of outer space as it resembled to me the little shop of horrors and I thought it was so fun.

I really loved the unique friendship, their personalities were interesting and how they were an odd triangle of friendship and that the three weren’t all instantly close and had to fight to form a friendship. I really liked that Serena wasn’t wanting to be part of the group after they’d uncovered it but that over time she found it wouldn’t leave her alone so she had to be. I really liked the natural progression of her and how she fit into the group. I loved that the kids were brave even though scared and that they were strong enough together to overcome it all.

The relics were fascinating and loved learning all about them and what they did how they protected them or held the bad inside it was so interesting learning more about them. I also loved that Alxy was spelled in the book, such a super creative addition and how he helped guide the kids.

The wandering hour witch was menacing and so eerie and creepy, the way she haunts and creeps and takes them was so fascinating. I really loved what Emrys did and how he was able to save Serena. Together they worked so well to defeat her and to figure out with the very little time they’d had learning to best her. It was so good.

The ending was a little odd but still interesting, I liked that it opened up to who the next story will focus on. This is a book that will be really enjoyed by many as it’s really creepy and has so many mysteries to solve, so many legends in the small town. I look forward to reading the next one.

Side note: I was sad that there were no illustrations within the copy I was provided with. I would have loved seeing them as they would have really added so much extra to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Doomsday Archives: The Wander Hour by Zack Loran Clark.

As an adult I've always enjoyed reading Middle Grade fantasy and horror books. As a teacher I'm always looking for good books to share with my class through my classroom library. As a part-time librarian during the summer, I also like to keep my eye out for books to order for the children's section. When this ARC came across my path (love horror books) I knew I needed to try it out.

Three friends in a very strange town named New Rotterdam take it upon themselves to solve crazy disappearances, deaths, and urban legends that plague the town. For those that love mysteries, secret societies, and unexplained occurrences with a little horror thrown in the mix, I think this one might be for you. This is the first in a series which means more creature features to come with each installment.

The publisher has touted this book as a cross between Goosebumps and Stranger Things. After reading I do definitely see the similarities with both the above comparisons. I did enjoy this one. It is a short read that I wished had been a little longer, but in a kid's reading world it's none stop action which I believe will keep them very involved in the story waiting for the next book to arrive on the scene. The Doomsday Archives: The Wandering Hour will be out January 30, 2024. If you have a child that enjoys reading scary things, I would check it out. If you are an adult that also enjoys middle grade books I would also say, give it a try. This may be a new favorite series for children as well as adults.