The gist: Raf and his sister, Brianna, are dealing with a LOT! Their incarcerated mother is about to come home and possibly derail their lives again, and they’re being tormented by an evil force that kills children under the red moon. It’s up to Raf to break the curse before he becomes the next victim of the Caretaker–mu ha ha ha-HA!

What I liked: This book has some faults (we’ll get into that later), but the author did an amazing job with Raf. I absolutely loved this character for many reasons. He’s a fighter and a fierce protector of his sister. Their relationship gave me Dani and Max vibes from Hocus Pocus, and I could almost hear the musical score during chase scenes in the haunted forest. So, if you’re looking for a YA spooky season read, this is it!

What irked me: I loved everything about this book except for the moral of the story. The Caretaker is scary, but the more threatening dark force looming over these kids is the soon-to-be-paroled incarcerated mother. We get bits and pieces of the chaos, negligence and child endangerment Raf and Brianna endured, and I’m not okay with any of it. Raf is justifiably angry and fearful, yet his grandparents and sister just keep pestering him to embrace his mother with open arms. I’m glad this is a work of fiction, otherwise, I’d fear for their safety. Who knows what could happen when the mother falls of the wagon and whisks them away to some chaotic drug den. Come to think of it…shouldn’t she be in some sort of treatment facility or halfway house for recovering addicts instead of returning straight home to her children? As nice as it sounds to forgive and move on, life just doesn’t work that way, and I feel like this book sends the wrong message to people. Here’s my message: Don’t pressure or shame others who aren’t ready or willing to forgive. Child abuse and neglect is serious, and I don’t think the author handled this very well. Period.

The spook factor: On a scale from one to ten, I’d give this an eight on the spook-o-meter. We’re dealing with witchcraft, a child-killing demon, a haunted pond, and even a demonic furry toe! Again, perfect for Halloween reading.

Overall: Aside from the problematic morality tale, I really enjoyed this creepy adventure. I’ve seen this storyline a time or two in movies (ex: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps), but a few new elements were added to the mix to keep it fresh–including a spotted shape-shifting kitty named Balam. I recommend this to fans of R.L. Stine and Mary Downing Hahn.