dtaylorbooks 's review for:

Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia

5.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Exactly the kind of YA horror that I’ve been looking for lately that is actually new and not twenty years old! Hooray! It’s an easy, lighter read, but still has depth to it. It even made me cry at one point. But its focus is on the creepy and I love that so.

Immediately, you can’t help but feel for Zora. She’s gotten the crap end of the stick for years, through no real fault of her own, and I feel that deeply, especially as a high school student. There’s definitely a ‘sins of the father’ thing going on here that she’s desperately trying to shake, along with her own reputation that, on the surface, looks warranted but really isn’t. She just can’t tell people about the firestarters: demons that, well, start fires. Supernatural fires that couldn’t possibly burn as hot or as fast as they do without accelerants, but they do.

I’m absolutely appalled by how the adults especially treat Zora in this book, especially Buster Gates. Like absolutely putrid human beings. And to anyone who would say oh adults don’t really treat kids like that, you are not paying attention to the same things I am. All you have to do is look at any of the LGBTQIA+ stuff happening in states like Texas and Florida to know that adults very much have no issue treating kids like absolute punching bags if they “prove” themselves to not be worthy of being treated like children or humans. It’s gross. Buster is gross. I was rooting for a bigger comeuppance for him, but I’ll take what I was given there.

Bach is mine. I will fight anyone. I probably feel this way because Zappia compared him to The Lost Boys and she had me at hello on that one. SOLD. Although I do like how he wasn’t an actual love interest in the story. Just a companion, really. A really messed up companion, but a companion nonetheless.

I also like how there’s no romance in the story. See? They are a thing!!! If I remember correctly, I think Zora is ace, but it’s mentioned explicitly maybe once and that’s it. It’s just not a focus and I love that so much. It’s just so refreshing reading YA where the focus of the story isn’t on who likes who, even if that’s not what the story is supposed to be about. Double sold.

Honestly, I feel like the human adults are scarier than the firestarters in this story. I’m sure that’s not unintentional. Although I did like the underlying creepiness of the firestarters and their doors and how they actually operate. The stalker-like behavior is really the driving creep behind the story, how the fires are being set and why, just has a real sinister vibe to it that resonates well through the pages.

NOW ENTERING ADDAMSVILLE is a great addition to the YA horror compendium. I’m going to have to read more of Zappia’s work. Her style of storytelling is so engaging yet pretty simple and straightforward. Relatable yet carries a subtle depth. Love.

5