Fred Gracely
"I'm a Harry Potter fanatic. This was a wonderful book! Fell in love with the characters...I laughed and cried. I was hooked."
-Amazon Review, The Last Halloween
A friendless, misfit boy unwittingly becomes a wizard and ends up having to save the town he is desperately trying to escape.
All Goff wanted was for his essay on witchcraft to be good enough to win a scholarship to a private academy far away from Spraksville, the miserable, spooky little town he is stuck in. But, if he’d known that Spraksville’s history of witchcraft was more than just folklore, he never would have experimented with casting a spell in the cemetery at midnight as research to make the essay great.
When his spellcasting unexpectedly sparks some real magic, the gargoyles make Goff a wizard, and he becomes the mortal enemy of Harkland Mathers XIII, the most powerful dark wizard in centuries—an evil sorcerer plotting to become invincible by performing an ancient ritual on Halloween night that will destroy the entire town and everyone in it.
While navigating the confusing world of magic, keeping himself and his newfound friends alive, and trying to stop the ritual, Goff discovers his fate is part of a plot hatched thirteen generations ago to make him the chosen one…chosen to be the clueless misfit wizard who will have no chance of stopping the ritual that will make this
"...riveting debut young adult horror novel"
BookLife Editor's Pick
"...a gorgeous treat to fans of urban fantasy...a pure delight."
The Book Commentary
A good read any time of year...it has lots of Halloween imagery, but it's not "about" Halloween...
This was supposed to be a safe place, but there was dark magic here, and now it was up to him to save everyone…again. Finally feeling like he had a home while attending the boarding school of his dreams, a lonely, outcast boy and his oddball friends are dragged into a diabolic plot to create a new magical empire funded by rich and powerful people. As the shadowy hands of the magical realm close in around him, he must find a way to stop them, or everyone and everything he loves will be destroyed.
"…a mighty sequel that keeps you engaged from start to finish…"
KC Finn Readers' Favorite
"…buoyant fantasy sequel... exciting thrill ride
full of intrigue and mystery..."
BookLife Editor's Pick
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“Be thankful for the Verlokken who lives in your town, but maybe a few streets over or a couple of blocks down…”
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Goffren (Goff in modern times) is the “ghost of Slaathwick,” an orphaned teenage Verlokken boy with a complex and treacherous relationship with the magical realm. It causes him to end up in the thick of the worst of it, and he drags anyone foolish enough to be friends with him along for the ride. People stay clear of him, and he stays clear of them, living alone in a small broom closet in the Royal Kitchen with his pet rat, Felix. He’d found a family once, a brief stint of feeling loved and happy, but a Verlokken doesn’t get to be happy. It ended in a horrible tragedy, thanks to him. Now, he keeps to himself, determined to never let that happen again.
When he reluctantly forms a friendship with a boisterous girl who performs at Royal Festivals and a stoic boy who is an apprentice Royal Magician, he pulls them along on a perilous effort to solve the mystery of strange murders at shimmering Castle Charmont and children being abducted from Slaathwick village and the outer Wicks.
On their fast-paced and treacherous adventure, they are almost eaten by a giant sea creature, barely escape a dark wizard’s castle, are nearly killed by winged lizards, flee from a wizard-hating mob, travel through magical portals, and are marked for execution. Ultimately, in his darkest hour, when all hope seems lost, Goffren must cast his fate to the wind and embrace the full, immense, terrifying extent of his Verlokken nature as his only hope of avoiding horrible tragedy. Again.
“...lush and intricate, filled with talking animals, ancient spells, secret societies, and morally complex magic...will appeal to readers who enjoy fantasy grounded in emotion and told with warmth and creativity.” -C. Thompson Readers' Favorite
“…a perfect balance of humor, heartbreak, and high stakes...the theme of found family and self-acceptance comes through stronger with every page…” -K.C. Finn Readers' Favorite
Her magic orb wasn’t supposed to wake up for a human, but it chose him and turned his world upside down.
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For an abandoned orphan with no past and no future, there really was no reason not to help the enchanting moon spirit girl. So, as bizarre as it was, he agreed to babysit her ancient orb until the first night of the next full moon. Thirty days of protecting a little white gumball-sized orb that she promised would “never wake up for a human.”
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No big deal.
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Except, she had lied a little…or was confused (it turns out she’s confused a lot). For some reason, the most powerful, mischievous magical object in existence awoke for him as soon as she flew off.
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Things got all magical and scary and weird quickly after that. Nasty glowing spirits hunt for him with an enchanted human eye; slinky, devious shadow spirits ooze out of lobster traps; the Orb reveals ancient disturbing stories about evil spirits, treachery, and forbidden love; and the nasty demoness who wants to kill everyone starts showing up in his world (yes, behind him in the mirror one night–seriously creepy).
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Ultimately, he discovers that family can take many forms. And, as he comes to realize that he must unravel the bewildering truth of his own past to save the future for everyone, he also learns that bonds forged in the face of danger may be the strongest of all.
“…infinitely relatable…brilliant imagery…skillfully mixes the real world with the mystical…readers will feel as if they are journeying alongside Max as he faces a dark force too terrifying for words and his own staggering role in an ancient mystery.” Booklife, Editor's Pick
"...a high-spirited adventure bursting with imagination, drama, and humor."
S. Pierzchala, Readers' Favorite
"...an excellent read...Fantasy fans won’t want to miss Moon Spirit."
C. Thompson, Readers' Favorite
"I would certainly recommend to fans of fantasy fiction everywhere for its charming characters and brilliantly-paced voyage of discovery." KC Finn, Readers' Favorite
“Engaging characters battle evil in this diverting urban fantasy…The engrossing buildup leads to an exhilarating final act and a gratifying resolution…”
-Kirkus