The Witching Hour

Camp Whatever #3

by Chris Grine

Willow and her summer camp friends return in the thrilling conclusion to the Secrets of Camp Whatever trilogy.

After former camp leader Clarence P'sketty Tooter is freed from a hypnosis spell, he remembers everything, including that pesky pre-teen Willow and her scrappy friends. But most importantly, he remembers the ancient mystery surrounding Nowhere's sleep-away camp. Now, Tooter seeks revenge against Willow and her friends, and inadvertently awakens a long-dormant evil which seeks to destroy the world in the epic conclusion to the Secrets of Camp Whatever trilogy.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Paranormal, Adventure

224 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[Wonderpus Photogenicus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, I liked the first two more, but it was still cute and had funny moments

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! What a great way to end the series and with beautiful art! I love that it happened during winter, and it still introduces more creatures. The world building continued to happen in the last book of the series, and it was very well done. A whole new realm and character growth from Willow. I love the worms, so funny! I'm glad we get to see more of Molly in this book!

I only wish there was an epilogue to better show what happens with Rand.

[Malli (Chapter Malliumpkin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol. 1 ★★★★
✨ Vol. 2: The Doors to Nowhere ★★★

Content/Trigger Warnings: Grief, on page deaths, loss of loved ones

Honestly, I'm not surprised that I'm disappointed by this final installment in this series. I was really hoping that with low expectations and the little flame of hope I had, this would turn out to be a good read. This was fine? An okay read? I found so many things predictable like the amount of deaths we had, Willow still not having any form of character growth and treating people terribly (literally smacks away her best friend), the whole situation with the villain, and a few other things that I don't want to spoil. What really made this book for me was the different creatures, new and old, and a lot of the emotional scenes. Going to a different realm was also really enjoyable. I really liked everything that surrounded that realm and how the stakes were really high with it.

Overall, this is the third book in this trilogy and I don't want to spend too much time on this due to not wanting to spoil anything. I will say the ending of this book definitely ended on a good note, but I'm still disappointed. Again, if you're a lover of paranormal, fantasy graphic novels, definitely give this a chance. There's some great representation in this series and just because volume two and three weren't my cup of tea, doesn't mean you won't enjoy them!


All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.

Instagram|Ko-fi|Throne

[AitziST · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

The third and final part of the Camp Whatever trilogy, the Witching Hour, is everything you would expect from the anterior works by Chris Grine. The humour is there, the twists and turns are there… even some oldies are back!
The book starts just where the second book, Doors to Nowhere, ended. Molly’s father, Tooter, just woke up from Elric’s spell: and he is still adamant in finding poor Thatch.
But that’s just a trifle, because bigger problems are closing in: mermaids! An evil, oh so evil manticore named Todd! And worst of all, Jonan Hollender, the shadowy figure who’s been lurking in the background… is finally here.

I think The Witching Hour is a fantastic ending for this trilogy. The characters have really evolved throughout the pages and the story feels… complete. Sadly, I might add, because I would love to see more adventures with Willow, Molly, Violet and the others.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compared to the two books that came before it, the Witching Hour felt rushed. I think there could have been enough content for two or three graphic novels instead of just one. The book is so focused on getting quickly to the action that we spend very little time with the characters. This is especially unfair to Violet, Molly, Em, and Rand, who all have compelling hooks into their own storylines that are never fully explored.

This seems like the end of the first arc of the Camp Whatever series. I hope there will be more books sent in the Nowhere universe. My eight year-old and I love them!

[Annora · Rating 1 out of 5]

This continues my recent theme of bad trilogy books. I finished this one at least, but regret it. The others were better and this one just felt off.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last volume in the series. I'm a little disappointed, honestly. Willow didn't get enough character growth. The narrative does take her to task, again, but she still doesn't really change. I also felt like adding on Tapper, back from volume one, was totally unnecessary. He doesn't do enough to make his inclusion worthwhile. But the magical creatures remain fascinating and endearing, so I still enjoyed enough of the book.

[Niche · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5, high stakes no brakes

The full repercussions of the prophecy come to fruition in Elric's absence. I didn't like this one as much as the previous two entries. The pacing of the story is more urgent with dire stakes and didn't have a natural flow to me. The serious tone also clashed with the comic relief. Overall it was still good, but had more rough edges for me.

[Wolfdangerous · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. I liked that the werewolf saved them from the ghouls and ghosts. The first book was funny because Clarence Tooter put his hand in his bag and said, "Is this French bread or is this potato salad? Smells like it's spoiled." So I think the third book was better because there's a bunch of monsters that come up and try to fight a ghost named Jonan.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kid loves it so much she's read the entire series and remembered it from when she was 6.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending is hilarious.

[Aliza Gans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending to the story :)

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s winter in Nowhere and it’s time for the big showdown. Willow (now with pink hair) and her friends are up against a prophecy, a Big Bad, a Bigger Bad and a storyline that’s darker overall than the first two Volumes.

There’s a siren, gnomes with snowballs and a glorious, evil manticore named Todd who loves cookies. I really like Todd.



Molly gets the extra page time in this Volume that I was hoping for and some characters I thought we’d left in previous Volumes have guest appearances.

We visit a ghostly graveyard. There are ghouls and spirit reapers, which are cuter than their name suggests.

There’s rock throwing, falling and things that go boom.



I love Willow. She’s determined and resilient. Over the course of the series, she’s proven she’s a loyal friend and can pull off whatever hair colour she chooses.

Willow is amazing but my favourite character of the series is Mim. No matter how much time I spend with her it’s never enough.

The artwork drew me to the first Volume and has helped keep me engaged throughout the series. The human characters are expressive, the magical creatures are imaginative and I love the colour palette.

I’m definitely tempted to start calling out random words to garden gnomes to see if I can reanimate them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witching Hour is the third (and final) graphic novel in the Secrets of Camp Whatever trilogy by Chris Grine. I would definitely recommend reading this series in order.

After former camp leader Clarence P'sketty Tooter is freed from a hypnosis spell, he remembers everything, including that pesky pre-teen Willow and her scrappy friends. But most importantly, he remembers the ancient mystery surrounding Nowhere's sleep-away camp. Now, Tooter seeks revenge against Willow and her friends, and inadvertently awakens a long-dormant evil which seeks to destroy the world.

The Witching Hour is a solid conclusion to this trilogy and wraps everything up nicely. There is a lot more going on in this volume than the blurb mentions, but I would hate to spoil anything for fans of this series so I will not go into detail. I do think that there was less character growth in this installment, and I wanted a little bit more from our crew of teens reconnecting and figuring things out, although admittedly with everything else happening in the story there was not really time built in for that. I love that the art was consistent, and that there were some really fun twists and turns. I also liked the inclusion and introduction of a variety of creature. I think that this is a must read for those that have read the two previous books, but it was not as attention grabbing or keeping as the previous installments for me.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was fun. In this last installment, Tooter is back and wants to find all the things that live on the island. Evil spirit Jonan is trying to get into the Spirit Graveyard to get a potion for resurrection. The gang needs to stop both of them.
I feel like graphic novels either do a really good job explaining the story, or don't. This one did a pretty good job of giving us the whole story. I liked the Spirit Graveyard, it was a fun new setting and one of the characters who lived there was a great surprise.
I have liked this art style from the beginning. It really fits the story and is colorful and the monsters are so cool.
This is such a fun series for graphic novel readers who love monsters, mystery and a wonderful deaf rep!
Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[pineapple tofu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It's the end of Willow's adventures at Camp Whatever, and in this thrilling conclusion, many things can happen. She and her friends are determined to stop an ancient evil from taking over the island. From visiting the spirit world to meeting new creatures that live on the island, Willow will do anything to save her beloved camp. But what happens when evil is too hard to stop?
This graphic novel was hard to let go of, knowing it was the end of Willow and Company. She's been through so many adventures and seen so many things on the secluded island. She's mourned for lost ones, and she's welcoming new friends. "The Witching Hour" wraps up Willow's time at Camp Whatever into a fantastic read for all ages!

[Karen Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sons and I really enjoyed reading the Secrets of Camp Whatever trilogy (especially my 10 year old)! This is the perfect summer read because is starts at a summer camp and has creepy campfire vibes. The creepy vibes make it a great Halloween season read as well. But really, Secrets of Camp Whatever is a fast paced, entertaining graphic novel that can be enjoyed year round by many different ages. I loved how Grine brought everything together in a very fulfilling ending to the trilogy in volume 3, but left just enough there to the imagination. Whatever's characters are fun and relatable, the kind of kids that a teen would really want to be friends with. Whatever is mystical with a touch of real life praticality like friend relationships and what can make or break them.

[Gemma W · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third instalment of Camp Whatever did not disappoint. Snowy atmospheric setting, mega mermaids, spirit reapers and a mega manticore called Todd - this series continues to deliver humour and chills. My ten and twelve year olds really enjoy this series. I loved how Willow’s hearing impairment helped her save the day again, and how the friends communicate through sign language. I also loved her unwavering sass even when faced with large spine chilling monsters.

I see that this is the last of the trilogy, but I am hopeful that there were a few unanswered threads for those of us hoping there might be a volume 4!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ARC.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Secrets of Camp Whatever #3: The Witching Hour’ with story and art by Chris Grine is a graphic novel about an unusual sleepaway camp.

The finale of the series jumps right back into the action. Tooter wakes up from the spell Elric has put him in. The gnomes are back and play a part. There is a scary manticore who likes baked goods. Jonan Hollender finally shows up and we learn the secrets of this really odd summer camp.

This was a good series and a good finale to it. I like the balance of scary elements and humor, but more than that, the journey of friendship the main characters go through. The art makes it a solid recommendation.

[Marybeth (Marybee.books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, Christ Grine, and Onipress for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I love the Secrets of Camp Whatever trilogy and this last book definitely does not disappoint. I think these books get more intense as the series continues and a lot was on the line in this last book. I don’t want to say too much to spoil, but I adore this series and it’s bittersweet that it’s over. However, I know I definitely want to reread the series back to back in the future. I love all the characters and the illustration style! Definitely check out this series if you’re interested!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read the first 2 volumes in this series, so I was excited to read the third and final book of the trilogy. We follow Willow and her friends after a dormant evil has been woken. Will the gang be able to stop it and save the world at the same time? A fun read that goes well with the other two volumes. I look forward to more by the author.

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st book finished, 2nd book started in the Vampathon.
Prompt: Witchy Vibes

I haven't had time to read a lot because of work and school, but I'm going to at least finish three books. That's my goal.

I enjoyed the last installment of this series, but there's one cliffhanger that I hate...and I need to know if everything works itself out. Like, why?!? Omg. I can't say anything about it, but it makes me sad and mad.

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great conclusion to the Camp Whatever trilogy. I love that Willow's dad finally found his lost friend, I may have teared up in the final scene. If Chris Grine keeps writing more books in this series I will keep reading them because they are wonderful stories filled with wonder and friendship.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. This is the conclusion of the Camp Whatever series and it neatly wraps up the series. Wonderful characters and great adventures combine into a fun read one doesn’t want to end. Can’t wait to read more of what Chris Grine writes!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little letdown by this final book in the series, but it was a cute way to wrap everything up.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun end to the Secrets of Camp Whatever series. I enjoyed the first two more but this one was still a good read.

[Free ARC from NetGalley]

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three in the series wraps it all up nicely with one big shock. Grine certainly isn't afraid to kill his characters.

[Heidi A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compared to first two story felt flat and dialogue wasn’t as good.