The Last Halloween

Misfit's Magic #1

by Fred Gracely

Goff was chosen thirteen generations ago to fight an epic magical battle he can’t possibly win—and he doesn’t even know magic is real. When a spellcasting experiment for a school paper goes awry, Goff’s destiny is engaged, and he becomes the mortal enemy of Harkland Mathers XIII, the most powerful dark wizard in centuries. Clueless and racing against time, Goff and his friends must find a way to stop Mathers from performing an ancient ritual on Halloween night that will make him invincible, or Halloween will be the last night of freedom the world ever knows.

Genres: Middle Grade, Horror, Halloween, Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal

Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2023

About the author

I've been a misfit all my life. I have enough dyslexia that left and right occasionally don't exist, and I have a long history with ADD, bullying (receiving end), and social anxiety. I grew up in Pennsylvania and now reside outside Boston, Massachusetts. After attending six different colleges and studying many subjects (English composition, art, electronics, computer science, psychology), I earned a B.S. in Psychology from Framingham State University and, later in life, an M.A. in Human Relations, Specializing in Holistic Counseling Psychology from Lesley University (psychology is one of my passions).

I don't write for any specific age, but I'm young at heart, so my books are pure escapism wrapped up in lots of bantering and humor. I'm delighted that my readers range from 4th graders to mature adults. There are several reasons for this. First of all, I write meaningful books with a clear message and theme. Secondly, my love of psychology results in my books often dealing with deeper concepts and presenting sophisticated views of the internal worlds of humans. At the same time, my love of exciting, unique, and atmospheric stories keeps them fun and engaging. So, there is a lot in there for readers young and old.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aww, I wish I had this book for Halloween! 🎃🪦
Misfit's Magic is a fantasy of good vs evil with the lead character Goff, a young orphan boy in Spraksville, a town with a witchcraft past.

Goff lives with a terrible foster family. He's also bullied in school. Goff wants to get away by joining Amworth Academy. While working on an essay for the scholarship, he thought he'd bring his paper up a notch to wow the committee. Goff goes to Spraksville Cemetery to cast a spell and something dark awakens! What follows is an exciting adventure of magic with our little underdog wizard.

Misfit's Magic has a wonderfully spooky and eerie atmosphere. Goff is a great character that you can root for. I especially enjoy the audiobook narrator, Colin Watts who really gives the story life. A good story but a bit too long.

I want to thank Bisket Press, LLC, and Netgalley for my ALC.

[Anubha (BooksFullOfLife, LifeFullOfBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A magical and whimsical read about a group of young minds discovering and exploring magic

[Tahera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't get fooled by the cover picture and the fact that this is a middle grade book into thinking this will be a cute sort of spooky story. It is spooky for sure but not completely cute....there is black magic, mayhem and murder involved! A lot of children die/get their souls reaped before Goff, the child protagonist along with his team of misfits, finally defeats the evil warlord. It is a fun, decent paced and well plotted story and one that middle graders will enjoy if they are into reading horror and spooky stories.

Colin Wats does a splendid job of narrating and bringing the story to life. There are quite a lot of characters involved and he manages to gives each character a distinct voice. The audiobook was a bit lengthy but listening to it didn't feel like a drag thanks to the lively narration.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bisket Press LLC, and the author Fred Gracely for the audio Arc of the book.

[Reverie · Rating 4 out of 5]

contents: tropes, plot, review, tl;dr

Misfit's Magic
Fred Gracely

- Halloween!
- small town
- group of friends
- misfits
- time travel

PLOT
Goff is tired of his Cinderella-like life with his foster family. So he decided to write a research paper about the history of his current town Spraksville and its history of witches, hoping it would grant him scholarship at Amsworth Academy, his ticket to a good life. He tried to perform a spell to spice up his research, which went wrong and now a bad adult called Mathers is after him, turning the adults to soul-suckers and magically seals the town so no one can enter or go out. Along with unexpected friends (2 other misfits, 1 foster sister, a possessed skeleton, and a dead cat), Goff is determined to save Spraksville before Halloween ends.

REVIEW
Based on the characters, I assume this is intended for Middle Grade/ Young Adult, so I appreciate that the themes include friendships. I also adored the cover and the amazing artworks every chapter. It also gives off the perfect Halloween vibes!

I enjoyed the banter! Dialogues back and forth! I think I like it more when there's more dialogue than narration. Feels more natural to me because when we talk with our group, we all try to get something in. And also because, most of the time, I'm not great at imagining things via descriptions, although I like the details here and I can imagine most of the stuff.

The characters are fun. I loved their sass, especially Halstorm and Goff. And I absolutely loveeeee the tandem of Bones and Maxim!

"A gray blanket of clouds formed a cap over the town, producing a thin drizzle that settled deep into the world’s bones, exposing the rot and decay behind the superficial, colorful autumn facade."

This sounds so beautiful. Sometimes when authors suddenly drop poetically beautiful sentences, I laugh and imagine they drank a cup of coffee after hours of writing and a sudden spark of inspiration popped.

Overall though, I liked how the author described things. Not dull or bland. A mix of simplicity and elegance; the words chosen were simple, not "too smart" for normal people (ie. me) but still sounded great and brought color to the story.

It was nice that the sentences in narration weren't too short. There were one-line sentences, of course, but not too much that would make you sound like a robot when you read out loud. Does that makes sense?

I was thinking of giving the book 5 stars or at least 4.5, but I feel like it's missing a part, like the story jump to the next chapter. I would've loved to see what happened next after the great confrontation, instead the author fast-forwarded and we didn't see how things got back to normal. Also, I was hoping to meet the other minor characters again to see if they had changed, or if they became Goff's friends. Sadly, we didn't get that as well.

I love the epilogue, too!! Based on it, maybe there will be another book? If so, I'd be ready to sign up again for an ARC! Great debut book and perfect for the season!

TL;DR
Entertaining banter, humor, and sass. Great characters. Language chosen isn't too difficult for its audience (middle grade/ young adult), but not bland or dull. Amazing artworks every chapter. Gives off perfect Halloween vibes. Author jumped right to "everything back to normal" after the final confrontation instead of showing what happened right after. Still, a great debut!


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kirsty Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the stone gargoyles in Spraksville start talking to Goff, he discovers that ending up there wasn't accidental. Thirteen generations ago, Goff's ancestor stopped a dark wizard from performing an ancient ritual to become invincible. Now, due to magical laws, Goff must prevent the present-day counterpart from performing the same ritual in Spraksville on Halloween night.

It's a deadly, winner-take-all battle to save the world where one side has prepared for centuries and the other doesn't have a clue. The stakes couldn't be higher, and for Goff, the odds any worse - his only assets are his wits, maybe a little luck, and questionable help from a ragtag group of new friends. Basically, Goff doesn't stand a chance.

I really enjoyed this middle grade fantasy adventure. It was full of magic, mischief and mayhem. Goff is an affable and unconventional hero and with his ragtag band of friends made for a heartwarming and at times hilarious read. Filled with tension and mystery as well as humour this story delves into themes of friendship, self belief and perseverance through adversity that are fantastic messages for any young adult to read about.

[Shoshanah Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misfit's Magic: The Last Halloween

Book 1 of Misfit's Magic by Fred Grace

4.5 Tween, magical reality, underdog protagonist

"Note from the Author
With all the confusion and craziness in the world these days, I wanted to write a book that's just simple escapism. Misfit's Magic: The Last Halloween is a spellbinding, creepy, and fun Halloween fantasy. If you enjoyed the Harry Potter series or the tv series Stranger Things, then you may find Misfit's Magic right for you."
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This author did everything he set out to do. He wrote a terrific underdog story with heart being the secret weapon agianst evil. Goff could have been male or female. That is not the agenda here. Goff is like a modern Charlie Brown character. Kind, akward, clueless at times, but he continues to try even though he will probably fail, because he knows the only way to truely fail is to stop trying. Kindness, cleverness, and compassion are forms of real world magic. Don't let it's spark go out, is my take away from this uplifting story. During a time of personal sadness, these few pages gave me an innocent escape from my own fears and sadness.
At first I thought the main character's name was a typo and that really annoyed the bookworm in me. Like a splinter in my reasoning and grammar bits, that an author would do something like that! This was later insinuated as an intensional part of Goff's character and even to the plot in a sly, almost fourth wall moment. His friends are also loveable nerds and he didn't give up on friends who seem to have left him, continuing to make Goff's heartness shine even brighter.

Thanks for this all around wonderful story. I will look for more Fred Gracely tales.
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I received a reviewer copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kevin Halter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misfit's Magic by Fred Gracely was a fun read--
For the most part I really enjoyed the book (there were times when it seemed to drag pacing wise just a bit)
From the description "By age thirteen, the list of nasty foster homes Goff had lived in was longer than he was old. He'd given up on having friends long ago. He survived by keeping his head down, hiding from bullies, ignoring teasing morons, and pouring himself into earning a Scholarship to Amworth Academy, a place he hoped he could finally call home. When transferred to Spraksville, a town with a history of witchcraft, it was just more of the same to him -- until the stone gargoyles started talking to him. That changed everything. "
I had feared a Harry Potter want to be type story and at first there wasn't much to indicate that things would go a different direction, but they did, and I was glad I hung around long enough to find out.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #BisketPress, and Fred Gracely for the ARC of #Misfit'sMagic.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this middle grade witchy tale! It's perfect for older elementary and middle school students who don't mind some dark elements to their stories.

I listened to the audio version, thanks to Netgalley (no thanks to their terrible tech in the app, though). Excellent and engaging narration that--no pun intended--brought the story to life.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What worked:
The setting is a small town in the Northeast. The author presents the backstory through the eyes of Goff as he tries to complete an article about Spraksville and its history of witchcraft. The eerie atmosphere is created through the numerous gargoyles found around town and the old, creepy cemetery next to Goff’s foster home. His foster life is awful, as he sleeps on a mattress among spiders in the dusty attic, his only companions being a scraggly, old dog named Brak and a “taxidermied” cat he calls Maxim. With no one around that Goff can call friends, his life at home and at school is hell. Readers will know the climax nears when sunshine is replaced by eerie red skies and doom and gloom take over the setting.
Goff is portrayed as a victim which will help readers envision him as an underdog character. He’s bullied by older kids in a pizza place, and they manage to get him banned from the restaurant for defending himself. Another kid likes to punch Goff due to his nerdiness (he says he has no choice, it’s the law) and Goff wearing a sorcerer’s hat and cape doesn’t help matters. Goff’s just gotten new foster siblings and the brother and sister like nothing better than to torment him. Even his foster father bullies Goff, as the man says he never liked the boy and that Goff is a nothing. The author repeatedly stresses Goff’s dismal life to set the groundwork for his improbable role as the unlikely hero battling an overwhelming, powerful wizard. Through it all, he’s honest, loyal, and displays empathy for others, and these qualities will become keys to his success.
Goff knows nothing about the magical world and there’s really nobody able or willing to help him learn. Harkland Mathers is a powerful wizard antagonist but he’s obviously not going to assist Goff. Goff’s first allies are Brak, Maxim, and a skeleton named Bones, but he also finds aid from two human classmates. Lydia has an enthusiastic interest in strange theories, while Halstrom is the large, intelligent, overly logical character. Halstrom adds a taste of humor through his intolerance for double negatives and statements that are vague or illogical. He’s the first one to suspect Goff possesses magic since no other explanation fits his observations and reasoning. Goff’s group slowly grows but it appears his abilities as a wizard are far from what will be needed to defeat an enemy that has had centuries to prepare for the final battle.

What didn’t work as well:
I’m sure Goff would agree that his failures and constantly being told he’s worthless become tiresome. Of course, this description is the basis for the whole story so it shouldn’t bother readers that much.

The Final Verdict:
A kind heart has its own magic. This book exceeds my expectations and it checks off many boxes of an outstanding story. A protagonist who is an overwhelming underdog with absolutely no chance of success will appeal to a wide audience. The cast of supporting characters adds humor and heart to the book and makes the whole story more entertaining. I highly recommend you give it a shot.

[Tina M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Goff And His World!

NOTE:
NOTE: I received an advance review copy for free, from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Completed on 7/11/2022

Just a quick mention-I will be focusing on my own perspective of the overall entertainment and comprehension of the actual reading material.
I've went with not offering a summary of the plot in my review, since this is more than available through the book's description provided, as well as many other existing contributions composed.

I genuinely found this book to be a satisfying and entertaining read, from page 1 to page 402.

The characters, the plot line, the location, are all presented in elaborate precision. You can vividly picture the characters, the small town, all in great detail.

Although it's written for a younger demographic, I think there's the potential of a larger population benefitting from it. As adults, we tend to lose the perceptive edge of intelligence that we only seem to process through the innocence of our youth. We have yet to become jaded against the world, and tend to have a keener eye in spotting the possibility of good.

Even though the main character, Goff, has been dealt several blows at an early age, he's more accepting of being able to change his future destiny, learning the value of standing up for yourself and others, and what can be accomplished through friendship and love.

His foster siblings, Ben and Pam,who may have not necessarily had the best upbringing anymore than Goff did, but at least they did know their family, lived in the same place, had some echo of stability, and had at least had 1 parent, they still act as if life for them has been so much worse than it has for Goff. We can all be very self-centered and contained when it comes to what we perceive in our own world, of injustices, grievances, disparities, and abuse.

It also shows you through the tenderness, belief, and humane treatment, from just so much as one adult, ihow it has the immense capacity to change the self talk you feed yourself on a daily basis. It can end up being very much self-defeating and negative, causing the child to strike out at others, versus the positive, empowering mindset one can strive for.

I loved the fact this wraps up the plot by the end of the book, and works as a stand alone, but still has the potential of expanding into a larger series.

Very much looking forward to the continuation of Goff's story, and his little village.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great debut novel and what I hope is the first in a series. Based on the age of the kids, I would say that the target audience is probably 13-15, but older kids would likely enjoy it and advanced readers who are younger would also enjoy this. The book is on the longer side (406 pages), and the vocabulary of two of the characters, including Goff, is such that younger readers are likely to need a dictionary. But it's very well done and I enjoyed the overall structure of the novel. This is definitely a case of the underdog going against the big evil as Goff is our most unlikely of heroes. There were moments when I felt like they were overdoing this theme, but I loved that between Goff and his friends, there was enough belief that he should keep on going even when he was ready to give up. Although Goff had always been a lonely outsider, I love that this book emphasizes the friendship he eventually forms with his circle, both the natural and supernatural kinds. For those kids who have always felt like the underdog or the bullied, this may be an encouraging book. I loved Majesty's character and the partnership Goff forges with her. I thought that Graceley did a great job of balancing humor with creepiness and I really enjoyed the banter amongst the friends. There were even moments that made me teary-eyed. Although this story can definitely stand alone, I am hoping that there will be other books with the same group of kids. Based on the ending, I am hopeful that this will be the case.

I received an advance review copy from BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jessica Gleason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

***

I really love the illustrations at the start of the chapters. There's something about well crafted artwork that I feel really enhances a book. The art here is wonderful.

It took me a while to get into this one. The name Goff kept throwing me off while reading and I'm not sure why.

However, this was an interesting story of a young boy who sort of unwittingly stumbled into magic powers and an awful enemy, and the bad guy's a doozy.

I appreciate that our protagonist, Goff, doesn't have to weather the storm alone, bringing a few friends along for the ride. As an orphan, finding and fostering these relationships is important.

From the kind of epilogue, I'm assuming this story will continue.

[Lisa Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for my thirteen year old son and decided to check it out for myself. I thought the characters were fun and well written. Goff is definitely an unlikely hero, but that made him all the more charming. The plot kept me entertained and I found myself really enjoying it. It was a really fun Halloween story! I listened to the audiobook and though the narrator did a fantastic job!

[Suzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the kindle ARC of this book. Misfit & orphan Goff tugs at your heart quickly. His foster situation is horrid, he is bullied at home and in school. He always tries to do the right thing, but has a lot of magical mishaps. The characters of Bones, Maxim, Lydia, Halstrom, Pam and Ben are very detailed and memorable. The villain Harkland Mathers is pure soul sucking evil. A truly fun good vs evil magical adventure with hints of a sequel. Once in print, I will pass this to my grand kids and recommend it to my library.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Story !! . . .

This is one of the best kinds of stories for me – the underdog rising up to a challenge, despite all the odds against him.

Goff is a lonely 13-year-old who has struggled through the foster care system. He finally arrives in Spraksville, a town reputed to have a history of witchcraft. He wasn’t impressed, expecting the same disappointments he always found as he was moved from place to place. But when the stone gargoyle hovering over an odd statue outside the library moved – no, that must be his imagination. There were shadows back here in the trees and it made him a little nervous, that’s all it was. He talked to the statue he was going to write his school essay about, as if it would answer. Another student saw him, called him freak and loser, and punched him in the stomach. Goff stayed on the ground, afraid he would be sick to his stomach. Then he stood up and the statue looked a little more evil as it had gotten darker back here. He wrote an opening paragraph, then drew the statue and the gargoyle above it. But when he looked up, the gargoyle’s head was now staring down and looking at Goff! When its head swiveled toward him, he ran away as quickly as he could. But this is only the beginning. Soon the gargoyles will begin to communicate with him and finally get his full attention! With no magical skills, it will be up to Goff to stop a dark wizard from repeating a ritual last performed 13 generations ago. And if he can’t figure out how to do that, can the world be saved?

This was a very well-written story that easily kept the reader’s attention. The dialog was very natural and believable, despite the strange subject matter. Goff has so many bullies to deal with, but despite that, he makes friends. Will they help him fight the danger coming at them? Or is this just too far beyond the skills of a 13-year-old?

[Valinora Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this fantasy tale. The antagonist is incredibly powerful, and all Goff, our young hero, has in his favour is a couple of eccentric friends, plus an animated skeleton and preserved cat as advisors who just want an easy life, and a tiny spark of purple magic called Majesty who wants to serve Goff, so it was a good depiction of the little guys against the big powerful enemy.
I really liked how dark the villain's scheme is, although that makes the story more upper middle grade/teen. The other plot element that really appealed to me was the fact that the answer lies in the past and I really enjoyed how the author handled this (I'd say more but I'm trying to avoid giving spoilers!).
My favourite character was Majesty though I loved Brak, the dog, too.
I wasn't full clear on the magic system, and I didn't like Goff and his friends as much as I wanted to, and there was a grave-robbing scene at the start whose purpose was never explained (or else I missed it), but these minor gripes aside, this is a well-paced, exciting, fantasy horror, well worth reading!

Thanks to the publishers, Bisket Press, and Netgalley for an ARC.
Misfit’s Magic will be published on 2nd October this year.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute middle reader magical adventure that proves adequately entertaining for the target age group.

Misfit’s Magic is a charming Halloween-ish story about a young boy who becomes a wizard and is tasked with saving the world (or at least his hometown).

Harry Potter this ain’t, but it’s sweet and mostly keeps your attention, though it’s slightly overlong for the target audience and type of story that it is.

I think this is fine for young readers, just scary enough without being too frightening and lightened with the kind of silly humor that plays well with kids.

For adult readers, it needed either more eerie detail and atmosphere (the story is disappointingly lacking in both) or a more unique spin on a standard fantasy trope to be truly engaging. While I thought the book was satisfactorily done, my mind wandered a lot while reading and I found myself hoping for something more atmospherically immersive to help boost a story that isn’t really anything new.

Audiobook readers: Again, stronger atmospheric writing and sense of place would have helped the book come to life more vibrantly (especially in this format), but the story itself lends well to the medium and the narrator does a fine job.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Erica Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misfits Magic by Fred Gracel takes us on Halloween adventure that spans time. Full of wry humour, a self depreciating hero and a stellar cast of sidekicks and goons, the book is an engaging read.

Goff is not your usual teen hero. Less of a heartthrob and more of a bookworm, he attempts to reject the role the world wants him to play. Luckily for the world there’s more to Goff than meets the eye!

The book had me laugh out loud in places. I enjoyed the Gracel doesn’t just go for the scares, but injects humour throughout.

There are a couple of moments in the later half of the book where things feel a little to convenient for me. Although there are times fall into place too easily, the writing is good enough to carry these moments.

Misfits Magic is a worthwhile spooky read and I’m looking forward to finding out what Goff gets up to next!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun Halloween read!

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This book is a fun read for Halloween and puts you right in the mood! The author did a great job setting the scene, and I particularly loved the description of the town and all the spooky decorations.

This book is good, but honestly about a hundred pages too long. It gets very long winded and slow in the middle, and made me consider not finishing at points. However, I made it through to the end which was worth it! The book is fun and talks about the power of believing in yourself and being kind as its own type of magic.

The book sets itself up for a sequel, and I would read another book to see what Goff and his friends get up to! The direction of a potential sequel (based off the epilogue) looks just as fun and interesting as the first.

Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for my copy!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goff is an orphan and an outcast.

In trying to write an essay to get him into a private school for gifted students, he stumbles over real magic.

can he overcome the strengths and weaknesses in his own heart and in his surroundings, and to bring back balance and save the bits of the world he is discovering?

fear, bravery, friendships, betrayals, lies and truths mix in a maelstrom of mundane and magical adventures.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book , but fair warning, Even though it is marked as middle grade, I'd say the high end, because there is some SCARY STUFF in there. Souls getting taken, death, creepy things.
The story is exciting and well paced, and I liked the characters in it. There is a big bad guy that the MC Geoff and his friends have to defeat, and lots of action throughout. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to review this ARC.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable tale of a lost boy finding his way through magic and paranormal events. It was a lovely story from beginning to end and very entertaining.

[Jane litherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good enjoyed it ,wishing I’d not rushed reading I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review Great read ,wish I’d saved a little longer to read as really enjoyed it

[Margaret J Douglass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Fred did a great job his first time out. I'm looking forward to episode 2. Who knows? We may have an American version of Harry Potter on our hands.

[JJ Ramirezz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story, but just not for me. I listened to the audio version, so I don’t know if it was the narration or just me. Overall the story gets a borderline 4 (almost a 3 star) from me. I might have to reread this one in a few months and revisit my review.

[GD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misfit's Magic was a great pleasure to read. It's the story of 13-year-old orphan Goff Grahm, whose careful plans to win a scholarship to an elite boarding school accidentally lead him to discover his family's long history of wizardry and to reluctantly accept his own magical abilities even as his family's centuries-old enemies close in on him.

Gracely is especially great at evoking the small town that Goff lives in with details ranging from the previously unobserved gargoyle statues that suddenly begin to move to the foster home where Goff is pent up so much of his time.

But what I like most about this often scary and suspenseful supernatural story is Goff's new friendships with some other kids his age. They're the sort of friends who you will stand by you no matter what happens, friends you're lucky to meet maybe twice in a lifetime.

I should mention, I had the pleasure of copy editing Misfit's Magic, which will be published this fall, not long before Halloween. I have high hopes for the book's success, not only because I edited it, but because it's just the sort of YA story I love best.

[Brogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2/5⭐
(I received a free copy of this from Netgalley)

I really liked the idea and use of magic within this book, it felt fresh and new. The idea that there is day and night magic as well as having to bond with the magic was an interesting touch that also affected the plot and how the characters interact with the magic.

For its target audience of kids/teens, I feel it was appropriate and very well done with an interesting storyline that doesn't get too complicated, so everyone can follow along with the story. Yet that doesn't mean that the plot was boring, in fact I really enjoyed the plot and every point was woven well.

I think my only downside to this book is that although the characters have their own unique personality, they can be very stereotypical at times such as the dumb jock and the nerds and the cheerleaders etc. Also the fact that although the book touches upon aspects such as bullying and feeling useless and hiding our true selves, we don't truly see how those aspects affect the characters and sometimes it felt like it was thrown in to give them some reason to be "different".

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a perfect fantasy novel for children and YA readers, and all those who like an easy satisfying, good feel, read. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl’s children books. Can the fate of the people of Spraksville really be left up to Goff? A put upon, bullied orphan. He will need to find some magic and friends if he is to succeed. Thank you to Biskett Press LLC and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given.

[Jodine Linnéa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"His eyes ran over the ornate serifs and twirls of the words while a breeze rustled the leaves dangling over the gravestones. An owl hooted in reply, serenading the thin clouds sliding in front of a low, large moon like a flock of ghosts."

By thirteen Goff finds himself in yet another bad foster home, where he is forced to cook, clean and be the butt of everyones joke. On top of that, he is also bullied at school, and without friends to speak of. even the weirdos keep clear. His only hope of escaping is if he gets the scholarship to the Amworth Academy. But during his late night spell-casting at a local cemetery (research for the award winning essay he plans to write), a gargoyle suddenly speaks to him.
With the help of a few unespected friends he discovers that ending up in spraksville, a town with history of witchcraft, wasnt an accident. Thirteen generations back, Goff’s ancestor stopped a maniacal dark wizard from performing an ancient ritual to become invincible. Now, due to magical laws, Goff is the one who must stop the present-day counterpart living in Spraksville—Harkland Mathers XIII—from performing the same ritual on Halloween night. But there is just one problem. Goff's family tree is cursed, they are as magical as broken kitchen appliances. If he doesnt suceed, no one in town will survive, and the rest of the world will fall into darkness. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and for Goff, the odds couldn’t be worse.

I was so excited to read this one for spooky season and I wasnt dissappointed! The depictions of autumn and the surroundings in this book is just chefs kiss! I can almost feel the smell of the leaves on the ground and the rain in the air. I also loved how Spraksville just kept getting more and more Halloween-decorations as Halloween grew closer.

"The sun glowed deep red along the horizon, illuminating the trees sporting vast plumes of leaves in brilliant autumn shades -red, orange, yellow, and coffee brown. The air smelled of rotting apples and wet earth. The store windows glowed with Halloween colors, and each displayed some blend of hairy spiders, black cats, dangling skeletons, green witches and glowing jack-o-lanterns." I mean does it get more atmospheric than that? I think not.

I felt like it was dragging a bit towards the end chapters, and the ending itself was a bit too drawn out for my liking but I'm really nitpicking. It felt a bit complicated too at times and since I'm not the target audience it could be a bit hard for younger readers to understand and keep up.

I loved Goff as a main character, with all the bullyng and hardships he endures he keeps being an absolute sweetheart throughout the book, never choosing evil even when he has no other alternative. I also really liked how the relationship with the side characters was developing through the book and how they stood by Goff and stood up for him when he needed it. And speaking of side characters, Maxim and Bones! Omg I loved them so much. I'll probably miss them the most now that I've finished the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read and review this eARC!

TW: bullying, death, animal death

[Miguel Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic.

This is a story about a young boy named Goff who gets repeatedly bullied by others around him. On a tragic night, he goes from human to... you'll have to read the rest of the story to find out.

For me, this gets two thumbs way up. I have no problem saying that this is one of the best books I have read all year. I can tell that the author had fun creating this novel, and it was expertly crafted. I would compare this to the Harry Potter series, as Goff is joined by others in his adventure. I already knew by the eighth chapter that I was going to give this text a five-star rating.

The prose is well thought out, the twists and turns are great, the book cover is good, the chapter header illustrations are a spectacular add-on, the dialogue is funny, and the bonus content was a splendid addition to this novel. This chronicle contains a blend of genres: fantasy, supernatural, mystery, adventure, humor, suspense, and action. I would recommend this book to both adults and children alike, as the anecdote contains clean dialogue. Some of the end of chapter cliffhangers were spot-on. I'm not sure how long it took the writer to create this yarn, but you can tell that he worked hard on it.

It's no wonder why this book has won literary awards. I was sucked into Goff's world from the prologue, and the only bad thing was that I waited this long to dive into the tale and finish it. If you're reading this review, and you're considering whether or not to give this book a shot, I would highly suggest that it be your next read. This is a high-quality book. The text is easy to see, the book is well formatted, and it is edited.

The bonus content was a delight to read, and it gave a further foray into Goff's character. It was disheartening to see how much he suffered. I was glad to see how Pam changed as time went on. I won't say more than that; read the book.

Although I issued this book a five-star rating, it was not perfect. There were a few times I wished this anecdote was shorter. For me, part of the narrative dragged. I think it might have been because of how long the yarn is, but I understand why the author did what he did, opting to take his time as the narrative unfolded. Halstrom and Lydia irritated me at times, but I was delighted to see what happened later in the tale (I will not specify this to avoid spoiling it for you).

Please note that I personally prefer shorter fiction, but I have read longer fabrications in the past.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.