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The Ghosts of Nameless Island: The Boy Who Could Fly: Vol. 2
Gus Greenburg can see ghosts. In this spine-tingling sequel to The Ghosts of Nameless Island, bestselling author Carly Anne West takes readers on a pulse-pounding, blood-curdling journey to a circus from the past and unravel the mystery of a malevolent spirit that’s fighting to survive.
Picking right up from the spine-tingling cliffhanger of The Ghosts of Nameless Vol. 1, Gus finds himself on the brink of peril, with the Broken Boy’s icy grip tightening around his throat. But just when hope seems lost, his black cat, Cat (named after Catherine the Great, of course) intervenes, breaking the lethal hold and saving Gus from certain doom. Unfortunately, the Broken Boy still has Gus’s lucky penny that protects him from hauntings, and his sole connection to his missing father. Just as the new school year begins, Gus and his friends, Miles and Tavi, must unravel the new clues that have emerged about the Broken Boy. But with Gus’s penny lost, he isn’t safe from ghosts, and the stakes have never been higher—especially when they discover a new ghost living at Gus’s home of Rotham Manor. And this one was . . . part of a circus?! Will Gus and his friends uncover the real identity of the ghosts before they strike again? Or will the ghost's sinister plan succeed? Only one way to find out. . . . The Ghosts of Nameless The Boy Who Could Fly is the second book in a new trilogy from bestselling author Carly Anne West. It's infused with Carly Anne West's signature wit and humor, and spooky enough for fans of Claribel Ortega's Ghost Squad, Scott Cawthon's Five Night's at Freddy's, and Carly's own Hello Neighbor series. This book also features black-and-white spot illustrations throughout. "Along with this classically atmospheric setting and scary thumps and other noises aplenty, West treats readers to multiple specters that are even more rousingly hideous in her descriptions than in Skaffa’s spiky, stylishly grotesque monochrome scenes and spot art . . . Hints of dark doings in the island’s past also emerge before this trilogy opener ends with a sudden and terrifying cliffhanger . . . All the shivery feels, escalating to the nightmarish in spots." - Kirkus, for The Ghosts of Nameless Island"Join author Carly Anne West on Nameless Island for a haunting, spine-tingling mystery that will leave you on the edge of your seat! The Ghost of Nameless Island is an illustrated tale of hidden rats, mystery ghosts, and reality TV that is sure to lift your spirits." - Terrance Crawford, bestselling author of the Piggy series, for The Ghosts of Nameless Island
Picking right up from the spine-tingling cliffhanger of The Ghosts of Nameless Vol. 1, Gus finds himself on the brink of peril, with the Broken Boy’s icy grip tightening around his throat. But just when hope seems lost, his black cat, Cat (named after Catherine the Great, of course) intervenes, breaking the lethal hold and saving Gus from certain doom. Unfortunately, the Broken Boy still has Gus’s lucky penny that protects him from hauntings, and his sole connection to his missing father. Just as the new school year begins, Gus and his friends, Miles and Tavi, must unravel the new clues that have emerged about the Broken Boy. But with Gus’s penny lost, he isn’t safe from ghosts, and the stakes have never been higher—especially when they discover a new ghost living at Gus’s home of Rotham Manor. And this one was . . . part of a circus?! Will Gus and his friends uncover the real identity of the ghosts before they strike again? Or will the ghost's sinister plan succeed? Only one way to find out. . . . The Ghosts of Nameless The Boy Who Could Fly is the second book in a new trilogy from bestselling author Carly Anne West. It's infused with Carly Anne West's signature wit and humor, and spooky enough for fans of Claribel Ortega's Ghost Squad, Scott Cawthon's Five Night's at Freddy's, and Carly's own Hello Neighbor series. This book also features black-and-white spot illustrations throughout. "Along with this classically atmospheric setting and scary thumps and other noises aplenty, West treats readers to multiple specters that are even more rousingly hideous in her descriptions than in Skaffa’s spiky, stylishly grotesque monochrome scenes and spot art . . . Hints of dark doings in the island’s past also emerge before this trilogy opener ends with a sudden and terrifying cliffhanger . . . All the shivery feels, escalating to the nightmarish in spots." - Kirkus, for The Ghosts of Nameless Island"Join author Carly Anne West on Nameless Island for a haunting, spine-tingling mystery that will leave you on the edge of your seat! The Ghost of Nameless Island is an illustrated tale of hidden rats, mystery ghosts, and reality TV that is sure to lift your spirits." - Terrance Crawford, bestselling author of the Piggy series, for The Ghosts of Nameless Island
317 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 22, 2025
About the author
Carly Anne West
26 books229 followersCarly Anne West is the author of several works of spooky fiction for readers of all ages, with titles including The Murmurings and The Bargaining (Simon Pulse), and the forthcoming series The Ghosts of Nameless Island (Andrews McMeel). Her works also include the Hello Neighbor series (Scholastic), based on the fan favorite video game, as well as contributions to the NYT Bestselling Five Nights at Freddy's literary universe (Scholastic), based on the wildly popular video game of the same name. Carly holds an MFA in English and Writing from Mills College and lives in Seoul, Korea with her family.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 8, 2025
The story opens with a haunting prologue centered around the image of a circus tent. A young boy then arrives at a creepy manor with his mother in the dead of the night. By morning, she has vanished, leaving behind only the silver necklace she wore around her neck every day. We leap forward to a chilling moment from the first book, Gus is caught in the merciless grip of the Broken Boy, whose icy fingers are closing around his throat while he demands Gus returns his medallion. Just as darkness threatens to consume Gus, he is saved by Catherine the Great, his fierce and fearless cat. She breaks the Broken Boy's grip, and he vanishes into the night.
As a new school year begins, Gus and his friends, Miles and Tavi resume their search for answers to who the Broken Boy was and how to finally lay him to rest. But Gus remains vulnerable to ghostly threats without his protective penny. When a new spirit is discovered haunting Rotham Manor, the trio must face the terrifying question, how do you survive a ghost that wants you dead, while unraveling the identity of another that refuses to be known?
Gus still hasn't confided in his mother about his ability to see ghosts. Instead, he covers his visit to Ms. Walker with a lie. It's heartbreaking that they at first can't share everything that is on their minds. I enjoyed that Gus and his mother were able to reconnect following a vision of Gus's father and their decision to seek a new therapist together. There's a special moment when they are finally able to discuss that she too had been seeing and hearing things at the manor.
Meanwhile, Gus's nemesis at school, Charlie Cleave continues to be a bully and Charlie's dad further complicates things for his mother through the historical society and the revelations that the Rotham's may have been bootleggers. The trio devote a huge part of the book researching their school project on what makes Nameless Island the ideal location for the Pacific Northwest Lower South Sound Fish Derby Fair. While also trying to lay the ghosts attacking them to rest. They comb the library, diving deep into the archival files and find old newspapers that reference the "Flying Wymans" and a rumored murder for $2300 in cash.
While the information that the trio uncovers is intriguing, the pacing lags slightly. The subtle clues don't create the level of suspense that might hook younger readers. That said, I enjoyed the unraveling of the events from the 1940's- 50's and the commentary on the town's legacy, or whether exposing the Rotham's past "sully's" their name, or whether history should stand as is and remain open for interpretation. Read this for its creepy factors, the sunken hollow eyes and corpse like features of the Broken Boy, or the various hauntings and intrigue of the ghost's identities. Or maybe wait to read the entire series as the cliffhangers can be disappointing. Especially the latest final image of a girl in the morgue with her wrist dangling from a gurney. I really want to know her connection to Gus's dad. Guess I'll just have to wait.
As a new school year begins, Gus and his friends, Miles and Tavi resume their search for answers to who the Broken Boy was and how to finally lay him to rest. But Gus remains vulnerable to ghostly threats without his protective penny. When a new spirit is discovered haunting Rotham Manor, the trio must face the terrifying question, how do you survive a ghost that wants you dead, while unraveling the identity of another that refuses to be known?
Gus still hasn't confided in his mother about his ability to see ghosts. Instead, he covers his visit to Ms. Walker with a lie. It's heartbreaking that they at first can't share everything that is on their minds. I enjoyed that Gus and his mother were able to reconnect following a vision of Gus's father and their decision to seek a new therapist together. There's a special moment when they are finally able to discuss that she too had been seeing and hearing things at the manor.
Meanwhile, Gus's nemesis at school, Charlie Cleave continues to be a bully and Charlie's dad further complicates things for his mother through the historical society and the revelations that the Rotham's may have been bootleggers. The trio devote a huge part of the book researching their school project on what makes Nameless Island the ideal location for the Pacific Northwest Lower South Sound Fish Derby Fair. While also trying to lay the ghosts attacking them to rest. They comb the library, diving deep into the archival files and find old newspapers that reference the "Flying Wymans" and a rumored murder for $2300 in cash.
While the information that the trio uncovers is intriguing, the pacing lags slightly. The subtle clues don't create the level of suspense that might hook younger readers. That said, I enjoyed the unraveling of the events from the 1940's- 50's and the commentary on the town's legacy, or whether exposing the Rotham's past "sully's" their name, or whether history should stand as is and remain open for interpretation. Read this for its creepy factors, the sunken hollow eyes and corpse like features of the Broken Boy, or the various hauntings and intrigue of the ghost's identities. Or maybe wait to read the entire series as the cliffhangers can be disappointing. Especially the latest final image of a girl in the morgue with her wrist dangling from a gurney. I really want to know her connection to Gus's dad. Guess I'll just have to wait.
Displaying 1 of 1 review