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13 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 22, 2025
I will send the SerpentWhat follows is once again a bizarre mix of sarcasm, cosiness, sheer supernatural terror, a smelly dog, a troll, a snake, a wood full of thousands of dead men, a bizarre secret stone ritual, a haunted student house, the legend of a country mansion massacre, and so much more.
I always send the Serpent
It's kind of my signature move
The Elizabeth Cage series is what happens when a paranormal thriler checks itself into a state-of-the-art, avant-garde, near-experimental clinic and discovers the patient may be more alarming than the diagnosis.
Bad Moon is, in my opinion, the strongest entry yet. Elizabeth Cage has spent much of the series being buffeted by revelations, monsters, and the general inconvenience of reality refusing to behave itself. This time, she finally starts steering the ambulance instead of merely riding in the back. The mysteries uncovered in the previous book deepen still further, while Elizabeth herself becomes more decisive, more capable, and far more compelling. The less certain she feels about what she is, the more certain she becomes about who she is.
The atmosphere remains one of the series' greatest strengths, balancing cosy charm with creeping unease. Ancient standing stones, grumpy trolls, uneasy ghosts, and mangy dogs gather once more alongside cups of tea, takeaway, and Jodi Taylor's trademark wit. The horror also feels sharper here than in previous books.
What continues to make these books work is Jodi Taylor's ability to balance dread with humour. Just when the supernatural threatens to coil itself around the reader's nerves like an irritable magical serpent, a perfectly timed line breaks the tension. The supporting cast remain delightfully eccentric and remarkably colourful (and not just from Elizabeth Cage's point of view!). Familiar faces return, and the mythology grows stranger with each instalment without disappearing into its own mist.
Bad Moon offers some answers, uncovers several new questions, and left me even more impatient for the next book.
Consider me thoroughly admitted and awaiting my follow-up appointment!