Easy Bake Covenant

by Jessica Gleason, Maciej Kamuda (Illustrator)

A young girl is given a demonic Easy Bake Oven and makes a deal with the Devil. Join her on a journey of self-discovery as she explores her emotional trauma and faces a violent test.

A whimsical horror tale about the dangers of dealing with devils and the bravery of a girl facing down demons of her own, this new novella explores the challenges of a child coming face to face with evil in the world around her and the underworld beneath.

"Jessica Gleason has baked up a very special treat with Easy Bake Covenant, a tale of feminine fury, dark bargains, and just desserts. Trust me, you’ll eat this one up." -V.S. Lawrence, author of 80s Ghosts and With Friends Like These.

"If you catch your son or daughter reading Easy Bake Covenant instead of Goosebumps, you've succeeded as a parent." - Dan Scamell, DVS Fiction Reviews.

"With Easy Bake Covenant, Jessica Gleason has cooked up one hell of a devilishly delicious read!" - Mark Robinson, Author of Get Free.

Genres: Horror

115 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2025

About the author

Jessica Gleason finds writing horror therapeutic. So, she puts her nightmares to paper for your enjoyment. As a Hawaiian-Italian, she often draws from her cultural background and lived experience to bring occult-flavored and slasheriffic horror to life. If you look hard enough, you can catch her singing hair metal karaoke somewhere between Chicago and Milwaukee. Her daytime persona is a college professor in the American Midwest. Jessica's recent releases include “Playing Hooky” (Unnerving Books), and “The Dangerous Miss Ventriloquist” (Evil Cookie Publishing). Follow her on Instagram or Threads (@j.g.writes), where she hosts the #WeWriteHorror challenge.

https://jgwrites.carrd.co

Reviews

[Magpie Cleaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very kindly received this as an ARC from the publisher, and I am very pleased I did.

This was my first read from this author but most definitely will not be my last.

Written from the perspective of a young girl, we meet her as she accepts a rather odd gift from an even more peculiar woman, and follow her along a twisting, dark path of demonic activity and revenge.

It is hard to find well written child characters, but this author nails it. As adults, we can sit there and think "why are you doing this?" but she absolutely captured a child's innocent logic and curiosity.

Whilst lacking the gore I am partial to, this was still an excellently written book that did not disappoint. I had no idea what to expect, but this was a brilliant new take on an age old devilish trope.

[Don Anelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a rather enjoyable and entertaining genre effort. One of the better features of this one comes from the setup that provides a strong series of exploits involving the gradual discovery of identity in something like this. The initial standing of the book involves how she comes into possession of the titular device and begins to dive into the constraints of what that actually means, where the gradual discovery of her changed fate into a demonic creature as a result of taking the seemingly innocent item. There’s a lot of fun work here, taking that into consideration alongside the interactions she has with her mother, who is trying to help them move on with their lives following an abusive relationship, all of which ends up helping to bring her into contact with a demonic being that changes her life after these incidents.

While these aren’t too terribly dark or intense, the whole concept of the book explores the various interactions that take place within the universe, where it uncovers the use of her newfound powers as a means of harvesting souls for the Devil, forcing her into a series of uncomfortable and unexpected encounters. Those are handled with a sense of demented energy with the way with the young-child mindset of having to deal with the horrific situation she’s found herself in that might be where most would have an issue with this one as it’s kept to more of a light-hearted tone for the mindset generated here that there’s not as much tension as expected in the whole thing where her attitude towards everything is a less serious endeavor highlighting how her teenage mindset is still the primary force in her interactions. Given that this is the intent, though, it’s not something to readily hold against this in the slightest.

4.5/5

[Dan Scamell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I don't usually read a whole lot of younger or middle grade horror, but once I got out of the mindset of a miserable balding man and more in tune with my inner middle school girl, I found myself enjoying the book quite a bit. I've read some of Gleason's other work and it tends to go pretty hard at times in terms of horror, but she reined it in here to appeal to a younger reader. That said, there is still plenty of darkness for a reader who wants something that hits a little harder than Goosebumps.

I found myself liking the protagonist, Laura, a girl navigating early adolescence and living with her divorcee mother (A character I liked quite a bit actually!). Things move along pretty quickly when Laura comes into possession of a free Easy Bake Oven, generously gifted by a homeless woman in the neighborhood, and starts making treats for herself. The pacing and the frankness of the story made for a quick, fun read. There is sweetness baked into the menace here, and the tone stays relatively light despite dealing with some dark topics.

There were a couple times while reading that I got a little confused about what was happening, but that could have been my own distraction and things were made clear as I continued on. The internal logic of the story makes for a pretty breezy read.

This is one your kid will probably enjoy, but you might want to sneak it away and give it a look as well. There's enough to appeal to a couple generations here.
Advance copy received in exchange for honest thoughts.

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Bake Covenant is a devilishly delicious spin about a deal with the devil.

Twelve year old Laura and her mother get along great. They're recovering from an abusive man who made their lives hell and still gives her nightmares.

When she reluctantly accepts an old Easy Bake oven from a seemingly mentally disturbed homeless woman, she decides to use the cake mixtures inside with instructions to eat one a day. Unbeknownst to Laura, she's made a deal with the devil and it doesn't take long before her anger within is released.

But this novella is different than your typical possession story. She still retains her humanity. She's not some wild out of control rampaging killing machine. When the devil himself explains their "deal" it's almost as if he's the father figure she never had.

Of course, that doesn't mean people won't suffer with her newfound powers but you'll have to read about how that all plays out. There are some surprises in store. Overall this is a sharp well paced novella which takes a pleasantly surprising turn on a premise which gets mired in tropes quite often. Imaginative, wickedly entertaining, and even heartfelt at times, I highly recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.

[Miya Kressin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Bake Covenant is a twisted and often hilarious take on a girl navigating trauma, hormones, school, and life as she learns all too literally that puberty is hell.

The story takes the reader on a beautifully crafted path through a pre-teen's life where you discover the real monsters are walking down the street-not under your bed- and that happy endings are from cliche and expected.

[Gustavo Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided with an ARC

Easy Bake Covenant was a fun read and definitely went places I wasn't expecting. It took a while to get to the "covenant" section of the title, but I had a fun time with it.

[Mark Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Easy Bake Covenant, Jessica Gleason has cooked up one hell of a devilishly delicious read!

[Jen Self · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! This is NOT your typical "make a deal with the Devil" story ....it's so much better than that! I will most definitely be on the lookout for more from this author!

[F. Malanoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an early edition of this work.

It is a spooky tale with a funny nod to easy bake ovens. I appreciate Gleason's writing for its descriptions as well as call backs to 80s and 90s pop culture.

[Madalena Feliciano Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun, and dark, the perfect length for this kind of story