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256 pp.
| Zando |
January, 2024 |
TradeISBN 9781638930303$17.99
(3)
4-6
The seaside town of New Rotterdam is known as one of “America’s Most Haunted Cities.” As Salem is famous for its witches and New Orleans for its ghosts, New Rotterdam has its urban legends—the Laughing Man, Headless Kate, and the Shadow in the Mirror. Friends Emrys and Hazel contribute pieces on local cryptids to the New Rotterdam Wiki Project and The Doomsday Archives, “where all the weird stuff that happens here gets cataloged.” After an apartment in their building is destroyed by a mysterious force, they discover their neighbor, Alyx Van Stavern, entombed in a book called Atlas of the End, a guiding text of the Order of the Azure Eye, an organization dedicated to protecting the world from dark forces. Van Stavern, a sorcerer and final member of the Order, inducts Emrys, Hazel, and their friend Serena and sends them on a mission involving a mysterious hourglass with blood-red sand, missing people, and a strange woman who eats children. The plot-driven narrative with interspersed illustrations (final art not seen), wiki excerpts, and interludes offers an action-packed debut for this horror series. As the last remaining members of the Order of the Azure Eye, Emrys, Hazel, and Serena are ready for adventures in future installments.