A review by jaredjustwantstoread
Wicked Little Things by Justin Arnold

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

That’s the ultimate question at hand for Dane. He’s suddenly found himself with a lot of power and it’s not fully in his control. On top of that he has to solve a mystery and catch a killer.

I was in from page one. This book has so many of my favorite things: horror, queerness, witches, mean girls, an adorable animal sidekick. Not to mention sarcasm and sass.

It’s giving Heathers meets Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets Halloween. How very!!

I don’t read a lot of horror, even though it’s one of my favorite movie genres, and I honestly picked this up on a whim. I thought it looked fun and gay and creepy. And it delivered on all of the above. I’m so here for the creepy rabbit man and his even creepier lullaby.

The whole story has an undercurrent of eeriness. Every bump and creek might be the killer coming to claim his next victim. Especially when you least expect it. It does a good job of balancing the hair-raising scares and the sweetness of a budding queer romance without either feeling out of place.

This weird world of magic and monsters is inhabited by standout characters who make it hard to pick a favorite. Some had to grow on me, but by the end I was fully invested in them, rooting for them every time they went into a situation any sane person would walk away from. There are too many damn abandoned buildings in this town!

And of course I love me a bitchy mean girl. Blair Waldorf, Regina George, Cordelia Chase, the Heathers. The loves of my gay life. I’ll take them all and eat up every crumb. And now I have the Reds to add to my collection of queens and icons.

I don’t want to say too much and spoil it. So I’ll just say, if you’re looking for a fun, creepy Halloween read, I highly suggest checking it out. I’m really hoping there’s going to be a sequel. I need more Dane and Aloysius and EJ and Hannah and the Reds in my life.

And as always you can check out my live reactions in my highlights.