Curse of the Evil Librarian

June 15, 2019
Knudsen has a shtick and she's sticking to it. Demon-resistant set designer Cyn feels good about senior year. She and all her friends are blissfully coupled up; they defeated titular evil librarian and powerful demon Mr. Gabriel; and if Cyn is having sexy dreams about nice demon Peter and not boyfriend Ryan, well, they're just dreams. Then Mr. Gabriel returns and the roller coaster of horror and humor resumes. This trilogy conclusion gives more of the same, with extra agency for best friend Annie, who has been magically gaslit by Mr. Gabriel and has emotional scars as a result, and emotional growth for alpha Cyn, who learns to accept that she's not always in charge. Humorous beats balance the gristle and gore, and sure, it's mostly plot and wit with emotional content largely relegated to the final denouement, but the fans--and this is purely for fans; new readers will be lost--are already on board and will happily enjoy this pacy third act, complete with musical theater references (and Cyn's mental playlist). Physical descriptions are rare other than for inhuman demons; previous volumes indicate a white default among the main characters and a diverse extended friend group. Fun closer to the best musical theater demon trilogy around. (Humorous horror. 13-18)

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July 1, 2019
Cynthia (�cf2]Evil Librarian�cf1]; �cf2]Revenge of the Evil Librarian�cf1]) and friends are focused on mundane senior-year concerns, including relationship drama and and the school's �cf2]Les Mis�rables�cf1] production. Then demon-in-librarian-disguise Mr. Gabriel escapes his prison, and Cyn must return to the demon world to defeat him for good. �cf2]Buffy�cf1]-worthy silliness is grounded by a strong foundation of well-developed characters in the satisfying conclusion to this horror-comedy saga.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2019
At the start of this trilogy-ender, Cynthia (Evil Librarian, rev. 11/14; Revenge of the Evil Librarian, rev. 3/17) and friends have put demonic encounters behind them and are focused on more mundane senior-year concerns: college applications, relationship drama, and the school production of Les Mis�rables. Then demon-in-librarian-disguise Mr. Gabriel escapes his prison. Cyn?accompanied by a motley crew of human friends and not-so-evil demon allies?returns to the demon world to defeat him for good. This endeavor involves many dangerous encounters with assorted demons as well as much bickering between Cyn's boyfriend Ryan and rival love interest Peter. Cyn's human friends, particularly BFF Annie, step up and fight for themselves and the rest of humanity; this also marks a turning point for Cyn, whose overprotective tendencies have previously caused conflict when she's left loved ones behind. As ever, there's a lot of Buffy-worthy silliness and snark grounded by a strong foundation of well-developed characters and relationships. Cyn and Ryan's sweet romance and one last pitch-perfect musical number round out the satisfying conclusion to this horror-comedy saga?although Cyn's foreboding visions at book's end suggest there may be an encore. katie bircher

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)