Book Review: Eve Hallows and the Book of Shadows by Robert Gray

Eve Hallows and the Book of Shadows follows the adventures established in the first book of the series, Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks (you can read my review of Book One here). Where we left our heroes, Eve found herself a human living in Gravesville, the world of monsters, and somehow the one chosen to guard The Book of Shrieks (and the subsequent books, the second of which is the Book of Shadows). These books were supposedly used to create the land of monsters and are very important to the residents of Gravesville. But somehow, they have found their way into the world of man.

In the beginning of the book, Eve finds herself in a frustrating situation. She doesn’t fit in with the world of monsters (her father is a shapeshifter, her mother is a gorgon, and she is a lowly human). Returning to Gravesville, she even finds that the monsters hate and fear humans. Still, she sneaks off to her friend’s party (a werewolf coming-of-age gathering). There, she learns that long-held hatred between vampires and wolves has been rekindled, with werewolves supposedly kidnapping vampires and vice versa. Something smells fishy, and Eve is determined to figure it out.

She is quickly taken away, however, to meet with the Director of U.R.N.S., Death. Death reveals to Eve that when she was delivered to Gravesville, he wanted to kill her: he had long-held hatred of humans after a mishap with his own son, a human who went rogue and escaped Death. But Death learned soon enough that Eve would play an important role in protecting the Book of Shrieks, and he spared her life. Death wants Eve to continue her quest to find the rest of the books, and he assigns her a single U.R.N.S. agent, ceasing communication with Eve or her family for fear of a mole.

Eve is disgusted to find her agent is a succubus who tempts all the men and boys in her life—including her father. Still, she has little time for hatred: she and her friends are taken on a field trip to New York City to track down The Source, which disappeared at the end of Book One.

I enjoyed this book a bit more than the original: the characters were better developed, and the writing was better, too. It’s a good middle grade book for girls and boys alike. Eve is a strong female role model with just the right amount of teenage flavor. There’s plenty of action and imagery for boys, too. I won’t ruin the ending, but it does end on a cliffhanger, leaving the reader wanting to know what happens next. It’s a quick read and a page turner for anyone loving a little bit of spook in their book.