12-year-old Rory lives with his mother in the seaside town of Gloom, a place that is accurately named; miserable weather, little in the way of vibrant culture, and in the case of Rory and his mother, financial hardship. When Rory sees that the mysterious Lord Foxglove needs a valet, he applies for the job. Foxglove Manor is weird, in an off sort of way, and the job interview is very peculiar, but Rory can't afford to be picky. So he signs the contract, and only then sees that's he's now committed "on penalty of death."
Foxglove Manor and it's master have dark secrets, and though Rory didn't set out to deliberately find them, his curiosity and fear lead him to terrifying discoveries. His sleep is full of a nightmares, and it becomes clear that his employer isn't quite human.... Fortunately, outside the manor he has a good friend, Izzy, a young fortune teller with tons of spunk, and she takes the disturbing things he describes seriously, and helps him seek for information within the town.
As the nature of the threat (ultimate evil taking over the world) becomes clearer to the kids, they realize that there's no hero around to step in and save the day, and that they'll have to do it themselves. Fortunately Rory, though he doesn't know it, has just the thing he needs to help him do the job....
And that's where the book kind of falters, here at the ending. The spooky buildup and revelations of the menacing evil are great--vivid and creepy as all get out, including little details like Rory finding the heart of the previous boy who had his job, buried in a metal box out behind the house. There were plenty of twists and turns as Rory and Izzy figured things out. Both kids are smart and brave, though their bravery is greater than their ability to figure out how to take down ancient evil. And in fact in the ultimate face-off, Rory wins through simply because he happens to have an external object that saves the day. And it's a bit of a let down.
That being said, if you are used to reading more complex books (YA and Adult) about defeating ancient evil, you'll be expecting more. You'll also be excepting more detail to the worldbuilding and the origin of the ancient evil than you'll find here. But if, as I suggested above, you're a first time Ancient Evil reader, this won't be a problem. And the vivid setting and descriptions are perfect for gripping the reader's imagine, and Rory and Izzy are great companions in adventure.
The door is left open for a sequel, and I would be more than happy to see what happens to these two kids next!
(one for my list of diverse fantasy--Rory, as shown on the cover, is a brown-skinned kid)
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