*Disclaimer: I won an ARC of this book from Goodreads Giveaways.
The Supernatural Society is a middle-grade novel written by Rex Ogle. It was released on February 1st, 2022.
I had high hopes for this book. It has everything I love to see in a middle-grade book. However, I was ultimately left a bit disappointed. Many books take inspiration from others, and I see nothing wrong with that. The problem, however, is the author’s ability to use that inspiration in a way that is not jolting or so obvious that it feels like low-key copying. Taking the inspiration and then building off it to create something unique takes work. Otherwise, it just leaves the reader feeling like they are reading fanfiction or a rip-off.
This is the main problem I have with this book. There are far too many obvious references to Harry Potter, and the attempt at a Lemony Snicket-style narration left me annoyed before even reaching page 50. I would read and get into what was going on…only to have a paragraph of random narration that felt unneeded. It left me feeling like reading the book was a chore as it felt tedious to get through.
I was also disappointed in the lack of character growth. I get that this is meant to be an introduction to what is meant to be a series, but it felt like the characters you meet at the beginning are exactly the same at the end. It was also a bit faster-paced than what I would prefer, but not too bad.
There is good in this book though. I really appreciated the amount of diversity and the writing (outside of the Snicket-style monologues) is quite good. I have a ton of quotes I plan on adding to Goodreads that are just fantastic. The inclusion of multiple codes for the reader to solve was also really interesting, and I’m sure young readers will find them fun and engaging. I like the idea of the story, and I hope that it is improved upon in the next book.
Overall, I think it just felt a little…too basic.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3/5
Is it worth reading? - A good choice for middle-grade readers who are good with spooky books.
Book Information: Goodreads
Author Information: Rex Ogle @ Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Official Site
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