As a thriller this was fun and had some twists I didn't necessarily predict. This had a lot of unfullfilled potential imo. This could have been a modern day take on the Screwtape Letters by really digging into how hell gains souls. This story mainly just illustrated humans making deals with the devil out of desperation or greed. It doesn't really show us how these demons can tempt people in their everyday lives in ways that lead them to ending up in hell. For me reading this was like drinking a chai latte--good enough for what it is but what I really wanted was rich flavorful coffee, so ultimately unsatisfying.

very much enjoyed this. Perfect for the Halloween season.

I like that this series has an over-arching mystery so it makes sense that all these murders keep happening in this town. It's much more believable than what some other cozy series do. This was my least favorite in the series so far but still a fun, cozy, and entertaining read. Excellent escapism for me. 

I thought I knew what was going to happen and my prediction came true but then Stine took it ten steps farther with an even bigger twist that I didn't see coming. Very spooky and fun.

So many twists and turns.

This is a childhood favorite and I'm happy to report I enjoyed it as an adult too. I actually understood some of the humor better as an adult. Oh, these critters are just precious. <3

This was so good. It's the perfect cozy middle grade paranormal mystery thriller for Halloween. It has puzzles in it similar to Ben Gutterson's Winterhouse. Stranger Things vibes between the three friends was also fun. I loved it!

Angie Kim is so smart and it shows in this novel. What would you do if your non-speaking child was accused of murder? That is the central question of the book. Alongside it are themes of loss, grief, cognition and cognitive distortions, disability rights and justice, and complicated family dynamics. Throughout the novel we are also posed with the question of what is happiness and how can happiness be measured, if at all? This book has so many layers and is quite cerebral and slow moving. It's a wonderful character study and it certainly changed my perspective on what it means to be "non-speaking" versus "non-verbal." A must read if you're a student of psychology. 

In order to apply these strategies you need:

A. A surplus of money to spend on apps and time saving gadgets.
B. Almost total control over your working hours and schedule.
C. Almost total control over your deadlines and due dates.

The reality is very few of us have any of the above options. Another critique I have is that this book seems to be about creative work and not knowledge work. While there is creativity involved in knowledge work, as industry categories, he is discussing creative work. 

A miss for me.

This one was hard for me to rate because I don't like this style of poetry but I like the ideas the book covered. If this was an instagram feed I'd love it. I think if I read poetry, I prefer more traditional poetry styles than this style (I don't know the exact term for it? free form?).