Writing about this has been very drawn-out; there was a lot happening. I pursued different themes, and had other things to write about that were not related to Spooky Season at all.
Really, the only thing left is the series:
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2025/03/spooky-season-series.html
(Perhaps I should note that I have now read the Universal Monsters Mummy book now and I did not hate it.)
One thing that is absolutely clear after going through them is that if something bugs you in the beginning of a trilogy, it will only get more frustrating. Therefore...
Iron Tongue of Midnight (#3 in The Forge and Fracture Series) by Brittany N. Williams
Yes, the violent fairy scenes got more frequent and gorier. I think that even got to Williams; after one fight something appears around the corner for a cliffhanger, then the next chapter just says it was quickly dispatched. I was dreading the details, but that was still weird.
After all of that, the ease of the resolution didn't feel real or earned.
Angel of the Overpass (#3 in Ghost Roads) by Seanan McGuire
More lore, more expanding mythology and more teenage attitude from ghost Rose. She periodically mentions that she isn't really a teenager anymore, despite still looking like one. I have an idea for how you could demonstrate that.
Most of the attitude is shown as a way of adding dramatic tension to things she is going to need to do but does not want to do. We all know you are going to do it; just get to it.
I may not be a young and fun person anymore.
While this is the end of the series, there is a shared universe with other series. If I loved these books I would probably be thrilled by that. Nope.
House of Elephants (#3 in Witchlings) by Claribel A. Ortega
It still gets overly tween at times, but there are aspects that I do like.
As it is, this one is definitely not a trilogy. A fourth novel is out, as well as a short story and a fifth novel slated for publication later this year. I may read them, but am currently uncommitted.
The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl (#3 in The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club) by Theodora Goss
Goss is not a bad writer. If she were working with original characters I would probably have been okay.
I could say that the issue is that she messed with characters that I really like in works I really respect, but I am not a huge fan of Frankenstein or any of the Sherlock Holmes stories and they are part of my irritation, which grew exponentially worse by the end of the series.
In yesterday's post I mentioned that I was going to pursue a tangent before continuing in that vein.
This is the reason for the tangent.
It's not just this, but also The Other Bennett Sister and The Bride and Wuthering Heights.
I need to take some time to complain!
Related Posts:
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2025/12/ghostly-childrens-picture-books.html
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2026/01/a-ghostly-movie.html
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2026/01/monstrous-comics.html
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2026/01/ghostly-middle-reader-books-old-school.html
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2026/04/spooky-season-new-horizons.html
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