“Mama needs a night off!” — Absolutely brilliant.

“Mama needs a night off!” — Princess Donut. I swear, the more I read these books, the more fun I have. It is the perfect mix of absolute mayhem and those sudden, deep nuggets of Carl’s trauma. Matt Dinniman has a natural, breathing pace to his writing; you’re laughing one minute, crying the next, and you simply cannot put it down.

There were so many great new additions in this book, from the Desperado Club and the introduction of Blitz Sticks to the “Hunting Grounds” concept. The circus storyline was wild—the showdown with the Bear Boss was intense, and those creepy worms… these questlines are truly diabolical!

On a more emotional note, I actually cried when Donut said, “I know she’s dead, Carl.” That moment hit so hard. Also, Mongo is amazing and now I kind of want one? (Maybe not in real life, though). That ending had me spiraling—the seeds of rebellion Carl is planting are going to change everything.