Review Detail

Mooncussers, (Oddity, Book 2) has an eye-catching title that just begs for you to choose it as your next read, but you definitely need to read Book 1 first to understand the world and the plot continuation of this alternate historical fiction.
Clover Elkin and her friend Nessa tried to settle down in quiet Salamander Lake after the events of book one. However, President Auburn wants Clover on the frontline of his war with Louisiana, or to be in jail. Miss Yamada saves her from that choice by taking custody of them both and setting off to hunt the vermin her mother had created using the lifesaving pestle to make living thread. She has collected other children of consequence who have odd entanglements after being saved by the pestle. Penelope can make duplicates of herself, and Hazel has a quilt that can store and collect items. They soon discover that the vermin are the least of their troubles because one piece of the living thread kept Willit Rummage alive after eating deadly mushrooms, and now he is the Underking with a horrifying army on the verge of taking over the world, and no one is the wiser.
With quirky magic and a world almost like our own, it is a fascinating read that keeps your interest from start to finish. The events proceed at a nice pace and resolve satisfactorily while leaving the world wide open for more books to continue the adventures. This story contains the right mix of quirky, cantankerous, and wonderous magical items and events to be fascinating. If Mark Twain lived in modern times and wrote fantasy, it would feel a lot like this book.