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Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
The first in a "devious and delightful" new series by Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds , soon to be a major motion picture.
*"An infectious, entertaining series starter. Clever, occasionally frightening, and always fun, this will hook plenty." --Booklist, starred review
*"Bracken's cast is drawn in loving detail, and her twisty plot will keep readers guessing." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"I would say it's a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness...."
Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history--that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper's great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made--and then broke--a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, eight-hundred-year-old Alastor isn't exactly the forgiving type. The fiend has reawakened with one purpose--to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts to trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his afterlife without a side of eternal servitude, thanks. But with the help of his long-lost uncle, Barnabas, and his daughter, Nell, a witch-in-training, it seems like Prosper has at least a fighting chance of ridding himself of Alastor before the demon escapes and wreaks havoc on his family.
Little does Prosper know, the malefactor's control over his body grows stronger with each passing night and there's a lot Alastor isn't telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host...
From #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexandra Bracken comes a tale of betrayal and revenge, of old hurts passed down from generation to generation. Can you ever fully right a wrong, ever truly escape your history? Or will Prosper and Alastor be doomed to repeat it?
Author Notes
Alexandra Bracken was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 27th, 1987.
She graduated from The College of William & Mary in Virginia in May 2009, with a degree in History and English.
She began her first published novel, Brightly Woven, as a birthday present to a close friend in college.
She is also the author of The Darkest Minds Series. Her title from that series, In the Afterlight, made The Young New Adult Titles List. In 2017 she made The New York Times Best Seller List with her title, Passenger.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-A long time ago, during the Salem witch trials, Honor Redding promised a fiend named Alastor the eternal servitude of everyone in his line in exchange for unimaginable wealth. Instead, Honor outwitted the fiend and reneged on the deal. Now Prosper Redding, Honor's modern-day descendant, is possessed by Alastor, and it's up to the teen and his family to vanquish the demon. With the help of some "black sheep" in the family, Prosper must figure out a way to break the curse. Alastor, however, has other ideas. Can the young man survive his family curse long enough to break it? Unique and humorous, the plot is filled with fantastical mystery and paranormal elements. The main characters, including the villain, are likable and flawed. The author's smooth transitions and delightful writing style will draw readers into the story with ease. This is a must-read for fans of Bracken and paranormal mysteries. VERDICT A first purchase for middle school audiences.-Kira Moody, Salt Lake County Library Services © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Every family has its secrets, but not every family has a secret pact with a demon. In a promising series opener, Bracken (Wayfarer) kicks off the darkly delicious story of Prosperity "Prosper" Redding and his powerful family's efforts to protect its legacy. Hapless, unpopular Prosper and his twin sister, Prue, are on the cusp of turning 13 when their frosty grandmother holds an impromptu family reunion, with nefarious intent, while the children's parents are away. Soon after, Prosper is whisked to a haunted house in Salem, where he learns that his body and mind are entangled with a fiend named Alastor ("I know all of thy fears, thy desires, thy jealousy-where thou hides thy collection of small porcelain ponies," the demon informs him). The story's mysteries, which involve the fates of multiple dimensions of reality, unfold slowly enough to build anticipation but quickly enough to keep readers furiously flipping pages. Prosper shows tremendous growth (his testy interactions with Alastor may remind some readers of Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books), Bracken's cast is drawn in loving detail, and her twisty plot will keep readers guessing. Ages 8-12. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Prosper Redding thinks he's an ordinary kid--until he discovers there's a demon living inside him. Prosper's many-times-great-grandfather broke a deal with a Malefactor, and now Prosper's demon wants to end the Redding line. Enemies become friends, then family, then enemies again in this entertaining story full of sharp humor, incompetent evil, and engaging magic. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The consequences of a centuries-old bargain fall on Prosper Redding. The Reddings, premier WASP family of the posh Massachusetts town of Redhood, are rich, talented, and successfulexcept for 12-year-old Prosper, a bullied D student. On Founder's Day, the extended family gathers, taking twins Prosper and Prue to the dungeon basement of their family estate for an odd ceremony that ends in an attack on Prosper. Rescued by a stranger, he wakes to learn that his rescuer is his disgraced uncle, Barnabas Redding. Aided by his witch daughter, biracial, bronze-skinned Nell (whose identity goes largely unplumbed), Barnabas has hidden Prosper from the Reddings. Barnabas and Nell tell Prosper of a complicated mythology (it involves four realms: of humans, spirits, fiends, and ancients) and explain that in 1693, Honor Redding made a deal with a type of fiend called a malefactor in exchange for family prosperity. A later attempt to break the contract went wrong, enabling the malefactorAlastorto be reborn, trapped in Prosper. Alastor waits, gathering his strength to escape for vengeance on the Reddingswhich Prosper must prevent. Alastor's supernatural threats aside, Prosper thrives in hiding, out from the Redding shadow. From time to time, sometimes conveyed in third-person breaks in Prosper's narration, the entertaining Alastor possesses Prosper, leading to comedic moments as he adjusts to the modern world. The betrayal- and twist-packed conclusion sets up the sequel. Strong characters and humor lift an otherwise slow and complicated plot. (Fantasy/horror. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* For generations, the Redding family has enjoyed uncommonly good luck. Wealthy, successful, and charismatic, the family has it made, right down to popular 12-year-old Prue, who miraculously recovered from a severe heart condition. Her twin brother, Prosper, though, is unextraordinary the only normal Redding in centuries. Of course, Prosper never thought that the family's luck was anything other than, well, luck, and maybe the result of the machinations of his intense, overbearing grandmother (It wasn't that me and Prue hated our grandmother. It was just that we thought she might be the Devil in a dress suit). So Prosper is just as surprised as anyone to learn that he has a 4,000-year-old demon living inside him and that the demon, Alastor, is responsible for the Reddings' luck. Prosper's many-greats-grandfather broke the contract with Alastor, and now Alastor is out for revenge. Now Prosper's rushing to break the curse with the help of his long-lost uncle and witch-in-training cousin, while Alastor, who has some demonic problems of his own, keeps trying to trick him into a contract. Bracken's (Passenger, 2016) new middle-grade offering is an infectious, entertaining series starter. Hapless, dry Prosper is at hilarious odds with his demanding, old-fashioned demon companion, and the thrilling plot twists will keep even the most savvy readers guessing. Clever, occasionally frightening, and always fun, this will hook plenty.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2017 Booklist