ALA Booklist (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)

Do demons dream of musical theater? Of course! In this sequel to Knudsen's Evil Librarian (2014), we rejoin Cynthia, teen theater-set designer, after her defeat of the demon librarian Mr. Gabriel. Cyn's adventures attracted the attention of Peter, a supposedly "good" demon, whose fondest wish is to make it big on Broadway. Peter has invisibly linked himself to Cyn as she and her boyfriend, Ryan, head to theater camp, where the two lovebirds plan a peaceful summer. Peter also knows that Cyn is obligated to return twice more to the demoness queen, and things get hairy as Cyn discovers that Peter's exit has left a gaping entrance to the underworld. Ryan cranks up the drama factor with a secret of his own: his superhot best friend inflames Cyn with jealousy. Returning readers will love hearing from Cyn again, who narrates her story with aplomb and keeps readers laughing despite the hellfire and danger around every corner. A pleasing and excellently evil mix of regular theater kids with highly irregular death.

Horn Book (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)

Cyn and Ryan (Evil Librarian) just want to enjoy a demon-free summer at drama camp. Then Cyn is assigned to set-design a musical written by cute camper Peter--who turns out to be a demon. That the good guys will win and Cyn and Ryan will work it out are givens, but plenty of supernatural action, snark, and kissing build to a satisfying conclusion.

Kirkus Reviews

Take one part humor, add an equal part horror, and spice with teenage drama (musical and romantical) for a (slightly grim) laugh. After the events of Evil Librarian (2014), Cyn thought all would be smooth sailing. But she's still got problems: boyfriend Ryan has a very possessive best girl friend at musical-theater camp. Oh, and Cyn hasn't told him that she promised the demoness two more visits. And that's just the start. The (adorable) teen author of Cyn's show is a demon, even if he is the nice kind—and he may have accidentally led Mr. Gabriel, who isn't dead after all, right to Cyn. Campers and counselors start to disappear, Mr. Gabriel's many-legged brother is lurking around, and they still want Cyn's friend as their child bride. What's a "super-roach" (demon-resistant human) to do? Snarky and witty, filled with some steamy dreams, bloody battles, and plenty of musical-theater references, this may not be quite as fizzy as the first book—but it's still a hell of a ride. Levelheaded, confident, ambitious, highhanded Cyn may be imperfect, but she's also perfectly believable. Even the love quadrangle manages to be unexpected and not without flashes of humor. One secondary character is described as dark-skinned, which, combined with the absence of ethnic cues, points to Cyn and Ryan as being white. Campy, from the setting to the humor to the horror, and all the better for it. (Humorous horror. 13 & up)

Voice of Youth Advocates (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)

After defeating the horrifying demon librarian, Mr. Gabriel, Cynthia could not be more excited to spend her summer at theater camp with her hot boyfriend, Ryan. Unfortunately for Cynthia, demons are still very much a part of her dramatic world when her totally crush-worthy writer turns out to be a (very nice) demon. Between Ryan’s possessive best girl friend and the adorable writer Cyn finds herself working with, theater camp is filled with all the drama Cyn can handle. When more demons start showing up, including Mr. Gabriel’s super-demon brother, Cyn’s fun summer turns into a gore-filled screamfest. Knudsen’s sequel picks up right where Evil Librarian (Candlewick, 2014) left off in this hilarious and horrifying tale. Cyn is still completely believable and relatable, even in the less-than-realistic circumstances, and even the quadrangle love story does not seem forced or out of place. All the characters are fully developed and likeable, making each story line enjoyable. Knudsen brilliantly combines just the right amount of witty, dark humor with truly heart-pounding horror to keep the reader racing to turn the page. Fans of both humor and horror will find a great match with this book and will likely be pulling for a third installment.—Blake Norby.