Author: Kate Williams
Genre: YA Comedic Horror
Pages: Hardback, 355
ISBN: 978-0-525-70737-0
Opening Lines: "The devil was an artist. Her medium varied, from crayons to Magic Markers to finger paints, and she had coloring books, construction paper, giant pads of newsprint on a tiny plastic easel."
Rating
"Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters club. She knows it's kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she's good at it
"And lately Esme needs all the crash she can get because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let's just say she owes some people a new tree.
"Enter Cassandra Heaven. She's Instagram-model hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious streak as gnarly as the cafeteria cooking. So why is Cassandra willing to do anything, even tak on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme's babysitters club?
"The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra's mother left her:
"'Find the babysitters. Love, Mom'
"Turns out Esme and Cassandra have more in common than they think, and they're about to discover what being a babysitter really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home."
~ Jacket copy
The Babysitters Coven not only has an epic cover, it blew up my Facebook horror book community! It seems as though comedic horror has move beyond film and started to eke itself in novels. John Dies at the End will certainly not be the last in the sub-horror genre! It has carved out its own niche audience, and it has declared it is here to stay. And it appears as though Kate Williams is trying to bring it to YA literature, as well!
Esme has always been a wee bit odd. She started her own babysitters club based off of pictures of her mom holding kids and The Babysitters Club books. However, what started as a good attempt at a business with a few other friends quickly turned into a hang out "sesh" with her bestie, Janis. To say Esme and Janis are eccentric might be a tad bit of an understatement. Like my mother-in-law, both girls absolutely adore spending hours searching the thrift stores for new outfits and amazing bargains. Unlike my mother-in-law, both girls coordinate their outfits based on interpretations of old 90s nostalgia. Even though everything seems normal in their eccentric life, weird things start to happen when Esme is around. First, one of her kiddos claims to be let out on her roof by the Goblin King Jareth. Next, she somehow spills a jock's drink on his lap—from across the cafeteria! However,despite being besties, she feels as though she cannot explain any of this to Janis. And then the new girl enters the scene . . .
According to her author bio, Kate Williams has written for Seventeen magazine. While that is not a negative against her, it was obvious as I was reading this book. The overuse of slang, text lingo, and so on felt akin to an adult desperately trying to fit in with their teen. After teaching high school, I can say with some assurance that most teens do not actually speak in text speech. Further, this book is fully of name drops of obscure 90s references from music to random cult classics such as the Heathers. It is possible for 17-year-olds to enjoy their parents' childhood, this came across more as a way to recapture the author's youth. At first, it was cute, but it ended up getting cliche when each outfit brought up another movie reference.
This book was touted as being a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Adventures in Babysitting. However, it felt as though it was more of a mix between Buffy, Stranger Things, Charmed, and possibly Supernatural. Some of the element were original, and it was fun to see the girls make fun of the Giles wannabe. However, as with the 90s nostalgia, it relied too heavily on these type of TV shows and did not try to stand on its own. As a consequence, it took too long to react the climax, which made the resolution exceedingly rushed. At the end of the book, I had more questions than answers.
Now that I'm done with my beefs, this book was refreshing! Normally my jaded-read-too-many-books self would have found this book annoyingly cliched and unoriginal; however, this was just what I needed! I found myself rolling my eyes, groaning, and complete unable to put it down. It was lighthearted, humorous, and it did not demand me to think. And that is absolutely not a knock!
If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted summer/beach read, I highly suggest this book! Is it brilliant literature? No. However, when you need to cool down after the deathly heat of Moab, grab this book and a bottle of cold booze. You will not be disappointed!
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