YOUNG ADULT

Michelle Knudsen, Candlewick (AUG 13) Hardcover $17.99 (336pp), 978-0-7636-9427-2

As it turns out, it is simply not possible to keep an angry demon librarian down. The title librarian still wants Annie, his former child bride, as well as revenge against Cyn, the teen who saved her. Funny and action-packed, Curse of the Evil Librarian almost resolves all of the issues set forth in the series. The “almost” will excite longtime fans.

Initially, all seems well. Cyn and Ryan are together, and she is still friends with Ryan’s rival, Peter, who happens to be a demon. Les Miserables is the school play, though Ryan may have to compete to play Javert, his dream role. Cyn salivates at the prospect of building the famous barricade.

But then the demon Aaron, who is battered and bloodied, comes to warn Cyn: evil Mr. Gabriel has broken free and is gathering power. While Cyn runs to tell Annie, Gabriel attacks Ryan, threatening to kill him if Cyn does not agree to his terms.

The news plunges the group back into Hell where they must fight demons, protect each other, and figure out a way to kill Gabriel for good. Action-packed and suspenseful, the book moves from battle to battle without slowing. Knudsen never neglects the strained realities of teen life, including emergencies and homework that’s due the next day.

The dialogue is peppy and fun, spiced with sarcasm and snarky asides. Knudsen illustrates the monsters in the teens’ midst with gross specificity and intersperses musical references throughout, like happy, nerdy Easter eggs for fans of the genre.

Curse of the Evil Librarian is a fast, funny, and irreverent almost-end to the series.