Boone and Jacque: Saddleton Haunting

Boone and Jacque: Saddleton Haunting by AG Flitcher is the third book in the series and an engaging urban fantasy with interesting and lovable characters. In the first book of the series, Boone and Jacque tumbled upon the dark secrets of Saddleton and navigated a dangerous world filled with secret societies, the resurgence of old conflicts, and old enemies. In the second book, they found themselves cast away and facing dangers to get home to a world they barely know and under serious threat. In this third installment, the haunted town is yet to face one of its biggest threats — a strange and mysterious being hovers over Saddleton and the scales of power are being disrupted. It is left to Boone, Jacque, and Shammy to restore peace and the balance of power to this little town that is fast spiraling out of control and under the grip of nefarious powers.

AG Flitcher is a great storyteller and his work is hugely imaginative. The plot features strong points with a conflict that brings together unusual creatures as well as dark powers that stir the air in Saddleton. I enjoyed the way the author writes about the orphanage in this city, bringing to life characters that are real and complex and a situation that is grimly amusing. The bond between the key characters develops at a great pace and readers will enjoy the distinctive traits of these young characters and heroes of Saddleton. The world-building is fascinating and stunningly imagined —a dreamlike world that completely absorbs readers with its unique features and creatures. The descriptions are terrific, and even from the very first page, the author shows readers that he has the remarkable ability to conjure powerful, even disturbing images, in their minds: '... the staircase leading into the basement of one of the remaining disheveled homes creaked and splintered as Dontin stepped down.' This uncanny ability to create strong imagery combines with the author's unique gift for humor to create a spellbinding narrative. The humor grips the reader right off the bat as they encounter eccentric characters. The sparkling prose elevates the level of entertainment and the sophistication in character makes the story an exciting one to read. I am gearing up for the third book in the series.