Mooncussers

Mooncussers is the thrilling sequel to Oddity, continuing the adventures of Clover and her friends in a richly imagined alternate American past. The story sees Clover and Nessa, a former snake-oil salesgirl, joining the Women's Service League. Instead of mundane tasks, they are thrust into a dangerous mission to combat vicious, magically animated creatures called Vermin. A new, more formidable enemy emerges: the ravenous Underking and his army of twisted monsters. The protagonists rely on a fascinating array of magical 'Oddities,' such as a Pistol that never misses, a Paper-Doll Witch, and a bad-tempered Doll, to face these threats. This dark fantasy chapter book is ideal for readers aged 8-11, offering a blend of adventure, mystery, and themes of bravery and teamwork against a backdrop of war and unique magic.

With the help of magical Oddities, like a Pistol that never misses, Clover and her friends face a new danger, the ravenous Underking, in this riveting sequel to Oddity. Despite Clover's victory over the destructive Seamstress, war continues to rage between the fledgling Unified States and Napoléon Bonaparte. Clover and Nessa, former snake-oil salesgirl, join the Women's Service League expecting to dole out soup and socks to invalids and orphans. Instead, under the direction of the wealthy and mysterious Miss Yamada, they're tasked with rooting out the last of the pestilential Vermin--vicious creatures animated by magic, such as squirrel skins stuffed with nails, who have been terrorizing the countryside. But when the group is attacked by a new kind of monster--a sharp-toothed harehound with bloodshot eyes--they discover a much greater threat lurks: the grotesque Underking and his army of twisted creatures. With the help of a Paper-Doll Witch, an elegantly dressed skeleton, a girl bearing a Quilt with threatening properties, and Susanna the bad-tempered Doll, Clover and Nessa must defeat the Underking before he conquers the whole land. This follow-up to Oddity is a wildly imaginative and engrossing dark fantasy set in an alternate American past.