Rating: 4🌈
With this crossover series in the The Dead Serious Universe, two previously supporting characters are finally getting their own story and relationship series.
That’s which Harrison Ames, recently relocated to town to look for his mother. And former DI, now PI Sam Stone, with his own connections to Danny and Tris, and magical powers of his own.
Both characters have figured largely in prior stories, and author Cassidy takes many of these impactful moments and dramatic events from these novels and repurposes them here. The reader gets to see certain scenes again, only this time from either Harrison’s or Sam’s perspective.
I have to admit I loved (spoiler alert) seeing Chan meet Death all over again. I can’t get enough of this couple, so this was an enormous surprise and plus for me.
I think Sam turned out to be my favorite character, more mature and better defined character of the pair.
Or maybe it’s because Harrison spends the entire story lying to everyone around him. Sam, Tristan, Danny. Even as the mystery and investigation surrounding the magical bookstore, the portal, and other aspects of that storyline, Harrison, knowing full well he had important information and details about the events surrounding the ongoing crisis, kept quiet.
He’s not a teenager. He’s in his thirties. Not communicating highly needed information to people who consider him a friend in a time of crisis.
No, I long ago learned that I’d had enough of this type of character. Whether the author needed him to be incommunicative due too plot purposes or considered it a necessary part of his personality, either way it led to a disconnect for me.
Yes to Sam, no to Harrison. And there are things I do like about him. Like his dynamic with his dads. So funny. But everything else? No.
I’ll continue to read because all the wonderful crossover characters and scenes. Maybe Harrison will win me back over. Who knows.
A definite winner otherwise.
Cover design by Natasha Snow
Crawshanks Guide to the Occult:
The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1 The Music Box
Connected series:
The Dead Serious Universe,
Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed (6 book series)
Crawshanks Guide to Mischievous Spectres & Spirits(2 book series)
The Grim Adventures of Death & Chan Vol 1-3 (on the author’s website)
Buy link
Book 1 of 1: Crawshanks Guide to the Occult
Blurb
The Music Box – Part 1.
Despite being raised and well loved by his two adoptive fathers Harrison Ames has always felt alone. As an incredibly powerful witch he’s never come across anyone else who can do the things he can. Moving to London from Devon, he’d hoped that if he finally gathered the courage to confront the biological mother who’d given him up as a baby, he might finally have some answers.
Sam Stone, carries scars of his own, both physical and otherwise, but he’s determined to ignore them and get on with his life. But when fate drops a gorgeous prickly red haired witch in his life, he figures his luck is finally changing.
With mediums, dead drag queens, and supernatural beings as his new friends Harrison finds himself drawn into a world of magic and chaos. But amidst all the insanity that is his life, there’s Sam, his anchor when the secrets of his biological family begin to tear his life apart…
Underside Press
Publication date
December 25, 2025
Language
‎English
Print length
320 pages
Book 1 of 1
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 