Rating: 3š
Iām going to talk about some of the plot points so if you donāt want any spoilers, stop reading.
I will start with saying I love the origin series with Dusty and Tristan and that entire cast and journey. Thought it is fantastic, right down to the fabulous side stories with The Grim Adventures of Death and Chan. My favorites too.
So I was really excited for some of the other characters to get their stories as well. But while the story is pretty good, I just canāt with the character of Harrison. Heās everything that makes a DNF book for me.
Sam, the paranormal PI is well done. Heās a layered personality and a good reason for being connected to the storyline. However, heās also plays a powerful role here along with the other members of the original group, to keep me from engaging with Harrison.
A major reason for me not to buy or read a book is for an author to have written a main character who has major communication issues. Someone who, like Harrison here, has a secret or knowledge about the main mystery/storyline thatās threatening him and everyone else and is knowingly lying about it or/or refusing to tell anyone about it.
His dads and grandfather know and tell Harrison to reveal it to those who need to know, his friends and boyfriend, Sam. At one point, he lies to his parents and says he has. But no, he doesnāt, endangering his āboyfriendā Sam and his friends by withholding his all ācentral to the caseā knowledge. As well as himself.
And once you think heās learned something, and itās over. Itās not because, wait for it. Thereās one more potentially dangerous secret and another awful event that Harrison is responsible for.
This happened for the entire book. FFS and SMH
If you think that got old fast, youād be correct. And it ended up with a cliffhanger where at this point I really didnāt care what happened to him. Thatās a what a TSTL character reads like. Too bad about Sam.
And for my final spoiler, the author brought in characters from an unrelated series to save the day. So if youāre not familiar with them, itās a huh, who are these people moment.
So, no not continuing further with this side series. I just donāt care about the main character and Tristan is made out to be whiny and weak , a characterization different from the other series.
Disappointing.
Cover design by Natasha Snow
Crawshanks Guide to the Occult (2 book series):
The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1 The Music Box
The Little Shop of Curiosities The Music Box Part 2
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 authorās website)
Buy link
The Little Shop of Curiosities The Music Box Part 2 (Crawshanks Guide to the Occult)
Blurb
The Music Box – Part 2.
Strange things are happening in London, with a murder investigation underway into his biological motherās murder Harrison is trying to find answers about the mysterious and powerful bloodline heās descended from. Plagued by terrifying dreams of one of his ancestors and trying to keep his friends from discovering his true identity is exhausting. But his growing feelings for Sam cannot be ignored and sooner or later Harrison knows he must tell him the truth.
Having returned to London after fulfilling his own family obligations Sam begins to realise the cases that heās investigating as a PI are all paranormal in nature. As he delves deeper he begins to suspect they are connected to the Crawshanks family and somehow to Harrison, himself, the man heās falling in love with.
But as the murder investigation comes to a frightening conclusion and the killer is revealed, Sam and Harrison begin to realise that this is only the beginning.
Now they find themselves facing their most terrifying challenge yet.
Underside Press
Publication date
August 19, 2026
Language
āEnglish
Print length
314 pages
Book 2 of 2
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 