Fast paced, well balanced and very captivating

Jon Cohn is an award winning author of horror fiction and a designer of tabletop board games. Rituals in the night is the first book of his the Odd, Alaska-series with Crystal Cove Press, the young adult speculative fiction imprint of Crystal Lake Publishing. This fast-paced fun read combines young adult, supernatural mystery and small town horror with urban dark fantasy.

Odder, Alaska is indeed an odd place. A year ago, 19yo David Warren's hunt for the supernatural left his best friend losing an arm. Guilt drives him back to dark places, desperate for answers, but this time the attack of another creature infects him. He begins to change into a creature of the night, with transformative powers and a terrifying hunger. His new condition ties him to a dangerous woman and draws him into a forbidden hidden world of magic and monsters. A mystery threatens the town as local crime boss Tony Hart searches a missing spellbook. It uncovers a dark conspiracy over several generations, connected to a ritual David's own mother performed 24 years ago. He must uncover the buried secrets before he is fully claimed by the night.

Young adult horror, creature feature, at first i feared this might be too bloody for me, but the story is well balanced with interesting character arcs. There's so much more to it. The supernatural mystery and the incredible atmosphere pull you in, the writing is captivating, the pace is relentless.
Odder, Alaska is a bleak, isolated town, unsettling and freezing cold. Ancient secrets refuse to stay buried. Surroundings that create an atmosphere of skincrawling tension and suspense.
David is your flawed hero, his transformation delivers an emotional layer as he embraces his new paranormal abilities but also struggles to keep his humanity as he fights for the town's survival. The supporting characters are interesting, combined with the gritty magic and town mysteries, it sets up a world worth exploring.

This story successfully balances classic young adult small town horror with genuine, unsettling dark urban fantasy elements, atmospheric, fast-paced, bloody but exceptionally well balanced, emotionally grounded and a captivating supernatural mystery.

⭐⭐⭐⭐