Title: DeadEndia: The Watcher’s Test
Author: Hamish Steele
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, LGBTQ, Young Adult
Publisher: Union Square and Co.
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Barney Guttman’s life has been turned upside down. His family is struggling to fully embrace his trans identity, but thanks to his best friend Norma, he’s just landed a job at Phoenix Parks, a Dollywood-esque amusement park inspired by the long life and career of mysteriously youthful actress and singer Pauline Phoenix. Soon, Barney and his dog, Pugsley, secretly move into the haunted house attraction. Little does Barney know, the house contains a portal to the demonic planes of Hell. When Courtney, Barney’s devilish new roommate, invites a demon king to Earth through the portal, they offer Barney and Norma as flesh vessels for the king, but in a strange twist, Pugsley is possessed instead! It’s a race through the park to save Pugsley—and the world—from the demon king’s reign of terror that leaves Pugsley with strange and magical side effects. With all of this chaos going on, Barney is also discovering he has crush on park employee, Logan, so he must face his biggest fear of all… talking to someone he likes.
Follow the lives of this diverse group of friends in this hilarious and moving graphic novel series, complete with talking pugs, vengeful ghosts, and first love.
Part workplace comedy, part supernatural horror adventure, with a splash of LGBTQ+ romance, The Watcher’s Test is perfect for fans of author Hamish Steele’s TV series Dead End: Paranormal Park who are in search of more adventures, for graphic novel lovers who want more diversity in their reads, or simply as an introduction to the zany, creative, and laugh-out-loud funny world of DeadEndia.
Review:
Barney Guttman’s parents aren’t completely accepting his trans identity, so when he gets a job at a haunted house in an amusement park, he leaves home and moves in there. Barney is working with his best friend Norma and he brought his dog Pugsley to live with him too. He soon discovers that this haunted house contains a portal to Hell. A demonic ambassador named Courtney invited a demon king to Earth which sets off several events including giving Pugsley the ability to speak and do magic. The group of friends go on a series of adventures throughout the amusement park to save Earth.
This was a hilarious and entertaining graphic novel with some serious moments too. I liked how the story focused on Barney’s present. Since his parents weren’t accepting his trans identity, they didn’t take up space on the page other than him mentioning them a few times. The other characters were fun and diverse. The characters were well developed right from the first page, so the story could focus on the events happening at the amusement park. This is also a beautifully illustrated graphic novel!
DeadEndia: The Watcher’s Test is a fun book!
Thank you Union Square and Co. for sending me a copy of this book!
Content warnings: transphobia (mentioned), death, death of dog
Other books in the series:
- DeadEndia: The Broken Halo
Have you read DeadEndia: The Watcher’s Test? What did you think of it?
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