When a malevolent force begins to assail Shadytown, it’s up to timid sixth-grader Sean to protect his small town from the darkness. 

In Shadytown’s synopsis, early critics have billed it as “the next Stranger Things”. As complimentary as this may seem-- it does Shadytown a disservice. Shadytown isn’t Stranger Things. Nor does it need to be. 

Packed with werecats, witches, and other creatures that go bump in the night, Shadytown is part bone-chilling thriller, part coming-of-age dramedy, and a heroic tale of friendship and fierce courage to stand up against dark and seemingly insurmountable forces.

A sinister Shawnee prophet storms Sean’s house during a raging blizzard, a shape-shifting witch named Seraphina peddles tasty autumn treats that are more tricks than anything, and a seemingly inconspicuous box houses a growling monster that hungers for neighborhood pets. There are creepy twins, pumpkins that bite, and a lawn full of malicious little stone gargoyles. Roadside crosses materialize, heralding gruesome deaths, and a wicked tree is revealed to be a nexus of evil.

Mustering up his bravery Sean tackles each supernatural challenge with an enchanted Celtic Cross passed down from his grandmother, and an uncanny rattlesnake named Plisskin by his side. An unlikely guardian for his family, his friends, and his entire town, Sean takes each fearful encounter as a new lesson. 

Shadytown is an atmospheric and remarkably imaginative romp into the things of nightmares... and the value of true friends. 

Sean’s rowdy best friend Aaron, his athletic neighbor Tammy, and the mischievous shape-shifting twin’s Sam and The Sham are all integral to Sean’s story and his quest to banish the many evils. The star of the novel though, beyond Sean, is Maeve. A witchy and curiously uncommon girl new to Shadytown, Maeve instantly stood out. Wise beyond her years and followed by dark secrets and an even darker past, Maeve has one of the most compelling roles and backstories in Shadytown… she’d be a brilliant heroine in her own novel, and I can’t help but cross my fingers and hope that Sherer gives Maeve a story of her own to headline.

In the vein of spooky anthologies like Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, and Robert D. San Souci’s Short & Shivery series, Shadytown is a must-read for fans and enthusiasts of the supernatural, spookiness, and the occult. This thrilling debut is sure to become a part of Halloween traditions right up there with repeat viewings of Hocus Pocus, fun-sized candy bars, and haunted hayrides.