The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling is a cute, fall read. Somewhat short, somewhat magical, and all together filled with those illustrative tropes readers love. The second-chance love, the overly-strong and stubborn characters self-destructing, and righting the moral wrongs of the past, they’re all in there. For that reason, however, this story is nothing special. It’s highly predictable.

Not unenjoyable, though, The Ex Hex is Halloweentown all grown-up. While containing adult material, this book is also, in a way, incredibly silly. Toy heads coming to life and overthrowing a store, while not menacing, does offer the creepy similarity to what it would be like if rats rose up. Nipping at ones’ heals and being relegated to countertops does not sound pleasant, but the image of the bouncing sugar skulls is pretty ludicrous.

I will note that while this is an enjoyable read, some of the writing in the beginning is quite awkward. I found myself continuously rereading the same line, thinking I had missed a word or period in various places. The first fifty pages could’ve used another round of edits. But all in all, The Ex Hex is an enjoyable seasonal read.