Title: Children of the Dark 2: The Night Flyers

Author: Jonathan Janz

Release date: April 22nd, 2024

Way back in 2018, I read a novel titled ‘Children of the Dark’ by a brand-new to me author, Jonathan Janz. It was my first Janz book, one that was super highly recommended by a million other readers, and after I devoured that novel, I was hooked. Since then, I’ve read another almost-dozen Janz novels, and have really enjoyed reading his books. But, I think of all of them, ‘Children of the Dark’ remained my favorite – though ‘Wolf Land’ is a very close second – and was one that I thought of frequently, whenever the topic of coming-of-age horror novels was discussed. I didn’t believe we’d get a sequel and the ending of book one was solid enough that it could’ve simply ended there, even with the questions that remained unanswered.

When the second book was announced and the cover was revealed, I was super stoked for this one, getting my pre-order in ASAP. I really, really wanted to start reading this as soon as it loaded on my Kindle, but alas, life (and reviewing commitments) prevented that from happening. But, as soon as I could, I jumped in, and boy was I transported right back to where we left off in book one.

Now, I’ll be doing my best to remain spoiler free, but if you haven’t read book one yet, definitely get it read, but be aware, this is a sequel and as always, stop reading here if you’re not wanting to learn anything about book one or book two.

What I liked: A year after the events of book one, we find Will, institutionalized and despondent. He’s been trapped in a cage, kept at a distance from his younger sister Peach, and frustrated that nobody believes him about what happened during that horrendous period in his life, when the Children came and killed so many people. Will is being blamed for aiding the serial killer, Carl, and no matter how much he pleads his case, it falls on deaf ears. Thankfully, a worker at the institution, Pierre believes him and is Will’s only friend.

This is how life is for Will, that is, until the night the Night Flyers arrive and all hell breaks loose. Carnage erupts, blood is splattered, and when all is said and done, Will, aided by an officer, escapes, and Pierre and his niece, Anita, race away with Will.

From this point on, it’s literally a survive-at-all costs story where Will and crew fight to stay alive, as the Children swoop down on them and soon they’re simply fleeing and dealing with the collateral damage. As Will is reunited with his friends and those he loves, we see an internal fight between helping those who need help or racing away with his loves ones.

It all comes to a head with a cinematic battle, where I can only picture Janz kicking his writing chair away and dancing with glee as his fingers clicked and clacked like possessed maniacs, as he wrapped up the novel and did it with glee.

The ending is both powerful but also open ended. We could see a third novel in this world, but I haven’t seen any word yet anywhere, though I know the fans would be ecstatic if there is a finale to a trilogy.

What I didn’t like: Frankly, I began to grow a bit annoyed with Will’s constant whining over needing to never be apart from Peach ever again, but the second they’re reunited, he does pretty much everything possible to leave her with others and go on some side quest. It became a frustration that repeatedly we get this emotional bump of the two of them together, to only be squashed in the following sentence when Will jogs away. I get it, I really do, but come on Will, good lord, ha!

Why you should buy this: If you’ve already read Janz, and/or book one, then book two is a no-brainer. You probably pre-ordered this. But, if you’ve not read Janz or book one, then get on this. Book one was a phenomenal coming-of-age creature feature, and book two easily lives up to the lofty standards Janz set in book one and then some. This once again shows the power of banding together and fighting for a singular goal, even when the odds seem stacked against you.

Janz has really delivered a phenomenal coming-of-age novel – AGAIN – and once again, I’m thrilled that I’ve visited with Will, even if I’m longing for a third entry and some true answers to the questions unanswered.

5/5