The newest installment of the Aftermythos books is HERE, and my excitement knows no bounds!

It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Kyle Robert Shultz’s Beaumont and Beasley series (and all the interconnecting books)—stories taking place in a 1920s-esque setting where fairy tales are the world’s history and magic abounds. They are full of humor, timey-wimey plots, delightful characters, and clever twists on fairy tales. Basically…everything I love! So you can imagine my excitement when book #6 was announced!

And it DID. NOT. DISAPPOINT. Though this may be a very short review because, well—SO MANY SPOILERS. It’s hard to say anything about this book without spoiling things, but I shall endeavor to do my best!

SYNOPSIS

The truth is finally revealed…

Crispin Beasley has an unusual relationship with time. When his strange powers grant him a terrifying vision of someone from his past, he reluctantly turns to the one person who may be able to help—the dragon Malcolm Blackfire.

Malcolm has an unusual relationship with morality, and his own past is beginning to catch up with him. When he realizes how grave Crispin’s predicament truly is, he joins forces with the young magician to uncover the truth about a mysterious threat facing the city of Talesend. Something strange is afoot at the studios of Harry March, an up-and-coming producer of animated films…and his newest employee is someone whom Malcolm and Crispin both know all too well.

The confrontation that results will test our unlikely heroes to their limits…and may destroy the future of the Afterlands completely. No matter what happens, one thing is certain—neither Crispin nor Malcolm will ever be the same again.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | AUTHOR’S WEBSITE

REVIEW

This is a Crispin and Malcolm story, you guys! Dreams really do come true. Our dear Crispin and sarcastic, shapeshifting dragon Malcolm are BACK. And things are, well, not looking good.

Going back and forth between Crispin’s and Malcolm’s point-of-view, the story opens with a bang and hurdles us readers along for a wild, epic ride all the way to the end. It felt like every single page dropped yet more revelations that left me in a stunned state. Shultz held nothing back in this one! Okay, that’s not true, there are still so many questions! But we got such a wide variety of reveals, I can’t even be mad about all the new questions that cropped up.

This story leans into the timey-wimeyness that the last few books have been strongly hinting at, and I was HERE FOR IT. Time travel and wibbly-wobbly plots are my favorites. So I was soaking in every page. It was wild and complex and yet seamlessly done where I didn’t get lost in all the intricacies. These books have a LOT going, but the author does an incredible job of keeping the narrative simple enough to follow along. It’s a fantastic balance! I will forever be in awe at all the many, many interconnecting plots this series brings together. It is such fun and pure brilliance! And I feel like this story highlighted that more than any other.

It was an absolute and utter TREAT to have a Crispin- and Malcolm-centric story. The two fan-favorites working together?? YES PLEASE. The sheer amount of chaos and banter gave me life. But this story wasn’t all just fun and games. Malcolm, as always, is holding back an absurd amount of secrets while Crispin is dealing with a lot. This story really dug into the struggles Crispin has been facing as well as touching on some Malcolm backstory, and there were FEELS. Many, many feels. The stakes really ramped up in this one and I don’t know if I’ll ever recover.

The whole plot itself was just such a fun, wild, feelsy romp. This time we’re exploring Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan themes. And if you guys know me at all, you’ll know those are some of my favorite stories of ALL TIME. To say I was thrilled is an understatement.

Seriously, this book felt catered to me. Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan threads? Crispin and Malcolm? Time travel? Feels mixed in with humor? All of my favorite things in one!

It was also a delight having some cameos from some familiar faces but also getting to know new ones. The young, eccentric businessman Harry March was particularly fun, and I am excited to see where his story goes. The story also highlighted a certain person who I didn’t realize we’d get to meet but intrigued me GREATLY. I also quite liked how it took place in Talesend. It feels as though it’s been a while since we’ve had a story that centers in Talesend itself.

And okay, but those EPILOGUE SCENES. I was practically screaming through each one. JUST. *flails*

THERE WAS JUST SO MUCH HERE, YOU GUYS. I want to scream about All The Things but I can’t. Too many spoilers!

Let’s just say it was one of the best Beaumont and Beasley installments yet, and if you’ve read all the Aftermythos books up to this point, YOU NEED THIS ONE. ASAP.

CONTENT CAUTIONS

These books are always refreshingly clean. This one touched a little on some child abuse, but nothing was ever shown and it handled it very delicately. There was a little bit of scary imagery but, again, all written in such a way that it kept things to a PG level.

These are very family-friendly books overall.

CONCLUSION

From the banger of an opening to the fun Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan threads to the timey-wimey plot to the REVEALS (so. many. reveals.), this one had me glued to the pages all the way through. It was such a delight returning to the Aftermythos world, and I cannot wait for the next installment!

If you’re a fan of this series, you are not going to want to miss this one. It has everything we’ve been waiting for: Crispin, Malcolm, and REVEALS. This one was a true gift to all of us Aftermythos fans!

I need people to scream with me! Where are my Aftermythos fans? Have you read this latest Beaumont and Beasley book? If not, you are in for a TREAT.

NOTE: Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.