The Devil’s Music
(The Montague Twins #2)
by Nathan Page & Drew Shannon (Illustrator)
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2022
320 pages
Upper Middle Grade – YA
Alastair develops some anger problems while experimenting with drinking. While he’s grounded and dealing with the consequences of his choices, his favorite rock star Gideon Drake, recently gone solo, visits their small town. Guess who he develops a thing for? Pete. (And that isn’t the only romantic interest that develops!) But why did he come to a backwoods small town like Port Howl?
A mindless young woman is found wandering the cliffs by night just as Moms Against Devil’s Music protests seem to coincidentally pop up in town.
I grew up during the ‘80s Satan scare with the looming threat of the PMRC censoring our Rock and Roll. (I’m sure my name is still on some list somewhere.) This story roiled up those fears inside me and my heart went out to Millie, the daughter of a fundamentalist who dares to listen to Drake’s devilish single. She falls under a debilitating enchantment. Other listeners were not so lucky.
“It’s all good when the rumored devil worshiper is a poster in your locker,
kind of another thing when he’s hanging around your twin brother.”
The narrative begins to feel a little like folk horror as we see landladies leering out windows and moms locking their children in the house in condemnation of the sins of heavy metal. What if these uptight Christians are the hate-filled cult, isolated in the small towns of America, insinuating their fear of otherness into the community? (In one of those bizarre instances of serendipity, I just discovered the book Lords of Chaos that chronicles that era from a musical standpoint in a local Free Library.)
We learn how Drake poured his heartbreak and loneliness into a song that will cast its spell (more a curse) on whomsoever listens. Gideon must harbor some kind of magic himself. Can an undercover Rachel use her power to break the song’s spell when she hears it? How many small towns received copies of that single? Alastair’s attraction to him may be the light Gideon needs to turn his curse around.
During all this drama, the Twins’ guardians David, his friend Rowan, and their mom Shelly are called to the carpet over what happened in the last book, summoned by The Faculty, a council made up of three witch hunters, three magic users, and a decisive judge, who request a report about the twins and what magic they’ve learned. A surprise new member has taken a seat on the Faculty, the twins’ Uncle Eli. And he’s not one of the warlocks. Eli and his brother Francis (the twins’ father) had a falling out years ago when Eli chose to support his father, Artemis Montague, one of the first “inquisitors” in America. Turns out this subplot is more of a setup for a larger overarching framework for future books in the series, and kind of leaves us hanging as the twins decide to investigate their parents’ disappearance again now that they have more experience. But I’ll be here for the next installment when it comes!
The graphic novel, like the first, is surprisingly long in a good way. Usually I can take in a graphic novel in one sitting. This one fully delivers on the price of admission.
The art is nice, gentle on the eyes, but uses a palette of dark, autumn colors that give it an edge that calls up small-town witchcraft. I think I can actually taste a little John Bellairs in this book. The images fuel the characterization of the magical teen sleuths, bringing out their personalities as much as their dialogue does.
While this chapter of The Montague Twins wasn’t quite as compelling as the first book, it was a thrilling visit with characters I enjoy spending time with. It skirts the border of getting preachy, but never actually crosses that line, and offers a message about depression that I’m sure will be as well received by readers as the novel’s diversity of characters. Alastair’s character arc offers a relatable path to avoiding dependency with a little help from close friends. In fact, the author does a great job presenting adult issues in a format safe for upper middle grade. (And throws in a few aptly delivered swear words for realism.)
A satisfyingly modernized version of the Hardy Boys that isn’t just a rewrite, the Montague Twins series is an underrated classic.
