Gran also tells Evangeline: “When you see others in need, you help them, even if it means a risk to yourself.” That’s a moral I can stand behind. The monsters and magical haunting creatures are plentiful and plenty scary, without being too horrible for a children’s book. Evangeline and her frenemy Julian are both vivid and sometimes humorous characters. There are several bright spots in the book. And the very powerful rougarou that Evangeline finally defeats in the story is semi-vanquished by the power of love and self-assurance, not by the power of God. But it all feels very superstitious and well, power-less. And Evangeline actually prays–for help, for her Gran’s health. They burn candles and sprinkle holy water to get rid of some haunts. But if you believe in yourself, amazing things will happen.” Evangeline and her Gran have a sort of pseudo-religious heritage.

If you don’t believe you have it, then you don’t. Gran says to Evangeline: “Power comes from belief. This story definitely has a Disney-esque moral. Maybe she’s just a middling, with no powers, no inheritance, and no identity. Maybe she didn’t inherit her dead mother’s haunt huntress skills and powers after all. As soon as she gets her animal familiar and proves to the council that she has heart, Evangeline will be following in the footsteps of her illustrious haunt huntress ancestors.īut when Evangeline and Gran are called to New Orleans to take on a special and dangerous case, Evangeline begins to see that there is more to being a true haunt huntress than just a few charms and spells. Well, Evangeline is almost a full-fledged haunt huntress. Twelve-year-old Evangeline and her grandmother are haunt huntresses, healers and charmers who pursue and vanquish monsters, ghouls, banshees and other haunting creatures in the bayous of Louisiana where they live.

Evangeline of the bayou by jan eldredge