Author Guest Post: Isabel Kunkle

Isabel Kunkle is the author of Hickey of the Beast. She is here today to talk about her favorite supernatural creatures. Welcome Isabel!

Dragons are in my top three, and really aren't creatures you see a lot in fiction these days, especially YA fiction. I get that. Dragons are big, and it's hard to make them unobtrusive in a modern setting: I haven't messed around with them myself at all yet. They're also tough because they're very blatantly inhuman. Those factors both go into their appeal, though: the size confers a certain majesty, and the inhuman-ness means you can get pretty weird. Plus, many concepts of dragons are color-coded for some reason, and I like color-coded wackiness.

My other two favorites are much more in the humanoid vein. One is angels. I'm nowhere on the Abrahamic-religion spectrum, but the concept of divine servitors is one I find pretty neat, and I like all the symbolism and names associated with the various angels in myth and magical tradition. Also, I was probably unduly influenced by having read Many Waters at a young age—I was also seriously disappointed that the nephilim were evil there, because their wings came in way prettier colors. I'm good at missing the message like that.

Finally, elves. They're magic and they live forever and they're pretty and sort of weird and impulsive. What's not to like? I've been partial to the Fair Folk amoral alien sort as well as the basically-good-and-totally-awesome Tolkien variety. I'm not crazy about elves as snottier or more prudish or more granola-y humans, though, which can be one of my pet peeves in the more high-fantasy variety of books. The basic concept, though, is one of my favorites.

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Thanks so much for sharing your picks with us! Dragons are one of my favorites too! 

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Review: Hickey of the Beast by Isabel Kunkle

Title: Hickey of the Beast
Author: Isabel Kunkle
Available: Now
Reading Level: Young Adult













Description via Media Kit:


Connie thought freshman year might suck. She never thought it'd be literal.

Bad dreams? No big deal. After all, Connie Perez is starting her first year in the prep school her mom runs. Anyone would be a little stressed, right? When she starts dreaming about strange creatures and places that don't make sense, she doesn't think much about it: there's other stuff on her mind. Then she starts noticing that the people she dreams about get sick right afterwards.

Then everything gets weird.

There's something bad on the campus of Springden Academy. Something that feeds on students and warps their minds. And, as Connie and her friends try to figure out what's going on, it starts to look like she's the only one who can stop it.

Freshman year was hard enough without having to fight evil after class.

My thoughts:


Connie Perez is the daughter of Springden Academy’s headmistress. She is excited and nervous about making the transition from a faculty kid to an actual student. As the new school year progresses she finds herself plagued with nightmares involving a swarm of angry mosquitos. Coincidently her little brother is also having bad dreams. As the dreams evolve and students fall sick, Connie sets out to find answers with two of her closest friends.


Hickey of the Beast is told in the format of a letter from Connie to her friend Amanda. I really enjoyed this style. I felt it gave the book a nice and easy flow. I think readers will like the up close and personal look into the main character’s mind. Main character Connie was easy to like, but she does have a bit of a potty mouth at times. I would have liked to see more development with the secondary characters. Something to make them stand out I guess. 


I thought the mystery surrounding the illness infecting some of the female students at the school was paced well. While I did have my suspicions about who was behind the attacks, I wouldn’t call the plot predictable. My interest was definitely held, and I was shocked by how quickly I finished reading. Obviously the mystery was one I was eager to figure out. The ending was great. The author provided answers to all the questions raised, and I appreciated her tying up the loose ends so readers aren’t left hanging.


This is a really fun and unique book. I’d defiantly recommend it if you dig books with paranormal elements especially with a boarding school setting. While the format in which the author tells the story has a few minor flaws, I still enjoyed the all around feel it gave Hickey of the Beast.

My Rating:

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