Twelve-year-old Alia has always had the worst luck. Whether it’s her parents moving her all the way from Kuala Lumpur to a tiny village, or her shoes constantly coming untied, Alia can’t help but feel as if the universe has it out for her.
To top it all off, her estranged older sister, Ayu, has just re-appeared in their lives after years away. Alia’s parents are delighted, but Alia is not so sure. She remembers the fights, the tears, the pain her sister caused, and knows this is just another case of bad luck following her around.
Then Alia’s school fills with rumors of a horrifying creature spotted flying in the night sky. And Alia realizes that perhaps it’s not just her bad luck this time—but something more sinister is lying just under the surface of her town…and it’s up to Alia to put an end to it for once and for all.
With book four in the TALES FROM CABIN 23 series having been released in early August, it was definitely time I get back to it with book two, NIGHT OF THE LIVING HEAD! This one is by Hanna Alkaf, who is the co-creator of the series along with Justina Ireland. As I mentioned in my review for book one, THE BOO HAG FLEX, each of the books in the series is written by and about members of marginalized communities!
Book two takes us all the way to Malaysia, where we meet our terribly unlucky protagonist, twelve-year-old Alia.
Alia’s parents have recently moved the family from the vibrant city of Kuala Lumpur to a really small Malaysian village where Alia is just…kinda miserable. It’s like there’s one of those cartoon storm clouds over her head at all times, and she feels like she has constant bad luck. Additionally, Alia’s friends at school are somewhat limited, and she is frequently a target for bullies.
Just when she thinks things couldn’t get any worse for her, Alia’s estranged older sister, Ayu, suddenly returns home. She left when Alia was quite young, so Alia’s memories are hazy. But for sure she remembers all the yelling between Ayu and their parents. So why is everyone but Alia totally ok with Ayu just returning home like nothing happened?
Meanwhile at school there are a lot of strange and spooky rumors going around. Rumors about the penanggalan, a creepy disembodied woman’s head that flies around at night!
It’s not too long before Alia begins to suspect that the return of her sister and the alleged penanggalan sightings may be connected.
When I think back to THE BOO HAG FLEX, it’s for sure one of the darkest middle grade horror novels I’ve read. I was genuinely surprised by how dark that one went. NIGHT OF THE LIVING HEAD is quite a bit different by comparison. There’s absolutely some creepy moments & imagery, as well as some heavier, more grown-up themes. But when all was said & done, there’s a real sweetness to this story that I loved. It’s also a book that continually finds ways to surprise the reader, to kind of pull the rug out from under you and become something unexpected.
I think one of the best things a book can do is spark a little curiosity in you, and NIGHT OF THE LIVING HEAD certainly did that for me. I was looking up images of Kuala Lumpur for references, and reading up a bit on the penanggalan, a vampiric entity from Malaysian folklore.
This was great! There are some very complex family dynamics happening in Alia’s family & I loved how Alkaf handled all of it. This was fun & funny & just the right amount of spooky! Looking forward to reading more from Hanna Alkaf, and of course to carrying on with the TALES FROM CABIN 23 books!
