Easy Bake Covenant by Jessica Gleason

A young girl is given a demonic Easy-Bake Oven and makes a deal with the Devil. Join her on a journey of self-discovery as she explores her emotional trauma and faces a violent test. A whimsical horror tale about the dangers of dealing with devils and the bravery of a girl facing down demons of her own, this new novella explores the challenges of a child coming face to face with evil in the world around her and the underworld beneath.

This was a rather enjoyable and entertaining genre effort. One of the better features with this one comes from the setup that provides a strong series of exploits involving the gradual discovery of identity in something like this. The initial standing of the book involves how she comes into possession of the titular device and begins to dive into the constraints of what that actually means, where the gradual discovery of her changed fate into a demonic creature as a result of taking the seemingly innocent item. There’s a lot of fun work here, taking that into consideration alongside the interactions she has with her mother, who is trying to help them move on with their lives following an abusive relationship, all of which ends up helping to bring her into contact with a demonic being that changes her life after these incidents.

While these aren’t too terribly dark or intense, the whole concept of the book explores the various interactions that take place within the universe, where it uncovers the use of her newfound powers as a means of harvesting souls for the Devil, forcing her into a series of uncomfortable and unexpected encounters. Those are handled with a sense of demented energy with the way with the young-child mindset of having to deal with the horrific situation she’s found herself in that might be where most would have an issue with this one as it’s kept to more of a light-hearted tone for the mindset generated here that there’s not as much tension as expected in the whole thing where her attitude towards everything is a less serious endeavor highlighting how her teenage mindset is still the primary force in her interactions. Given that this is the intent, though, it’s not something to readily hold against this in the slightest.

4.5/5