SOLVED. YA or Middle Grade (Paranormal?) book about a boy who lives in a Colonial America/Puritan village type setting that also has demons? [s]

[TR]

Spoilers ahead

I think I read it in 2014, although it may have been a year or two earlier or later. Pretty sure it was YA but may have been middle grade.

The title had a boy's name in it (it was one of those long Puritan-type names). The title was something depressing about how the MC's story was tragic and he was doomed or whatever. Something like "The Horrifying Life of Peaceable Abernathy" or whatever--that type of title.

It was in some vaguely Puritan-New-England-type setting. But the book was a modern, recently published one. I remember the book ended without being resolved, as if it was supposed to be the first in a series. I'm pretty sure I checked and found out the sequel or sequels hadn't been published yet at the time.

Spoilers . . .



Anyways, so it's basically Colonial America with Puritans and demons, and the main character is a boy who ends up making some type of deal with a demon character (which you can imagine is not a socially acceptable choice) and I think at the end of the book they were going to the underworld???

I read a physical copy of the book and I think it was written by a woman but I'm not positive.

[Rainbowheart]

The Pox Party?

It's the first book in the duology, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation.

[TR]

Rainbowheart wrote: "The Pox Party?

It's the first book in the duology, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation."

Thanks for the help! I checked that one out and it doesn't sound like it has demons though. I'm pretty sure the one I'm thinking of has demons.

[Rainbowheart]

No prob! I figured it was a long shot, but the series title sounded close, so I thought it was worth a mention.

[Becca]

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken? It's from 2017 and set in modern times, though - Prosper's ancestor made a deal with a demon hundreds of years ago, and it's now possessing / living inside him.

[Becca]

There's also a The Adjective Noun of FirstName LastName list that might help.

[TR]

Becca wrote: "The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken? It's from 2017 and set in modern times, though - Prosper's ancestor made a deal with a demon hundreds of years ago, and it..."

Yes, that's the one I was thinking of! Clearly my memory was not as clear on the setting as I thought it was lol.
This is excellent! Now I can read the sequel. Thank you so much!