Dying with Her Cheer Pants On – Seanan McGuire

Well-written, but dark. Dark enough to be uncomfortable.

The premise that links the Fighting-Pumpkin stories is that the universe is a pretty-dark place. Things that go bump in the night really are waiting to bump you; there really is a monster under the bed. Different locales have developed different defenses, often without most people realizing it. In Johnson’s Crossing, the main line of defense is the high-school cheerleading team. Most people don’t realize what a low survival rate it has. (When a new team has to be formed, the old one is somehow forgotten, even by family members.)

The story-telling is lighter than that description implies, with a layer of snark concealing the underlying grimness.