Mini Review: Dealing With Devils - Pembroke Sinclair

Synopsis:

In this book, the sequel to The Appeal of Evil, Katie has now chosen her side, but has she made the right choice?

Good: 

• Good character development of Katie and Josh.
• Hell has been developed a bit more.
• The story goes in a direction that you aren't actually expecting. Katie isn't a heroine at all, she has so many faults.
• A far more intriguing plotline than the original love triangle as Katie finds out more about herself and demons in general.
• Familiar mythologies of Satan, Lilith, Adam and Eve are involved.
• Braden is an amazing addition to the story. Loved him.

Bad:

• No Wes, for the whole book. This was a bit confusing for me seeming as he was in the first one a whole lot! Also, this lessens the amount of confusion in the story which may have made it more gripping.
• Still so much angst!
• Still not enough character development for Deb and Katie's Mum. We don't end up truly caring what happens to either of them, or indeed care what they have to say. Their scenes are a little boring.

Overall: 

This book is better than the first. Katie developes well as a character and some of the flaws of the book are explained out by the plot itsself. The plot is fast-paced and makes you want to read on. The book isn't what you're expecting, which makes a lovely change! However, it appears to still be aimed at a younger YA audience than the main character, making it difficult to relate to her.

Mini Review: The Appeal of Evil - Pembroke Sinclair

Synopsis:

Katie, a normal 17 year old girl, finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between good and evil, but which side will she choose?

The Good:

• Fast-paced and easy to follow.
• Great ideas of good, evil, Praesul and Demons to give the story a fantastical edge based on things we already understand.
• Perfect for the YA readership, though perhaps a younger category than the main character as she is a little bit naive.
• Totally readable and easy to pick up. Perfect for a bit of light reading.
• Points for the cover - Josh is HOT.

The Bad:

• One dimensional characters, particularly Deb, Katie's Mum, Wes and his Dad.
• A little too much teen angst and self-pity.
• No decision-making for the main character to move the story on, so grew a little stale.
• A couple of grammatical errors - 'worse comes to worse' is meant to be 'worst' (I'm pretty certain, anyway).

Overall:

A cast of fairly unlikeable characters gives little for the reader to care about, but it is a fun, easy-going read. You do tend to egg Katie on all the time, but tend to feel exasperated with her. The ending is certainly interesting, with a big old cliffhanger ready for the next book, but it doesn't quite answer the 'will she, won't she' question. Still, it might have been me, given that I am not exactly a YA any more!