Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
I am conflicted, terribly conflicted. I picked this book for all the wrong reasons and therefore I ended up putting off actually reading it till the very last moment. One of the reasons that I was put off by this book was Lucifer himself. There was a time when the Devil was elusive but now he is all over my TV, it just doesn’t hold the same appeal but I knew I had to read it and I did and I was kind of swept up, up and away.
I don’t know what to categorize this book as, since it takes place almost exclusively in Hell with a few forays into Earth, so it is definitely fantastical and we deal with a lot of demons and angels so definitely paranormal and there are elements of love scattered all throughout and in-between the never-ending introspection of the Satan. It is a weird book and if someone had described it to be, I could have probably never imagined myself liking it but I really enjoyed reading it.
“I don’t know, I can’t decide. There’s a litter of kittens in my bedroom, sweetest little things you can imagine, wobbly on their legs, prancing around but as soon as I lie down to sleep, I’m Everest and they have to climb me.”
Reading this book made me feel like for a very short time I got a whiff of a story that came as quickly as it disappeared leaving me bereft and hungry for more. It’s kind of like a day in the life of Satan kind of thing except we are with him for more than a few days. It was really interesting having this take on the world-weary Satan in love with so many around him but unable to keep them close. It was weird how much he loves so many of his children, his demons, the Fallen and the very concept of love.
“Love can do things to you, it’ll have you doing things you never thought you’d do.”
“Ah, love is one thing. And it always meant more to you than it did to us. But we were Hell-born and you were an angel.”
This was such a novel concept, a Satan that loves at times I would even forget who he was and just accept this take on him but then he would turn around, all the darkness hiding beneath would seep around surrounding you like a dark damp cloud. For a character I had thought was done to death the author managed to make him so much more interesting, the Devil capable of devouring any and all but, as he tells his father, “Ever your creation—as much as it chafes me, Lucifer”.
This story follows Lucifer as he interacts with the lives of five other characters:
1. Jack – Jack is a human in love with a demon named Eodus, and Lucifer agrees to give Jack permanent residence in Hell if he were to kill someone for him in return.
2. The boy trapped in the Fourth – The Fourth is the part of Hell where the souls that damn themselves go. The boy is trapped in an endless cycle of reliving his torment and he finds himself in Hell because his parents always said he would end up there.
3. Mercy – The woman who tries to assassinate the Devil so that she will be accepted into her family again.
4. Ira – The whore on Ninth who looks just like Eodus and fascinates the Devil from the moment he lays eyes on him.
5. Junius – Oh! Junius is special. “Everyone knows it. Junius, the one who leaped after you. Your most trusted and faithful, all the way up on that pedestal where you keep him.”
Though my most favourite character of this story after Satan himself was Imogen. She was amazing. I just really liked her and I don’t know why because as I sit here typing these words I realise that we actually don’t know anything about her but I like her, I really do. Sometimes you fall in love with a person for the words they use even though their words never reveal anything about themselves but sometimes they end up revealing more than we realise.
I loved how Hell was structured and how it works and I loved a whole lot more characters than I realised as I type up this review. I need to talk about how much I love Rema and Inri both characters I hope we get to see more off.
Though I loved how this story was told as if you are travelling with a storyteller in a caravan and you start hearing the story after its already begun and have to leave the caravan before the story is over. It feels that way although I think I must confess that it doesn’t appear or feel incomplete. It is very much a whole story but it gives the feeling that it is part of so much more. I don’t know where this story is supposed to go but I am not opposed to finding out.
I loved the cover. I liked the colours used and the fonts and how the front is actually a map of the Ninth and actually gives a lot of details relevant to the story.
Sales Link: Amazon
Book Details:
ebook
Expected publication: October 1st 2018 by Supposed Crimes, LLC
ISBN139781944591779
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 