Death, Doom, and Detention

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Author(s)

Darynda Jones

Publisher

St. Martin's Griffin

Genre(s)

Age Range

12+

Release Date

March 05, 2013

ISBN

0312625219

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In New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones's Death, Doom and Detention, the normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.

It went out with a bang.
Goodbye normal.
Hello dark and eerie.

While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?

It went out with a bang.
Goodbye normal.
Hello dark and eerie.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

The Adventure Continues

March 06, 2013 (Updated: March 06, 2013)

Overall rating

3.7

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What I Loved:

DEATH, DOOM, AND DETENTION is a fast-paced adventure full of action and intrigue. Something went wrong, something escalated the conflict, in every chapter. The conflict itself is layered. There are relationships in peril and family bonds that are strained. And of course there are fierce outside conflicts of a supernatural nature that drive the entire plot. Secrets, threats, misunderstandings, and danger permeate the story. Readers who enjoyed the first book in the series will find it hard to stop reading this sequel.

The world building in this series is intriguing. A cleverly done flashback at the beginning of the book establishes the dark, somber tone of much of the novel as Lorelei struggles to understand her past, her present, and the secrets that have been kept from her. Kudos to Ms. Jones for weaving a fairly complex world (angels, demons, secret orders, nephilim etc) around the everyday life of a high school student. The school setting and the normal problems Lorelei faces there feel just as real and present as the supernatural beings and the danger they bring.

I also enjoyed the fact that Lorelei is well-adjusted (as much as can be expected given her strange abilities and her demon possession) and that she has a group of close friends. Their interactions help ground Lorelei and the reader in the high school setting and serve to make her a more relatable character.

What Left Me Wanting More:

The dialogue between Lorelei and her friends is often supposed to be funny, as is much of Lorelei's internal voice. This humor often felt unnatural and forced, and I wanted a more natural delivery so that I could laugh along with the characters. Humor is a very individual thing, so doubtless other readers will have a different reading experience.

There were a few places where I felt like the characters were treading water instead of proactively moving forward with the conflict. It felt like we kept revisiting the whole "Lorelei has a new ability and needs to practice" and "there are more secrets" ground more often that was necessary for this kind of fast-paced novel. However, those moments never lasted long, and the overall stakes and conflict are certainly strong enough to keep the reader turning the pages.

Final Verdict:

Fast-paced, action-packed, and full of mysteries, DEATH, DOOM, AND DETENTION is a solid sequel that should keep fans of the series turning the pages long into the night.

CJ Redwine, Site and Staff Manager Top 10 Reviewer 406 reviews

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Definitely pick this one up

April 23, 2013

Overall rating

4.0

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This is second installment of the Darklight series. And it does start out with the scene of Lorelei when she was younger and learning how she was the host of one of Satan’s minions, which pretty much sets up the pace for the rest of the book.

Lorelei is still reeling from everything that has happened to her. Learning that she is a Prophet that she can stop a war and that the boy she loves is the Angel of Death, I guess would kinda do that to a girl. Her grandparents are still keeping some truths from her, and she is frustrated. But one things she does have is Brooklyn and Glitch who are awesome friends and stuck with her through everything. We don’t get to see much of Jared, so there really isn’t much development where Lorelei and him are concerned. I do hope to see more of Jared in final installment. I liked Lorelei before, and I was glad to see her growing up and learning who to trust and not to trust and accepting that this is her life and her destiny.

The world building was a little on the slow side at the beginning and it picks up about halfway and when it does it is fast and danger seems to lurk around every corner. With people out to get rid of her and a new mystery guy in the picture, and a war that seems to be well on it’s way, there is plenty of action. I did feel that this one was a little darker that the first installment, but we are dealing with Satan and a war, so I would expect nothing less. The ending was one major cliffhanger so I am anxiously waiting for Death, and the Girl He Loves.

Death, Doom, and Detentions was a great sequel, it had plenty of action, realistic characters, a dash romance and a slight mystery to it. Overall, I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend picking this one up.

Jenea Whittington Top 500 Reviewer