Review Detail

Riley Blackthorne is one strong lady. She can take one heck of a beating and often gives back as good as she gets. She is no delicate flower. Her life is not glamorous and not one to be envied, even if there are a whole lot of really attractive guys in her vicinity expressing interest. I also like that there is no clear winner on the guy front, which is a bit rare to see in these teen paranormal series (it's more common for the heroine to have a number of choices and to not make a decision in the adult series). Not that Riley is playing them (another yay!), but I suspect her decision for now may not be her decision forever. It's also nice that, although Riley does think about boys (who wouldn't?), they are not her primary concern.

In addition to all the action and boy drama, there is a lot of religious stuff happening here. Thankfully, it all fits into the fantasy realm in such a way as to not come off too preachy. It's also really interesting that in this post-disaster of some sort world where demons and other paranormal nasties exist, the Vatican has a team of Demon Hunters that kills Lucifer's hordes. Funny how that is both very not how a church should be, but exactly what a church would do. I definitely look forward to finding out more about the way Oliver has set up this world in the sequel.

Recommended to YA, paranormal, fantasy and dystopia fans. A quick-paced exciting read with some thought-provoking themes.