Stacey O'Neale

This review was completed by Camille Morales, staff reviewer with the YA Fantasy Guide.This book is about a girl named Daphne, who lives in a city in Hell called Pandemonium. She’s the daughter of a fallen angel and a demon, yet she’s not like her sisters, who are soulless. She doesn’t feel like she belongs in Pandemonium, but she wouldn’t even dream of leaving. She wants to please her mother, but not in the way her sisters do. One day, her brother Obie tells her he’s leaving permanently, going to Earth. His reason? He’s in love. Daphne tries to talk him out of it, but it’s impossible. She has a bad feeling, and with good reason. As soon as his brother leaves, rescuing a boy named Truman along the way, he disappears. Now, it’s Daphne’s job to go to Earth and find him, before it’s too late. The plot was really good. It mixed real-life issues with the fantasy world, which I found interesting. I love the world the author built, and how it was compared to Earth. I liked the adventures they went through, and just the whole book, from beginning to end. It was very well-written. The characters were absolutely amazing, from Daphne, who was scared of few things, to Truman, who didn’t want to live, yet continued to for her throughout the book, to Obie, who sacrificed everything for love, for his daughter, his family. His daughter was also quite the character, and I really liked her. I love how every character, even the ones who weren’t that likeable, had a story, and how that story just made you feel a bit better for them. Except for Dark Dreadful, who was a witch with a capital B. I just love how the author can make me feel a lot of emotions all at once. My only complaint would have to be that I didn’t understand the ending clearly. I’ve some doubts, but maybe it’s just me. Nonetheless, I really, really liked this book, and I recommend this to everyone who likes paranormal and/or romance. I will check out her first book, The Replacement, which I own, as soon as I can. I give this book a 4.5/5 stars. (: