As soon as I heard the premise for this book, I knew I had to read it. The author has since become a friend (@rednovabooks on IG), so I was lucky enough to score an ARC. It is PHENOMENAL. Action, emotion, humour, and something deeper. It's all there. Seriously, read it!

The Blurb:

For a demonic spirit, Yuriel had scored the perfect assignment—a cozy house in suburbia, a young drug addict with an openness for possession, and all the marijuana brownies they could eat. With a selfish human like Paul, temptation was easy. Too easy. Maybe that’s why Yuriel found it so much more entertaining to spy on the Torres family next door. Something about them and the love they shared kept him coming back for more. Especially their precocious four-year-old daughter, Eva, and their guardian angel, Sarai.

But when Yuriel’s obsessions bring tragedy to the family, he begins to discover an emptiness in his soul he never knew was there, yearning for a shot to make amends. Enlisting the help of Sarai and his angelic counterpart, Goldie, he embarks on a mission to heal the grieving and earn his way back into Heaven by doing the unthinkable—tempting Paul to do good. As old comrades and a hellish past come back to haunt him, Yuriel must fight to unravel the question:

If angels can fall, why can’t demons rise?

My Review:

I can totally see this book as a movie. I was drawn in from the first pages, and Ben Logsdon kept me interested all the way to its satisfying conclusion. He has a particular talent for painting a vivid picture of the action, and the movie reel in my head was pretty awesome.

Speaking of action, while there is some spectacular movie-grade fight choreography in there, this story goes much deeper than epic angel vs demon battles–Ben tugs on the heartstrings too, with very relatable characters going through some absolutely awful stuff, giving up, and coming back from the brink. Definitely one of my best reads of 2024.

Now, to some content warnings. No matter which end of the theological spectrum you’re on, this book is likely to challenge you, so be prepared for that–and remember, it’s a novel. Personally, I loved the premise! I did take issue with some of the underlying assumptions, BUT I STILL LOVED THE BOOK REGARDLESS! Other things that might be a deal-breaker for some readers are the use of drugs and a ouija board. Neither of these things are portrayed as a good idea. Gang violence, an attempted suicide and semi-graphic descriptions of fights and injuries also feature, along with a small amount of swearing. 

All the above were handled very well, and used when it made sense. Nothing was in there purely for shock value. It was all plot relevant with the ultimate aim of providing a hopeful narrative. 

This is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.