Breaking the Devil's Heart by H. A. Goodman - Book Review

An original fantasy concept that promised a lot, but failed to deliver.

 Summary: Breaking the Devil’s Heart is a rollercoaster afterlife experience that tests a young couple's love, their grasp on reality, and the essence of human nature. What happens when Stewart and Layla tour Hell’s Marketing Department and Stock Exchange? What happens when their relationship is tested by Satan? This book is unlike anything you’ve ever read, or ever thought the afterlife might be like...  look into an alternate world, a new afterlife, and a profound journey inside the human conscience.

When I was sent this book to review, I was warned that it was "a bit wild, out of the ordinary story" and it defiantly delivered on that promise. This original and highly creative production of heaven, hell and the dimensions in between was something that appealed to my fantasy radar.

I did at times enjoy Goodman's concept of Hell being run as a 'company' to reek havoc on people's lives. Eternal punishment on damned souls was having to meet impossible sales targets. The reward for doing well was a short break to torture another soul for fun. I can only assume a representation of the author's opinion of the corporate world as a former Financial Advisor.

The 'formula' these pinstripe suit clad demons was considerably less clear. Possibly due to the intolerably long chapters that appeared to cover very little ground, the concept never really clicked. Inter-mingled with sickening romance scenes between protagonist Stewart and his life long love I failed to grasp what Goodman was trying to say.

The writing style was often very awkward and difficult to read. Stewart's train of thought was erratic at times,  and painfully slow at others making it hard to pace as a reader. I have been assured by other reviews the dialogue improves in the second half of the book, yet I failed to pass the half way point.

It is very rare that I fail to finish a book, but after 150 pages I still felt as in the dark as the first chapter. It felt more like an opinion piece on corporate culture and human nature as a whole badly wrapped up as a fantasy novel.

This book does have some saving graces. I did enjoy the quotes that headed each chapter. Angels, Observers and Demons and their dynamics within the after life was an interesting concept, and learning how Stewart came to be within the afterlife, and his noble decision to become an Observer was a sad, but creatively told tale.

What the story really lacked, that would have made me read on was a solid explanation. A clearer description of what the 'formula' was and what Stewart was trying to achieve would have left me possibly wanting to read on to find out how he does it.

I have to give this book just a

3/10

Yet this book has been branded by many as an creative, original and intelligent book that possibly I do not have the brain power to process. At just 77p on Amazon I urge anyone with a Kindle to check it out and form your own opinions, but really cant endorse it being worth the £15 for the hardback!

If you have read this book I would love to know you thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Love Rie x

This book was sent to be to review, to open a blog tour organised by Illuminated Tours. You can check out the tour schedule, and what other book bloggers thought of the book here.

Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy - Book Review & Author Interview

The title of this book only hints to the treasures that lie within. Fans of YA fantasy will love this!

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi. 

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her. 

I have been lucky enough to be invited to be part of the AToMR tour of Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy. This first book in the Crescent Chronicals was sent to me to read and review, which you can read below.

However I was a little cheeky and asked if Alyssa would be willing to do a short interview about the book as well on my stop of the tour, to which she agreed! So before the review I thought I would share what she has to say about the book!

~~~

Alyssa Rose Ivy

Author Interiview

You have written other YA novels. What makes this book stand apart?

Alyssa: Flight is a bit of a departure from my Afterglow Trilogy. One of the biggest differences is that Flight is a more mature YA, and has edgier content. Another difference is that the paranormal society in Flight exists completely within our own world, where as The Afterglow Trilogy has a more epic fantasy aspect to it.

What was the most difficult part about writing this story?

Alyssa: The most difficult part of writing Flight was deciding what about New Orleans to include. I love the city and it holds tons of memories for me, so it took some effort to decide what places to include in Flight and which ones to save for later books in the Crescent Chronicles. 

What part was the most fun to write?

Alyssa: I went to college in New Orleans, so writing Flight was an experience in nostalgia. I had a lot of fun reminiscing about college and remembering just how many cool parts of New Orleans there are. 

What is you favourite scene in the book?

Alyssa: My favorite scene is when Allie first discovers who Levi really is. I love her reaction, and it’s fun to finally reveal what he’s been hiding. 

What do you want readers to take away from this book that they might miss? 

Although Flight is a fun paranormal romance, I hope readers pick up on of the more realistic experiences that Allie and her friends experience as they make the transition from high school to college.

~~~

Book Review 

The title and cover of this book I feel tell you a lot. Flight certainly promises some sort of air travel, and the rather attractive young couple on the cover promise some romance. But I never learn not to judge a book by its cover. This does have all of the above, but it also has something more. Something much more!

I can't really say its nothing I haven't read before. The young lover with an attitude problem (Levi), insecure protagonist with family problems (Allie) and the new best friend (Hayley) all work really well together to make this a well written YA paranormal romance. But the introduction of a completely new supernatural race, and the teasing glimpses of the rest of the supernatural world in New Orleans promise to make this a series to keep an eye on. 

I started and finished this book in just three nights. Although the build up to the supernatural element of the book was slow, with the first third dedicated to introducing us to the characters and New Orleans. But when it got going, I flew (as always... pun intended) through the pages lapping up each new dimension to this new fantasy world. 

There were some unnecessary characters and plot items that, I feel, took up too many pages in the opening chapters to then be of little or no importance later on. The main example being best friend Jess, who lit the opening chapters with her vivacious personality and behaviour, yet dwindled into nothing before the book really got going.

The 'will-she-wont-she' bad boy romance did feel a little cliché to start with, but I urge you all to stick with it to the final pages for a great little twist that left me stunned!

Overall, I started this book with too many preconceptions of just another YA paranormal romance, to have all my expectations smashed and replaced with something a lot more gritty, well written and enjoyable.

I give it an 8/10.

At just £1.97 for Kindle download, this has to be worth a look (if you are in the U.S. you can download it for $3.11). I will defiantly be checking out the next book in the series!

~~~

As this is a book blog tour, there is also some other fab blogs getting involved, each offering something a bit different. Also writing a review today is Tee over at A Diary of a Book Addict, make sure to pop other to her blog and see what she makes of it.

Thanks for reading,

Love Rie x