A delightful otherworldly story with a zingy assortment of characters.
In Haynes’ debut comedy novel, the demon Beelzebub tasks his trusty handyman with ensnaring two of Hell’s souls that have fled to Earth
Abel Freeman’s gig in Hell isn’t so bad. He handles repairs when needed and makes sure everything in the underworld runs smoothly. He even likes his boss, Beelzebub, who prefers to be called Mr. Beel. Suddenly, there’s trouble afoot: Two souls have absconded from The Cells, the first time Hell has seen such an escape. Mr. Beel sends Abel, his “Number One,” to retrieve the souls from Earth. Getting their specific locations requires a trip to Heaven (“They’re sticklers for paperwork up there”), and Abel must stay incognito so God doesn’t get wind of the escapees. He then teams up with Maren, a soul-catching “reaper,” to track down the fugitive shades, who’ve taken up residence in human vessels—one in Las Vegas, the other in Melbourne. Releasing these souls necessitates killing the human vessels; that’s outright murder as far as Abel is concerned, and his understandable reluctance may prevent him from completing his job. The author’s amusing tale paints curious portraits of Heaven and Hell. They’re both akin to places on Earth; Heaven is essentially a giant corporation with technology superior to that of the “old-fashioned” Hell, which still uses pneumatic pipes. Abel is an appealing, easygoing protagonist with an astounding backstory explaining how he wound up in Hell. He stands out in the underworld—he’s human, unlike the grayish and often nameless and genderless demons. The narrative amusingly showcases Abel’s laid-back lifestyle in Hell and his espionage in Heaven, where he poses as a new employee to take a peek at the computers. The earthly scenes, while entertaining, aren’t quite as comedic, as Abel focuses on finding the vessels and faces an unanticipated hurdle. Nevertheless, Maren keeps the fun going—she boasts a welcome bubbly personality, drapes herself in snazzy dresses, and uses such endearments as “luvvie” and “darling.”
A delightful otherworldly story with a zingy assortment of characters.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781956615128
Page Count: 286
Publisher: Literary Wanderlust
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An engrossing, action-packed sequel with a compelling cast.
A woman must undergo fearsome trials to free the imprisoned Titans of Greek myth in Owen’s fantasy novel, the second in a series.
Advancing from minor office clerk in the Order of Thieves to Queen of the Underworld, Lyra Keres’ star should be rising. But thanks to Cronos, King of the Titans, she and her longtime friend and fellow thief Boone have been ensnared in a new challenge beneath the earth: Hot on the heels of winning the twisted Crucible Games, Lyra—who has recently been granted goddess powers—finds herself trapped in Tartarus. Separated from her beloved Hades, she must liberate the fearsome Titans from seven Locks to restore the cosmic balance. As Lyra progresses through the Locks engineered by the Gods—each as tricky and lethal as the last—the pressure mounts as the Titans repeatedly remind her, “You will be our savior.” Rhea, the wife of Cronos, reveals that Lyra began this quest “a hundred and fifty years ago,” adding further devastation to the task at hand; the knowledge is helpful, but also painful, as Lyra reflects, “Suddenly, I don’t want to know that it’s real. Because then I have to contemplate how many times I might have ended up in Tartarus already.” As she materializes in and out of time pockets, Lyra sees Hades’ troubled childhood unfold and struggles not to intervene to save the man she loves. In this second entry in the author’s Crucible series, following The Games Gods Play (2024), Lyra’s cynical quips continue to make her an engaging protagonist. Her inner monologues are balanced with hope, love, and longing for Hades as she meets various versions of him. While resilient, Owen’s heroine is also vulnerable (“Was I his pawn in more ways than I ever realized?”). Her introspection effectively contrasts with the simmering rage and restraint in Hades’ chapters. The supporting Titans are given more depth than the traditional myths allow, weaving a knotty family fabric for the reader to navigate alongside Lyra.
An engrossing, action-packed sequel with a compelling cast.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781649378538
Page Count: 500
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.
Using mystery and romance elements in a nonlinear narrative, SenLinYu’s debut is a doorstopper of a fantasy that follows a woman with missing memories as she navigates through a war-torn realm in search of herself.
Helena Marino is a talented young healer living in Paladia—the “Shining City”—who has been thrust into a brutal war against an all-powerful necromancer and his army of Undying, loyal henchmen with immortal bodies, and necrothralls, reanimated automatons. When Helena is awakened from stasis, a prisoner of the necromancer’s forces, she has no idea how long she has been incarcerated—or the status of the war. She soon finds herself a personal prisoner of Kaine Ferron, the High Necromancer’s “monster” psychopath who has sadistically killed hundreds for his master. Ordered to recover Helena’s buried memories by any means necessary, the two polar opposites—Helena and Kaine, healer and killer—end up discovering much more as they begin to understand each other through shared trauma. While necromancy is an oft-trod subject in fantasy novels, the author gives it a fresh feel—in large part because of their superb worldbuilding coupled with unforgettable imagery throughout: “[The necromancer] lay reclined upon a throne of bodies. Necrothralls, contorted and twisted together, their limbs transmuted and fused into a chair, moving in synchrony, rising and falling as they breathed in tandem, squeezing and releasing around him…[He] extended his decrepit right hand, overlarge with fingers jointed like spider legs.” Another noteworthy element is the complex dynamic between Helena and Kaine. To say that these two characters shared the gamut of intense emotions would be a vast understatement. Readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593972700
Page Count: 1040
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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