e-ARC, 272 pagesRelease Date: July 17, 2018Published by: Swoon Reads
Read from: July 19-, 2018Stand-aloneSource: Netgalley (I received a copy of this book from the Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW:
For fans of: Romance, LGBTQIAP+, Contemporary, Sparkly Covers, YA
Sixteen-year-old Shelby Black has spent the past year training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy—a Catholic priest and Shelby’s guardian—believes she has a gift for expelling demons, and he’s put her through exorcist boot camp hell, but he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own.
High school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity quiet, especially from Spencer, her cute math tutor. Secrets run in Shelby’s family, though: her mother has been missing ever since an exorcism went horribly wrong, and Uncle Roy is tight-lipped about it. But Shelby’s hell-bent on finding her mom, no matter what—even if what it ends up costing her her soul AND a date with Spencer.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I started reading this one on a whim. I wasn't really convinced that this would be one that I liked, but that was only because of the cover. And after reading this, that just goes to show you that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
"Eat the frog. [...] Mark Twain. Put the worst task behind you and then you can get on with the rest of your day."4%
Shelby has a very different job than what others might expect her to have. She is an exorcist. She's being trained by her Uncle Roy, who's been making sure she's busy. However, that's hardly the last secret that she's keeping from everyone. Her mother is gone and she has been having trouble believing the excuse that she's been given. She's going to find her mom, no matter what the cost.
"Spenceris waiting at my locker after school. Unfortunately, I can't study with him today, because I have an appointment. With the devil."14%
I have to say I'm a bit embarrassed. I almost didn't give this one the time of day, but only because of the cover. And being honest, I have no idea what made me end up reading it anyways. I think I was approved for it and I just decided to give it a go. And after reading the first page, I knew I was going to like it. I kind of related to it. I'm Catholic and could recognize all the things they mentioned. As a character driven reader, when I can relate to them, it helps me like the story a bit more. However, there were a couple of other things about Shelby that I didn't care for. She was too stubborn. At some points it was just like, really, you haven't done this this entire time, but NOW it's different? It was crazy and a bit annoying.
"For someone who's expecting me to chase the evil spirits out of her son, she doesn't seem particularly grateful."15%
As for the plot, it was super simple and contained a lot of twists that I did see coming. However, there were also some that I just knew was right, and it turned out to be something completely different. So even though its something simple, it doesn't quite follow the troupes of all the other paranormal romances.
The writing style was the only thing that I didn't really care for. This book was about exorcising, and yet it wasn't truly terrifying. But there is nothing scary at all about this. In fact, the scenes that ARE about to get scary are over right before they start. The fight scenes were really short and Honeybourn made them funny in some ways. Alot different than what I was expecting. But judging by the cover, I should have known that it would be more funny than scary."What's it like? Living with a priest? [...] It's fine, I say. I mean, it's not like he goes around preaching all the time. Well, not about God, anyway. Mostly he lectures me on leaving my wet towel hanging over the shower rod or not loading the dishwasher properly."20%
This book surprised me. I wasn't a fan of the title or the cover originally, but I somehow started reading the first page so I could get an idea of what it might be about. And low and behold.... It was something I liked. Definitely made me realize that I might have to go back and give other ugly covers a try lol"There's no sign of her, and yet she's everywhere I look."42%
Overall, I give this
