Trinity Faegen has done what no other paranormal YA author has: Written a compelling, good novel.
Sasha is your normal girl: she goes to school, has a crush on whats-his-name (they're all alike, so forgive my ignorance) and has a nice, group of friends. Vanilla, normal. That is what her life is like.
Then her father dies, her mother is deported back to Russia, and Sasha has to go live with her evil, soul-selling relatives. No, I'm being serious. Her relatives actually sold their souls to a demon (named Eyrx, by the way). Yeah, awesome, right?
Then there is Ajax "Jax" and his group of strangely hot brothers. They're all...you guessed it...sons of Hell (whatever that means). In order to regain the pureness of their souls, they must "love completely" with an Anabo--a descendant of heaven. Which...Sasha just so happens to be. (Surprise, surprise.)
I said earlier that this novel is compelling. It is. Is it a little cliche? Well, what paranormal-YA novel isn't? Though this is probably the only YA novel I've read this month that has actually kept me on the edge of the seat, and made me want to applaud the author.
From the get-go, Sasha and Ajax are...doomed. He doesn't think she can love him because of his "Hell" status, and she doesn't think she can love him because of what he and his brothers do for a living--throw people into 'Hell on Earth' in order to trap their souls from their evil brother, Eyrx. (I know, I suck at summarizing this stuff, so read the damn description.)
Jax is a pretty cool character--I loved his chapters. They aren't those "good guy" chapters that make us girls squeal and think "omg, he's so perfect!" they're actually real, and a little strange. I mean, c'mon. He's a freakin' DEMON (or something like it) so why would his thoughts be all fluffy unicorns and glitter (ah-hem, like some guys).
Sasha's character is interesting, too. She isn't an air-head, but some of the stuff she thinks/does is unbelievable (really, would you disrobe your self in front of a dude you just met...Uh, I hope you say no). Though I think I liked Jax's mind better. When he's with his brothers, prepare to laugh!
Anyways, this novel was really awesome, and I think it's the only one I've given a 5-star rating too this month. I hope the next book in the series focuses on Phoenix's (one of Jax's brothers) redemption, because his story is hearbreaking and made me cry. Which I hate doing. Seriously.
This is a huge, ramble-fest of crap for a review, but hey, it got a 5-star rating, so take from that what you will.