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Tantalize #4
Diabolical
Prepare for a hell of a ride as Cynthia Leitich Smith calls on characters from her previous novels — and conjures up new ones — for a climactic showdown.When “slipped” angel Zachary and his werewolf pal, Kieren, arrive under suspicious circumstances to a mysterious New England boarding school, they quickly find themselves in a hellish lockdown with an intriguing assortment of secretive, hand-picked students. Plagued by demon dogs, hallucinatory wall décor, a sadistic instructor, and a legendary fire-breathing monster, will they somehow manage to escape? Or will the devil have his due? Best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith unites heroes from the previous three novels in the Tantalize Series — including Zachary’s girl, Miranda, and Kieren’s love, Quincie — along with a fascinating cast of all-new characters for a suspenseful, action-packed clash between the forces of heaven and hell.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2012
32 people are currently reading
3115 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Leitich Smith
39 books1,293 followersCynthia Leitich Smith is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author and anthologist of more than 20 books for young readers. She was named a 2025 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Candidate, the NSK Neustadt Laureate, Texas Literary Hall of Fame inductee, and winner of the Southern Miss Medallion for Outstanding Contributions in Children’s Literature. Cynthia has also been named to deliver the 2026 ALSC Children’s Literature Lecture. She is the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books, and served as the Katherine Paterson Inaugural Chair for the children’s-YA writing MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Cynthia is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and lives in Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
November 8, 2011
Let me start off by saying I had never read any books in the Tantalize series till I received the ARC from netgalley for Diabolical. Being that this was book 4 in the series I decided to read the first 3 before approaching this one. To be honest book 1 Tantalize was a little rough to get through, but I am glad I did because each book in this series gets better and better as it goes. I know a lot of people don’t like this series but there was something in it that just grabbed me and wouldn’t let go Diabolical was no different.
In this book the POV’s are from the “slipped” Guardian Angel Zachary, Werewolf Kieren and Miranda. The story follows the boys to a boarding school in Vermont where Miranda’s old best friend Lucy has just enrolled. While there we meet a handful of new characters. Soon after arriving the school shows its true colors and they find themselves up against an evil that’s stronger than anything they have ever faced before.
Even though I found this story highly entertaining there was somethings that I thought were a bit out there. Like Miranda being located at the Penultimate (the weigh station for ascended souls) located just outside heaven. Also the residence of the Penultimate have Monitor-coms machines they can use to watch their loved ones on earth. That just seemed a little bit much in the whole scheme of things. I also am not a huge fan of jumping from one person point of view to another and it happens a lot in this series, but I learned to deal with it.
This book is what I consider a light read and it moves very quickly. Sometimes I wished we could learn more about certain things, but the author doesn’t always allow that she tends to skirt around some issues I would’ve loved to learn more about. Overall an easy enjoyable read and if there is another in the series I would pick it up and read it.
In this book the POV’s are from the “slipped” Guardian Angel Zachary, Werewolf Kieren and Miranda. The story follows the boys to a boarding school in Vermont where Miranda’s old best friend Lucy has just enrolled. While there we meet a handful of new characters. Soon after arriving the school shows its true colors and they find themselves up against an evil that’s stronger than anything they have ever faced before.
Even though I found this story highly entertaining there was somethings that I thought were a bit out there. Like Miranda being located at the Penultimate (the weigh station for ascended souls) located just outside heaven. Also the residence of the Penultimate have Monitor-coms machines they can use to watch their loved ones on earth. That just seemed a little bit much in the whole scheme of things. I also am not a huge fan of jumping from one person point of view to another and it happens a lot in this series, but I learned to deal with it.
This book is what I consider a light read and it moves very quickly. Sometimes I wished we could learn more about certain things, but the author doesn’t always allow that she tends to skirt around some issues I would’ve loved to learn more about. Overall an easy enjoyable read and if there is another in the series I would pick it up and read it.
October 12, 2011
OMG! That is all I can say. I can't wait for the next one, and thank Cynthia Leitich Smith for the chance to read this one before it was on the shelves!
October 4, 2021
is this book “good?” no. but it is so fucking funny and deranged that I don’t care. Cynthia I want to be your best friend
December 31, 2017
Yes, this was diabolically good! And it's officially my last book of 2017!! Gosh, I just can't believe that I'm finally done with the series. It's been a sweet ride. There was just the right amount of romance and supernatural and I truly appreciate how different it is compared to other YA series with similar genres.
I expected a lot more actions, but oh well it wasn't there. I liked the romance between Zachary and Miranda. It was just perfect. Can't wait to read more of Ms. Smith's works!
I expected a lot more actions, but oh well it wasn't there. I liked the romance between Zachary and Miranda. It was just perfect. Can't wait to read more of Ms. Smith's works!
December 27, 2011
As soon as I started reading, I was once again fully immersed into this hauntingly beautiful world created by Cynthia Leitich Smith. I personally think that you can get by without reading the other three books from the Tantalize series as Smith does a fantastic job of explaining the backstory with each character. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have read them because you’ll have a more in-depth knowledge of the characters histories.
We are once again reunited with characters we have grown to love in the previous books of this series, and this particular book did not disappoint. True fans of Cynthia Leitich Smith will immediately fall in love with this story. With her classic back and forth point of views presented in each chapter, we are treated with a clearer understanding of what is going on in each character’s mind, and see what sort of struggles they are trying to get through. We are also introduced to a few new characters that the readers will come to love, as they do the original cast.
Even though Zach and Miranda are not “physically” together, you can see through Smith’s beautiful writing how much love they still have for each other, even in the afterlife. By having Miranda “report” from Penultimate (somewhere between earth and heaven), we are able to see what is going on in the story from a bird’s eye view. I love that Smith incorporated this style of writing in the story.
There were various points throughout the book where I actually gasped out loud, and my eyes did a little bit of a bulging out thing, and my mouth hung open! It was so creepy, and gross and intriguing all at the same time. Even through all that, I couldn’t turn away. I had to keep reading. Like seriously….snakes coming out of the mouth? Ewwwwwww! Must keep reading on…
Smith has a writing style that is so addictive! With all the different twists and turns throughout the book…omgosh! Sooo good. How many more plot twists can Smith come up with? Just when I think that there couldn’t possibly be anything else she can come up with, I’m foiled yet again! I just love, love love (!) her writing so much…
The pace in her writing is just perfect, leaving the reader with so many different emotions. I’ve found myself “eeping” out loue, and uttering “whaaaat?!?” so loud that I would startle other family members here and get the stink eye... Everything is just so descriptive that there is no way the reader cannot visualize everything being read. You can almost smell the surroundings, and even feel what the characters are feeling. Smith’s vivid description of Hell is absolutely terrifying. I could pretty much hear the moan and wails, feel the touching and scraping of the hands and fingers…so creepy.
And don’t even get me started about the build up towards the end. I just hearted this book so much. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a heaven vs. hell read, craves paranormal romance, and love to get creeped out from time to time. Come see how epic vampire/angel love story pans out. You won’t be disappointed…
Chapter by Chapter
We are once again reunited with characters we have grown to love in the previous books of this series, and this particular book did not disappoint. True fans of Cynthia Leitich Smith will immediately fall in love with this story. With her classic back and forth point of views presented in each chapter, we are treated with a clearer understanding of what is going on in each character’s mind, and see what sort of struggles they are trying to get through. We are also introduced to a few new characters that the readers will come to love, as they do the original cast.
Even though Zach and Miranda are not “physically” together, you can see through Smith’s beautiful writing how much love they still have for each other, even in the afterlife. By having Miranda “report” from Penultimate (somewhere between earth and heaven), we are able to see what is going on in the story from a bird’s eye view. I love that Smith incorporated this style of writing in the story.
There were various points throughout the book where I actually gasped out loud, and my eyes did a little bit of a bulging out thing, and my mouth hung open! It was so creepy, and gross and intriguing all at the same time. Even through all that, I couldn’t turn away. I had to keep reading. Like seriously….snakes coming out of the mouth? Ewwwwwww! Must keep reading on…
Smith has a writing style that is so addictive! With all the different twists and turns throughout the book…omgosh! Sooo good. How many more plot twists can Smith come up with? Just when I think that there couldn’t possibly be anything else she can come up with, I’m foiled yet again! I just love, love love (!) her writing so much…
The pace in her writing is just perfect, leaving the reader with so many different emotions. I’ve found myself “eeping” out loue, and uttering “whaaaat?!?” so loud that I would startle other family members here and get the stink eye... Everything is just so descriptive that there is no way the reader cannot visualize everything being read. You can almost smell the surroundings, and even feel what the characters are feeling. Smith’s vivid description of Hell is absolutely terrifying. I could pretty much hear the moan and wails, feel the touching and scraping of the hands and fingers…so creepy.
And don’t even get me started about the build up towards the end. I just hearted this book so much. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a heaven vs. hell read, craves paranormal romance, and love to get creeped out from time to time. Come see how epic vampire/angel love story pans out. You won’t be disappointed…
Chapter by Chapter
June 13, 2012
TANTALIZE introduced Quincie Morris, now the only vampire who has ever resisted killing a human. ETERNAL introduced Zachary, the angel who slipped when trying to rescue his charge Miranda. In BLESSED they joined forces to destroy Quincie's maker and rescue the residents of Austin with questionable taste in dessert. Their actions proved to Zach that neophyte vampires can be saved and he takes that as his mission in order to regain his full heavenly status. But there are those who don't appreciate what Quincie, Zach, and their allies have accomplished.
DIABOLICAL is told through three points of view. Kieran, for the first time, gets a voice. (Well, for the first time in the main series. There is a graphic novel through his point of view.) He's separated from Quincie for most of the novel, so those hoping for mushy stuff might be disappointed. Zach once more takes up narrating duties, as does Miranda, who is now in the Penultimate. The Penultimate is a sort of purgatory, the dead work through their last ties to the human world before ascending to Heaven. Miranda is able to observe those left behind on a monitor-com, which both kicks the plot into action and allows her to comment on what is happening outside of Kieran and Zach's purview.
BLESSED brought one story arc to a close. DIABOLICAL can almost stand alone. (It does deal with the consequences of ETERNAL. Miranda killed people. God forgave her, but that doesn't mean she's forgiven herself. Zach is grounded and thus separated from her. And separated love interests must always reunite.) It's a twist on a horror plot, the one where a group of people are brought to one location and must play a game or risk death. (And, well, still risk death if they play the game.) It's a trap for our intrepid heroes, one laid by Satan himself, and baited with the souls of innocents.
Unfortunately, there isn't much time to bond with those innocents. They all seem like fairly interesting people (aside from Andrew), but they were in peril more than our heroes but it was hard to care as much about them. But Cynthia Leitich Smith has been building her cast throughout the series and people tend to show up again. Perhaps more time will be spent with the survivors in future books.
And no, the angelic memos with attached Yahoo! maps will never not be funny.
If you enjoyed the first three books in the Tantalize series, then there's no reason to stop now. If you haven't, DIABOLICAL is still pretty accessible. It will appeal to fans of supernatural adventure and horror.
DIABOLICAL is told through three points of view. Kieran, for the first time, gets a voice. (Well, for the first time in the main series. There is a graphic novel through his point of view.) He's separated from Quincie for most of the novel, so those hoping for mushy stuff might be disappointed. Zach once more takes up narrating duties, as does Miranda, who is now in the Penultimate. The Penultimate is a sort of purgatory, the dead work through their last ties to the human world before ascending to Heaven. Miranda is able to observe those left behind on a monitor-com, which both kicks the plot into action and allows her to comment on what is happening outside of Kieran and Zach's purview.
BLESSED brought one story arc to a close. DIABOLICAL can almost stand alone. (It does deal with the consequences of ETERNAL. Miranda killed people. God forgave her, but that doesn't mean she's forgiven herself. Zach is grounded and thus separated from her. And separated love interests must always reunite.) It's a twist on a horror plot, the one where a group of people are brought to one location and must play a game or risk death. (And, well, still risk death if they play the game.) It's a trap for our intrepid heroes, one laid by Satan himself, and baited with the souls of innocents.
Unfortunately, there isn't much time to bond with those innocents. They all seem like fairly interesting people (aside from Andrew), but they were in peril more than our heroes but it was hard to care as much about them. But Cynthia Leitich Smith has been building her cast throughout the series and people tend to show up again. Perhaps more time will be spent with the survivors in future books.
And no, the angelic memos with attached Yahoo! maps will never not be funny.
If you enjoyed the first three books in the Tantalize series, then there's no reason to stop now. If you haven't, DIABOLICAL is still pretty accessible. It will appeal to fans of supernatural adventure and horror.
December 12, 2011
So I gave this book away last month, but I haven't properly reviewed it because I was mid-reading it at the time. I've been done for ages, but wanted to save my review until closer to the release date.
DIABOLICAL by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, January 24, 2012)
In honor of this being the fourth installment in Cynthia Leitich Smith's bestselling series, I offer you this darling picture of four Vamplets I took just this morning (yes, this is what I do once the kids go off to school).
So what do four vamplets and the fourth book in Cyn's series have in common? Well, it's hard to make new Vamplets unique, yet each is. And likewise, in writing a series, it's hard to come up with unique, compelling ideas for later books, yet Cynthia manages this beautifully.
(Okay, I wanted to totally just show off my picture of the Vamplets.)
I've been a fan of Cyn's since I first joined the Austin writing community, and I'm happy to consider her my friend. And each time she comes out with a new book, it never fails to wow me. In fact, DIABOLICAL may be my favorite of the series. Cyn takes her characters, puts them in a new situation with all the odds totally against them, and keeps us hanging on every word. And what really dawned on me in DIABOLICAL is how absolutely awesome her two main guy characters really are. Steam comes off the pages in this one.
I highly recommend Cynthia Leitich Smith's books for fans of paranormal creatures (think vampires, were-beings of all sorts, demons...you get the idea). I also highly recommend Cyn's books for those who want to see a more literary side to the paranormal YA genre. Thank you, Cynthia, for yet another awesome read!
I highly recommend Vamplets for those who want stuffed animals that tend toward the dark side. Watch these guys at night.
Perhaps the perfect gift for your YA reader: A brand new copy of DIABOLICAL and a Vamplet to go along with it.
Source of book: From publisher by request
Source of Vamplets: Bought at Comic Con (but they also do online)
DIABOLICAL by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, January 24, 2012)
In honor of this being the fourth installment in Cynthia Leitich Smith's bestselling series, I offer you this darling picture of four Vamplets I took just this morning (yes, this is what I do once the kids go off to school).
So what do four vamplets and the fourth book in Cyn's series have in common? Well, it's hard to make new Vamplets unique, yet each is. And likewise, in writing a series, it's hard to come up with unique, compelling ideas for later books, yet Cynthia manages this beautifully.
(Okay, I wanted to totally just show off my picture of the Vamplets.)
I've been a fan of Cyn's since I first joined the Austin writing community, and I'm happy to consider her my friend. And each time she comes out with a new book, it never fails to wow me. In fact, DIABOLICAL may be my favorite of the series. Cyn takes her characters, puts them in a new situation with all the odds totally against them, and keeps us hanging on every word. And what really dawned on me in DIABOLICAL is how absolutely awesome her two main guy characters really are. Steam comes off the pages in this one.
I highly recommend Cynthia Leitich Smith's books for fans of paranormal creatures (think vampires, were-beings of all sorts, demons...you get the idea). I also highly recommend Cyn's books for those who want to see a more literary side to the paranormal YA genre. Thank you, Cynthia, for yet another awesome read!
I highly recommend Vamplets for those who want stuffed animals that tend toward the dark side. Watch these guys at night.
Perhaps the perfect gift for your YA reader: A brand new copy of DIABOLICAL and a Vamplet to go along with it.
Source of book: From publisher by request
Source of Vamplets: Bought at Comic Con (but they also do online)
January 14, 2012
Diabolical is a romp through the world of were-animals, angels, demons, and all that is in between. Let it be known that this is the fourth in a series of books, but this is the first one that I have read. Also, I received this through NetGalley as an advanced read.
My first concerns are in the kindle formatting. There were many gaps, sentences that cut off and started on another line too quick, and no breaks in chapters. BUT, again, since this was advanced, I'm sure the publishers will work out any kinks in the ebook version before it's released.
In the beginning of the book, I found myself backtracking at times to keep up with who was talking. This comes from the switching back and forth between the main characters for the narration of the book. As I became accustomed to the switching, it was easier to follow.
I liked the characters; they were given enough personality to be believable. I loved this point of view on Heaven and Hell and the inhabitants of both. I won't ruin it for you, but the Afterlife for those who go up is very interesting. This is not a 'religious' book; no one has to worry about being offended by theology and such. This is a fun adventure in a different type of world.
I look at books to engage and entertain me; to sweep me away into someone else's lives and story. This book does just that - it entertains. Good book for 13/14 and up.
My first concerns are in the kindle formatting. There were many gaps, sentences that cut off and started on another line too quick, and no breaks in chapters. BUT, again, since this was advanced, I'm sure the publishers will work out any kinks in the ebook version before it's released.
In the beginning of the book, I found myself backtracking at times to keep up with who was talking. This comes from the switching back and forth between the main characters for the narration of the book. As I became accustomed to the switching, it was easier to follow.
I liked the characters; they were given enough personality to be believable. I loved this point of view on Heaven and Hell and the inhabitants of both. I won't ruin it for you, but the Afterlife for those who go up is very interesting. This is not a 'religious' book; no one has to worry about being offended by theology and such. This is a fun adventure in a different type of world.
I look at books to engage and entertain me; to sweep me away into someone else's lives and story. This book does just that - it entertains. Good book for 13/14 and up.
January 21, 2013
Book #6 Read in 2013
Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith (YA)
This is the fourth book in a young adult paranormal series. I read this book in a day so I guess that is telling of the fact that I love this series. In this book, the main focus returns to Zachary and Miranda. Zachary is a fallen angel who is earth bound and is the guardian angel of Quince, the vampire with the soul. Miranda is Zachary's true love and she is in a sort of heavenly limbo--reconciling herself with the evils that she did as a vampire queen. Since she can watch over those still on Earth, Miranda sees that Lucy, her best friend, has transferred to a new school that is sending off creepy vibes. She gets a message to Zachary to go and save Lucy. But to do so, Zachary puts himself and his friends at terrible risk. This school is hell. . . . literally.
I do not know if this series will have a book 5, but I hope it does. This series features great characters who have flaws but also great strength, interesting plots that involve good action and romance and the ability to keep readers hooked from beginning to end.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith (YA)
This is the fourth book in a young adult paranormal series. I read this book in a day so I guess that is telling of the fact that I love this series. In this book, the main focus returns to Zachary and Miranda. Zachary is a fallen angel who is earth bound and is the guardian angel of Quince, the vampire with the soul. Miranda is Zachary's true love and she is in a sort of heavenly limbo--reconciling herself with the evils that she did as a vampire queen. Since she can watch over those still on Earth, Miranda sees that Lucy, her best friend, has transferred to a new school that is sending off creepy vibes. She gets a message to Zachary to go and save Lucy. But to do so, Zachary puts himself and his friends at terrible risk. This school is hell. . . . literally.
I do not know if this series will have a book 5, but I hope it does. This series features great characters who have flaws but also great strength, interesting plots that involve good action and romance and the ability to keep readers hooked from beginning to end.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
January 14, 2012
This series just keeps getting better and better! Each book is greater than the last and it started off with a pretty high bar to surpass. I loved seeing all my favorite characters again and especially all of them together, as they were separate in the first two books, then brought together in the third. Now, they have spent time communicating and getting to know each other so there's more of a friendship there.
Smith's prose is fast-paced and funny and I found it hard to put the book down (or, rather, X out of my Adobe Digital Editions which I use to read e-galleys, lol). I really enjoyed the multiple POV, which bounces between Zachary, Kieran and Miranda. Each had their own distinctive voice and it was fun getting to see their side. I also loved any interaction that involved Zachary's angel friend/co-worker (who may be gay? I'm not entirely sure) whose name I unfortunately cannot remember.
Overall, just a fabulous book with an action-filled plotline and an amazing climax with some sweet romance as well. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
Smith's prose is fast-paced and funny and I found it hard to put the book down (or, rather, X out of my Adobe Digital Editions which I use to read e-galleys, lol). I really enjoyed the multiple POV, which bounces between Zachary, Kieran and Miranda. Each had their own distinctive voice and it was fun getting to see their side. I also loved any interaction that involved Zachary's angel friend/co-worker (who may be gay? I'm not entirely sure) whose name I unfortunately cannot remember.
Overall, just a fabulous book with an action-filled plotline and an amazing climax with some sweet romance as well. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
June 19, 2012
Book 4 in the Tantalize series.
Miranda is in “The Penultimate”, or Heaven's waiting room. From here she can watch her boyfriend, Zachary, who is a guardian angel on earth. Zachary, along with his werewolf friend Kieran, and Kieran's vampire girlfriend Quincie, enter a demonic prep school in order to rescue Miranda's best friend from childhood, Lucy. Here they encounter traps, monsters, and evil aplenty.
Familiar characters as well as plenty of interesting new ones to be found in the latest book of this series. There is enough background information to carry along a reader who hasn't read the others yet, but really it is best to read them in order if possible. Those who are not yet sick of vampires, angels, and werewolves will enjoy this story. Plot-lines are predictable, but interesting characters make up for that.
Miranda is in “The Penultimate”, or Heaven's waiting room. From here she can watch her boyfriend, Zachary, who is a guardian angel on earth. Zachary, along with his werewolf friend Kieran, and Kieran's vampire girlfriend Quincie, enter a demonic prep school in order to rescue Miranda's best friend from childhood, Lucy. Here they encounter traps, monsters, and evil aplenty.
Familiar characters as well as plenty of interesting new ones to be found in the latest book of this series. There is enough background information to carry along a reader who hasn't read the others yet, but really it is best to read them in order if possible. Those who are not yet sick of vampires, angels, and werewolves will enjoy this story. Plot-lines are predictable, but interesting characters make up for that.
January 31, 2012
I was looking for a good paranormal book to review when I spotted Diabolical by bestselling author, Cynthia Leitich Smith. I was in the mood for something diabolical, so how could I resist? I didn’t realize at the time that this novel is part of the Tantalize series, which I hadn’t read. It worked well for me as a stand-alone novel, so no worries if you haven’t read the rest of the series. Angels, demons, werewolves, vampires – oh my! Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2778
March 19, 2012
I liked the first three books much better than the fourth one. The tfourth book wasn't great as the first ones and the ending sucked. I wanted to know alot more about Zackary and Miranda, also expected much more action.
July 9, 2012
Great book, really enjoyed seeing all the characters from the first 2 books, and some new ones, and yeah, great series!
May 24, 2012
I finished it. Hallelujah. It got much more interesting towards the end.
May 6, 2025
It was the fourth book in a series. Unfortunately, I somehow missed two and three. Perhaps if I go back and fill in the blanks, I might like this better. There were some sparks of humor with Michael's memos to Zachary and and Joshua but, in the long run, that wasn't enough to change my opinion. There were multiple points of view and I had to check each chapter heading to see who was narrating. I didn't mind the multiple narrators but the fact that I had to check lessened this book for me. I will read the other two books just to see what happened. Maybe I will come back and edit this then. Then again, maybe not.
August 31, 2017
This was a great story but I prefer not to read by character it just seemed not to flow like her books usually do. Although it was still a great book once I got into the feel of it.
January 29, 2018
Makes me a little sad to have finished this series. I have enjoyed reading it and now i am off to find copies of Kieren and Zachs little side stories.
March 30, 2018
The best one of the series! I laughed, I cried, and I cheered for every single character.
September 14, 2019
An epic conclusion to this series. My gosh! I can't find any more words to say. It was just enough for me.
November 9, 2019
3.5 stars
Couldn't get enough of this series when I was growing up.
Couldn't get enough of this series when I was growing up.
Read
January 22, 2020good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2023
One of my favorite series I read this year. Glad I got to finish it.
October 7, 2023
I wanted to give this 4 stars...but really it was too deceptively simple, & I wanted more from the ending of this series. I feel like there wasn't enough depth to the characterization.
July 12, 2023
Zachary and Keiran are set up to go to a boarding school looking for Miranda’s former best friend to save her from whatever happens to be there. This time they are against the devil. They have to face hellhounds, ghosts, and even the son of satan himself. This was a fine final book, although the last book seemed much more like a conclusion, this seemed to be a test run for a new series. I’m not sure I would read more but I did like this for what it was.
October 21, 2020
While I may be a tad biased, I have delighted in reading this series - although I have not had a chance to read the "in-between" books as of yet. I am not a fan of vampires - I enjoy vampire books (not Twilight - Oh dear God no) and good vampire movies (Blade, Nosferatu, etc.), but they are always the evil-bad in my mind, although some exceptions exist (Serana - bonus points if you know who that is without looking).
The series picked up steam as more of the characters were introduced, the world building fleshed itself out, and the author, I think, became more comfortable with each of the persona of her tale. They evolved into more fully-formed people in the recesses of my imagination and therein was why my enjoyment, as noted, grew with each book. When you find yourself reading while standing at the kitchen counter, having lost large chunks of time you did not have to lose, and also holding yourself back from looking at the last chapter to see what is going to happen to Quincie or Zachary - and where the hell did Kieren go anyway - that is a good book. And if I find myself actually CARING about a vampire, well...there you go.
I do not read fiction to prep for a book report or to learn something new about WW I or to give some pithy, well thought out review that I want to generate "likes." I read because I want to activate my imagination. Of wanting to be in the story sharing the adventures of those being written about. And for that feeling of losing time in a story that makes me forget I am standing in my kitchen and my toast was done 20 minutes ago.
The series picked up steam as more of the characters were introduced, the world building fleshed itself out, and the author, I think, became more comfortable with each of the persona of her tale. They evolved into more fully-formed people in the recesses of my imagination and therein was why my enjoyment, as noted, grew with each book. When you find yourself reading while standing at the kitchen counter, having lost large chunks of time you did not have to lose, and also holding yourself back from looking at the last chapter to see what is going to happen to Quincie or Zachary - and where the hell did Kieren go anyway - that is a good book. And if I find myself actually CARING about a vampire, well...there you go.
I do not read fiction to prep for a book report or to learn something new about WW I or to give some pithy, well thought out review that I want to generate "likes." I read because I want to activate my imagination. Of wanting to be in the story sharing the adventures of those being written about. And for that feeling of losing time in a story that makes me forget I am standing in my kitchen and my toast was done 20 minutes ago.
May 24, 2016
When Miranda, watching her friends on Earth from the Penultimate after her death, notices that her best friend Lucy is in trouble, she sends word below to try and get her to safety. Miranda's boyfriend, the guardian angel Zachary, and his friend, the werewolf Kieran, enrol in Scholomance Preparatory Academy in the hopes of rescuing Lucy, but end up getting into a lot more than they'd bargained for. The school is run by the devil - literally - and getting out will be a lot more difficult than getting in. There are more innocent students to take care of than they had anticipated, and each day that passes is another day taking Zachary away from Quince, his assignment as a guardian angel. It seems as though the only way to exit the school with all the students may be through Hell - but once you've entered Hell, Lucifer wants you to stay.
Although this book started off slowly, I feel that was necessary in order to introduce all the characters and concepts. This novel is the fourth in a series, and I'd never read any of the others before. There was a lot of backstory to catch up on, and many characters introduced in just the first chapter. The point-of-view alternated with each chapter between three characters: Miranda, Zachary, and Kieran. Although I don't normally like alternating points-of-view, I found that this was necessary in order to keep up with all everything happening, especially toward the end of the novel, which becomes more eventful. It was also fairly easy to differentiate between the three characters, not from tone, but simply their surroundings and actions. There were also many new characters - the other students - brought into the story. I don't always have the easiest time keeping up with a lot of characters, but I found these were introduced in such a way that made it easy to remember who was who.
There were some points in the writing that I found to be inconsistent. There were a few instances where the descriptions kept running on in a way that led my mind to wander onto other topics. Then, there were a few moments where things happened so quickly that I had to go back and read it again in order to comprehend what had just occurred. The detail-overload to detail-underload threw me off a bit, but it did help to keep me on my toes for the later parts of the book.
Although I always love a happy ending, the conclusion of this novel was, simply put, cheesy. I can manage to throw away my knowledge of this world in order to replace it with the rules of the book's world while reading, but only if the book manages to stay realistic. I mean realistic in the sense that everything works together according to the book's rules, and all the characters have a full personality and are not one-dimensional. This book managed it until the very last chapter. Then it turned into more of a dream sequence and less of a happily-ever-after. Although I can appreciate the build-up that led to this scene, I think it could've been written a bit more artfully.
One thing that I think was done very well in terms of staying realistic according to the book's rules was the setting. It's difficult to write a book with religious elements without it being overly religious and offending someone. In my opinion, this novel did a fantastic job of combining elements of more than one religion (although there was one principal religion) and creating a world where this combination was realistic and not overly ideal. The world was very fully sketched-out (Heaven, Penultimate, Earth, Hell, etc.), which helped to make a not-very-religious person such as myself believe that a world such as this was possible (at least for the length of the book).
Overall, I thought that this novel was quite well done. It's been a while since I've had enough time to breathe, let alone read, and this book helped to bring me back into a headset where I could appreciate a book at the same time as I'm devouring it. I would rate this book a solid 3. 75 stars - or rounded up to four. I may read other books in this series if I came across them by chance, but I'm not going to go seeking them out. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in Heaven versus Hell battles, supernatural creatures, and gothic academies.
Although this book started off slowly, I feel that was necessary in order to introduce all the characters and concepts. This novel is the fourth in a series, and I'd never read any of the others before. There was a lot of backstory to catch up on, and many characters introduced in just the first chapter. The point-of-view alternated with each chapter between three characters: Miranda, Zachary, and Kieran. Although I don't normally like alternating points-of-view, I found that this was necessary in order to keep up with all everything happening, especially toward the end of the novel, which becomes more eventful. It was also fairly easy to differentiate between the three characters, not from tone, but simply their surroundings and actions. There were also many new characters - the other students - brought into the story. I don't always have the easiest time keeping up with a lot of characters, but I found these were introduced in such a way that made it easy to remember who was who.
There were some points in the writing that I found to be inconsistent. There were a few instances where the descriptions kept running on in a way that led my mind to wander onto other topics. Then, there were a few moments where things happened so quickly that I had to go back and read it again in order to comprehend what had just occurred. The detail-overload to detail-underload threw me off a bit, but it did help to keep me on my toes for the later parts of the book.
Although I always love a happy ending, the conclusion of this novel was, simply put, cheesy. I can manage to throw away my knowledge of this world in order to replace it with the rules of the book's world while reading, but only if the book manages to stay realistic. I mean realistic in the sense that everything works together according to the book's rules, and all the characters have a full personality and are not one-dimensional. This book managed it until the very last chapter. Then it turned into more of a dream sequence and less of a happily-ever-after. Although I can appreciate the build-up that led to this scene, I think it could've been written a bit more artfully.
One thing that I think was done very well in terms of staying realistic according to the book's rules was the setting. It's difficult to write a book with religious elements without it being overly religious and offending someone. In my opinion, this novel did a fantastic job of combining elements of more than one religion (although there was one principal religion) and creating a world where this combination was realistic and not overly ideal. The world was very fully sketched-out (Heaven, Penultimate, Earth, Hell, etc.), which helped to make a not-very-religious person such as myself believe that a world such as this was possible (at least for the length of the book).
Overall, I thought that this novel was quite well done. It's been a while since I've had enough time to breathe, let alone read, and this book helped to bring me back into a headset where I could appreciate a book at the same time as I'm devouring it. I would rate this book a solid 3. 75 stars - or rounded up to four. I may read other books in this series if I came across them by chance, but I'm not going to go seeking them out. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in Heaven versus Hell battles, supernatural creatures, and gothic academies.
October 29, 2012
As seen on Rabidreads.ca:
Diabolical's compact sentences and lengthy character list tips you off from page one that you are in for good fun. My primary frustration, which I did not expect to come so fiercely into play as I opened the book, was the overt presence of an afterlife. Heaven, a place that in its very existence can cause so many problems when interacting with other belief systems, does more damage to the stakes in this novel than its protagonists do with stakes onto other vampires. How can we feel threatened by the ultimate stakes of our characters if we know that they are ensured eternity either above or below? One can diss Hell all they like. Much of my anxiety stems from the fact that when I die this identity, who I am, may also expire. If I was the not best of persons, you can see how even total and uncompromising torture forever and ever would be preferable to complete and utter obliteration.
Miranda, our head in the clouds, our eye in the sky, our voice from the sidelines, cannot be feeling too bad since she stands in the Penultimate, a waiting area, just outside the Pearly Gates, where she can continue to lovingly scope her hunk, Zachary and his flock. Miranda's struggle, if you want to call it that, can only come from her lack of Zachary. He should be up in Heaven but due to some broken protocol he has been condemned to walk the Earth and baby-sit vampires. Yes, Zachary was once an angel. On Earth his position is playfully abbreviated to a terrestrial GA, Guardian Angel.
Where this plot stagnates is in the fact that both characters have all the time in the world to meet up. Due to their eternal souls, a meet-up is practically guaranteed. There is a hint of a threat in the fact that when Zachary completes his task, an already impossible task: stop vampires from being created and drinking blood, he could be immediately reassigned to another task. No matter. Miranda can wait.
Our other couple, Kieren and Quince, are much more interesting. Kieren is half Wolf, half man. Quince, like Miranda, has been turned into a vampire against her will and must now do her best not to turn on humans for blood. She spends her time running a themed restaurant: fake vampires, a menu divided into prey and predator. Quince and Kieren could easily become boring if either of them died but they have enough personality to keep things interesting.
Much can be said of the whole cast in terms of personality. This was a book that made me chuckle and roll my eyes at its imagery and creativity. I fear what it lacks, a sense of stakes, is not something I know how to give it without stripping it of what makes it unique. I am certain that Heaven could be implemented in a high stakes scenario but this book is not it.
If you can get over the lack of stakes, the main plot aka the stuff to fill time before everyone unveils their eternal souls deals with a demonic school, one at Hell's Gate, where students, not entirely knowing what they are getting into, are conscripted, trapped, and taught the ways of the Dark One. Zachary and Kieren fall into this trap because Miranda's old roommate wanted so dearly to find out what happened to Miranda that she was willing to sign a contract with the Dark One himself.
The capers the classmates get into and the classmates themselves provide the same amount of color as a brick. There are simply too many of them to fully keep track of or to develop. At least two of the girls remained completely confusable for me all the way up to the end. And what an ending! So much pomp, trumpets, and horns you might have thought it was the Final Judgment. It kind of blew me away. But the brevity of the sentences and chapters reinforced the feeling that I had seen nothing and heard nothing but one note: "We're all saved.”
Where's the fun in that?
Diabolical's compact sentences and lengthy character list tips you off from page one that you are in for good fun. My primary frustration, which I did not expect to come so fiercely into play as I opened the book, was the overt presence of an afterlife. Heaven, a place that in its very existence can cause so many problems when interacting with other belief systems, does more damage to the stakes in this novel than its protagonists do with stakes onto other vampires. How can we feel threatened by the ultimate stakes of our characters if we know that they are ensured eternity either above or below? One can diss Hell all they like. Much of my anxiety stems from the fact that when I die this identity, who I am, may also expire. If I was the not best of persons, you can see how even total and uncompromising torture forever and ever would be preferable to complete and utter obliteration.
Miranda, our head in the clouds, our eye in the sky, our voice from the sidelines, cannot be feeling too bad since she stands in the Penultimate, a waiting area, just outside the Pearly Gates, where she can continue to lovingly scope her hunk, Zachary and his flock. Miranda's struggle, if you want to call it that, can only come from her lack of Zachary. He should be up in Heaven but due to some broken protocol he has been condemned to walk the Earth and baby-sit vampires. Yes, Zachary was once an angel. On Earth his position is playfully abbreviated to a terrestrial GA, Guardian Angel.
Where this plot stagnates is in the fact that both characters have all the time in the world to meet up. Due to their eternal souls, a meet-up is practically guaranteed. There is a hint of a threat in the fact that when Zachary completes his task, an already impossible task: stop vampires from being created and drinking blood, he could be immediately reassigned to another task. No matter. Miranda can wait.
Our other couple, Kieren and Quince, are much more interesting. Kieren is half Wolf, half man. Quince, like Miranda, has been turned into a vampire against her will and must now do her best not to turn on humans for blood. She spends her time running a themed restaurant: fake vampires, a menu divided into prey and predator. Quince and Kieren could easily become boring if either of them died but they have enough personality to keep things interesting.
Much can be said of the whole cast in terms of personality. This was a book that made me chuckle and roll my eyes at its imagery and creativity. I fear what it lacks, a sense of stakes, is not something I know how to give it without stripping it of what makes it unique. I am certain that Heaven could be implemented in a high stakes scenario but this book is not it.
If you can get over the lack of stakes, the main plot aka the stuff to fill time before everyone unveils their eternal souls deals with a demonic school, one at Hell's Gate, where students, not entirely knowing what they are getting into, are conscripted, trapped, and taught the ways of the Dark One. Zachary and Kieren fall into this trap because Miranda's old roommate wanted so dearly to find out what happened to Miranda that she was willing to sign a contract with the Dark One himself.
The capers the classmates get into and the classmates themselves provide the same amount of color as a brick. There are simply too many of them to fully keep track of or to develop. At least two of the girls remained completely confusable for me all the way up to the end. And what an ending! So much pomp, trumpets, and horns you might have thought it was the Final Judgment. It kind of blew me away. But the brevity of the sentences and chapters reinforced the feeling that I had seen nothing and heard nothing but one note: "We're all saved.”
Where's the fun in that?
February 11, 2021
A perfectly satisfying ending
January 26, 2012
Installment four in Cynthia Leitich Smith's gothic series returns the reader to the format of book two, which, for those who haven't read it, means that the story is told from multiple points of view. For the first time, Kieren gets to 'speak,' along with Miranda, Zachary and Quincie. Yes, that's right. Miranda, my superfav (hint: this is sarcasm) is back.
The story is just as readable and fantastical as the previous ones. If you enjoyed them, I imagine you'll like this one too, especially since you'll actually get a happy ending. Unfortunately, the story is marred by numerous plot holes. Honestly, I think this would have been better had she ixnayed the happy ending.
So much of what happened here is not believable within the context of her own universe. For example, why is Miranda in heaven? This of course, I knew before, and was not entirely cool with, but mostly accepted. Now, though, she's sitting in the Penultimate, a sort of purgatory for Heaven which I'll talk about more later, surrounded by all of these people she killed. What really made me question Smith's decision here was not so much the evidence that Quincie was a completely freaking awful person/eternal, but the fact that not one of her victims is really mad at her. In every case, she saved them from a terrible fate one way or another. Bull.
Along a similar vein, how does Harrison end up in Heaven? This seems like the equivalent of the belief that, no matter what you've done previously, if you're killed after confessing your sins, you get heaven. Umm, why? The one plus of more Harrison in the book was finding out that he is super gay, which was kind of amusing.
The frame story, where they're going into the school to save Lucy, also continually seemed fabricated. Lucy's a plot point and that's all there is to it. The parts that really didn't make sense were at the end, which means I can't be especially specific. I just want to state for the record that what happened to Kieren and Zachary at the end was completely absurd. Especially Zachary. In what way does that make sense? Argh!
Okay, I want to end my review with something more positive, so I'll go back to the beginning of the book again. As I've already mentioned, Miranda's chilling in the Penultimate, where she can watch over whoever she wants to via a device called the monitor-com until she's ready to pass on to Heaven. (For those who are interested, this is very similar to a vision of the afterlife I wrote about in a short story. Funny that.) The setup is pretty cool, and I do love theories of life after death.
The story is just as readable and fantastical as the previous ones. If you enjoyed them, I imagine you'll like this one too, especially since you'll actually get a happy ending. Unfortunately, the story is marred by numerous plot holes. Honestly, I think this would have been better had she ixnayed the happy ending.
So much of what happened here is not believable within the context of her own universe. For example, why is Miranda in heaven? This of course, I knew before, and was not entirely cool with, but mostly accepted. Now, though, she's sitting in the Penultimate, a sort of purgatory for Heaven which I'll talk about more later, surrounded by all of these people she killed. What really made me question Smith's decision here was not so much the evidence that Quincie was a completely freaking awful person/eternal, but the fact that not one of her victims is really mad at her. In every case, she saved them from a terrible fate one way or another. Bull.
Along a similar vein, how does Harrison end up in Heaven? This seems like the equivalent of the belief that, no matter what you've done previously, if you're killed after confessing your sins, you get heaven. Umm, why? The one plus of more Harrison in the book was finding out that he is super gay, which was kind of amusing.
The frame story, where they're going into the school to save Lucy, also continually seemed fabricated. Lucy's a plot point and that's all there is to it. The parts that really didn't make sense were at the end, which means I can't be especially specific. I just want to state for the record that what happened to Kieren and Zachary at the end was completely absurd. Especially Zachary. In what way does that make sense? Argh!
Okay, I want to end my review with something more positive, so I'll go back to the beginning of the book again. As I've already mentioned, Miranda's chilling in the Penultimate, where she can watch over whoever she wants to via a device called the monitor-com until she's ready to pass on to Heaven. (For those who are interested, this is very similar to a vision of the afterlife I wrote about in a short story. Funny that.) The setup is pretty cool, and I do love theories of life after death.
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