What do you think?
Rate this book
Imp World #7
Stolen Souls
Nyalla is dog-sitting for Satan. It's a sweet gig for a girl who, up until recently, had been a slave to the elves in Hel. The house is amazing, she's got the key to the Corvette, and although Boomer is a Hellhound, he's also a lovable, slobbery companion. When a newly interred corpse vanishes, followed by a series of grisly murders, Nyalla can't help but wonder if Boomer's odd diet has taken a deadly turn. Could the dog be to blame or is there a more sinister creature on the loose? Nyalla must stop who is behind it all before more die - and before the county puts Boomer on death row.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2014
86 people are currently reading
694 people want to read
About the author
Debra Dunbar
96 books1,276 followersDebra lives in a little house in the woods in Maryland with three sons, and a Noah’s ark of four legged family members. She has a corporate job during the day, and writes novels at night, after the kids are tucked in bed.
She drives an Excursion affectionately called The Beast, couldn’t carry a tune if you duct taped it to her back, and enjoys an occasional cosmopolitan (heavy on the vodka). On a good day, she jogs and horseback rides, hopefully managing to keep the horse between herself and the ground.
Her only known super power is ‘Identify Roadkill’.
She drives an Excursion affectionately called The Beast, couldn’t carry a tune if you duct taped it to her back, and enjoys an occasional cosmopolitan (heavy on the vodka). On a good day, she jogs and horseback rides, hopefully managing to keep the horse between herself and the ground.
Her only known super power is ‘Identify Roadkill’.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 5, 2017
This book here stars both Nyalla and Boomer, two characters who are very important to the main character, Sam, in the Imp series.
Nyalla is a full biological human who is Wyatt's natural sister that Sam rescued from slavery under the control of the Elves. She's spent 18 years of her life in slavery and doesn't know much about Earth, humans (or at least earth humans), and customs and stuff.
Boomer is a dog. More specifically, and more accurately, Boomer is a hellhound - Sam's hellhound. He's been in the Imp series from the beginning, but this is the first time that his POV was shown (though there was one book where he was allowed to be more than just . . . there).
All of the above is stuff you would need to know before reading this book and some of it might even get told to you. But it, and a lot of other stuff, is somewhat expected of a reader, to be in their knowledge base, before they read this book since it is a side book to the Imp series. On GoodReads this book has the series identification of 'Imp World 7'. It would be quite helpful to read the five prior Imp series books on the Imp world series page, but the prior Imp World book, 'No Man's Land', does not need to be read before this book here. No one in this book has any connection to 'No Man's Land'.
Right, so, what's happening in this book? Well, this book falls into the time period when Sam is stuck/banished in Hel and Nyalla is adjusting to being back on earth and among humans. She's, as the book description puts it, 'house=sitting' . . . oops, no, book description has it as 'dog-sitting'. Well both - doing that for Sam while she's in Hel. While she's doing that she's also basically trying to hide inside the house and not go out and mingle with humans. Though many people and events conspire to break her free from that house. Including Michele and Candy - Sam's business partners.
Meanwhile Boomer's running around checking on his duties. Apparently part of his duties as a hellhound is to help those souls on earth to move on. Though he doesn't force them, he waits for them to decide to move on. Important information for this story because, while Boomer is making his rounds, he comes across a horrible situation - someone has done wrong. And, on purpose or by accident, raised a ghoul. Boomer decides to try to get Nyalla to help him deal with this matter.
So, that's what the book is about - a mystery and a horror type situation. A mystery of how this situation came about and how to end it while some of the more classice elements of a horror story swirl around this book - more so than normally occurs in a fantasy type book (hence my inclusion of horror on the shelves).
Quite neat book. Good solid work. Nothing that occurs necessarily needs to be read to fully enjoy the Imp series, though elements from this book are referenced in later Imp series books.
One last thing to note before I head off - books in this series, including the side books, tend to include at least minimal elements of romance. And I've only mentioned Boomer and Nyalla. Do they get it on? Do they have a romnace? Hellhound and human? No. There's also this guy named Eric, rookie cop, who Nyalla almost literally mows down with her car who helps in the investigation. And helps Nyalla learn what sex is all about.
Rating: 4.12
August 5 2017
Nyalla is a full biological human who is Wyatt's natural sister that Sam rescued from slavery under the control of the Elves. She's spent 18 years of her life in slavery and doesn't know much about Earth, humans (or at least earth humans), and customs and stuff.
Boomer is a dog. More specifically, and more accurately, Boomer is a hellhound - Sam's hellhound. He's been in the Imp series from the beginning, but this is the first time that his POV was shown (though there was one book where he was allowed to be more than just . . . there).
All of the above is stuff you would need to know before reading this book and some of it might even get told to you. But it, and a lot of other stuff, is somewhat expected of a reader, to be in their knowledge base, before they read this book since it is a side book to the Imp series. On GoodReads this book has the series identification of 'Imp World 7'. It would be quite helpful to read the five prior Imp series books on the Imp world series page, but the prior Imp World book, 'No Man's Land', does not need to be read before this book here. No one in this book has any connection to 'No Man's Land'.
Right, so, what's happening in this book? Well, this book falls into the time period when Sam is stuck/banished in Hel and Nyalla is adjusting to being back on earth and among humans. She's, as the book description puts it, 'house=sitting' . . . oops, no, book description has it as 'dog-sitting'. Well both - doing that for Sam while she's in Hel. While she's doing that she's also basically trying to hide inside the house and not go out and mingle with humans. Though many people and events conspire to break her free from that house. Including Michele and Candy - Sam's business partners.
Meanwhile Boomer's running around checking on his duties. Apparently part of his duties as a hellhound is to help those souls on earth to move on. Though he doesn't force them, he waits for them to decide to move on. Important information for this story because, while Boomer is making his rounds, he comes across a horrible situation - someone has done wrong. And, on purpose or by accident, raised a ghoul. Boomer decides to try to get Nyalla to help him deal with this matter.
So, that's what the book is about - a mystery and a horror type situation. A mystery of how this situation came about and how to end it while some of the more classice elements of a horror story swirl around this book - more so than normally occurs in a fantasy type book (hence my inclusion of horror on the shelves).
Quite neat book. Good solid work. Nothing that occurs necessarily needs to be read to fully enjoy the Imp series, though elements from this book are referenced in later Imp series books.
One last thing to note before I head off - books in this series, including the side books, tend to include at least minimal elements of romance. And I've only mentioned Boomer and Nyalla. Do they get it on? Do they have a romnace? Hellhound and human? No. There's also this guy named Eric, rookie cop, who Nyalla almost literally mows down with her car who helps in the investigation. And helps Nyalla learn what sex is all about.
Rating: 4.12
August 5 2017
March 14, 2014
Four really solid stars, possibly even five. I haven't really decided yet.
Ok, I admit it it, I may be biased when it comes to dog novels, because let's face it I love dogs. I'm CRAZY about dogs. They're sweet, loyal, adorable, cuddly and make great bedtime companions;-)I'm even willing to forgive them their (sometimes nasty) feeding habits. Mine have sampled rotting lemming carcasses; I don't care, they're still totally A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E!
But can the same thing be said about a dog who cheerfully nibbles on dead persons? Amazingly, the answer is: YES, as long as his name is Boomer;-)
Boomer and his infernal, or should i say; mistress have a lot in common. They're both loyal and protective towards the people they consider THEIRS. Granted, Sam's people are living, breathing humans, while Boomer prefers his tasty treats non-breathing or six feet under. Nyalla being the exception, of course. But they'll both go to great lengths to keep people safe: Body and soul. So when an unknown entity starts devouring the souls/bodies of the recently deceased, Boomer has nobody to turn to except Nyalla.
Poor Nyalla, an ex slave to the Elves, is of course, pretty clueless when it comes to life in modern day America. Most of the things she knows, she's picked up from TV shows, which leads to some pretty hilarious misunderstandings along the way. (Yes, the imp humor we've come to love, is back in this book!)
In the beginning Nyalla's afraid to leave the house. She tries to avoid upsetting Wyatt, because she feels he's smothering her, as well as Candy and Michelle who constantly try to coax her into attending social events. She prefers the safe confines of Sam's luxurious house, and orders pizza to her front door. (No doubt from the same pizza delivery guys who still have wet dreams from their Leethu encounters.) Her main worry is those pesky missionaries who show up and threaten to send her back to Hel(l). Good thing's she's goot Boomer to chase them off.
But where humans (and werewolves) fail to draw Nyalla out of her shell, Boomer slowly succeeds. He turns out to be an excellent demonic version of a service dog. He's insistent he needs Nyalla's help at vanquishing the threat to his dead (and living) humans, and it is through him Nyalla meets sexy cop Eric Pearce who just wants to date a sweet Finnish girl, but instead gets dragged into a world of necromancers and things that should have stayed dead. And oh boy, some of their scenes are hilarious. Having been submitted to the Elves' tender mercies, she of course totally freaks out when he pulls her over in Sam's Corvette (*Snicker*) She's terrified she'll be shot or thrown into the nearest dungeon. And their dating scenes are full of cute mistakes. Human mating rituals can really be confusing to someone who's grown up witnessing demonic courtships/maimings. And while we're at the subject of sex: Poor Candy really gets her prudish ways tested in this book as well when she feels obligated to have "the sex talk" with Nyalla. "Why her", indeed;-)
This book takes place while Sam is banished to Hel by Gregory, and it was good to see Sam's posse of protegees, pets and friends band together and take care of each other while she is away. And I enjoyed getting to know Boomer in his true hellhound shape. He's *somewhat* different, you see...
For Sam's sake I hope she's developed a more forgiving attitude while she's been gone. Because let's just put it this way. The bad guy in this novel, as well as Nyalla, manage to wreck Sam's beloved possessions preeeeetty good. And her hard earned stash of money is in no way safe in Nyalla's inexperienced hands. Balancing a checkbook is not a requirement for Elvish slaves... In fact; those who have read the Imp series will probably cringe (or perhaps laugh) quite a bit, then they'll thank their lucky stars they're not the ones to mess with Sam's most treasured possessions. (Well, at least she still has Gregory!)And love (essence mixing) conquers all, right?
Okay, theme song: Sometimes you just know the perfect theme for books you read, and yesterday I had an epiphany. Nyalla is posing as a girl from Finland, and Finland has one of the most outrageous bands I can think of; Lordi. I think this particular song fits well with the overall theme of the Imp world series, and thought I'd share. So without further ado, I give you Lordi and their Hard Rock Haleluja: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Xl9...
Ok, I admit it it, I may be biased when it comes to dog novels, because let's face it I love dogs. I'm CRAZY about dogs. They're sweet, loyal, adorable, cuddly and make great bedtime companions;-)I'm even willing to forgive them their (sometimes nasty) feeding habits. Mine have sampled rotting lemming carcasses; I don't care, they're still totally A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E!
But can the same thing be said about a dog who cheerfully nibbles on dead persons? Amazingly, the answer is: YES, as long as his name is Boomer;-)
Boomer and his infernal, or should i say; mistress have a lot in common. They're both loyal and protective towards the people they consider THEIRS. Granted, Sam's people are living, breathing humans, while Boomer prefers his tasty treats non-breathing or six feet under. Nyalla being the exception, of course. But they'll both go to great lengths to keep people safe: Body and soul. So when an unknown entity starts devouring the souls/bodies of the recently deceased, Boomer has nobody to turn to except Nyalla.
Poor Nyalla, an ex slave to the Elves, is of course, pretty clueless when it comes to life in modern day America. Most of the things she knows, she's picked up from TV shows, which leads to some pretty hilarious misunderstandings along the way. (Yes, the imp humor we've come to love, is back in this book!)
In the beginning Nyalla's afraid to leave the house. She tries to avoid upsetting Wyatt, because she feels he's smothering her, as well as Candy and Michelle who constantly try to coax her into attending social events. She prefers the safe confines of Sam's luxurious house, and orders pizza to her front door. (No doubt from the same pizza delivery guys who still have wet dreams from their Leethu encounters.) Her main worry is those pesky missionaries who show up and threaten to send her back to Hel(l). Good thing's she's goot Boomer to chase them off.
But where humans (and werewolves) fail to draw Nyalla out of her shell, Boomer slowly succeeds. He turns out to be an excellent demonic version of a service dog. He's insistent he needs Nyalla's help at vanquishing the threat to his dead (and living) humans, and it is through him Nyalla meets sexy cop Eric Pearce who just wants to date a sweet Finnish girl, but instead gets dragged into a world of necromancers and things that should have stayed dead. And oh boy, some of their scenes are hilarious. Having been submitted to the Elves' tender mercies, she of course totally freaks out when he pulls her over in Sam's Corvette (*Snicker*) She's terrified she'll be shot or thrown into the nearest dungeon. And their dating scenes are full of cute mistakes. Human mating rituals can really be confusing to someone who's grown up witnessing demonic courtships/maimings. And while we're at the subject of sex: Poor Candy really gets her prudish ways tested in this book as well when she feels obligated to have "the sex talk" with Nyalla. "Why her", indeed;-)
This book takes place while Sam is banished to Hel by Gregory, and it was good to see Sam's posse of protegees, pets and friends band together and take care of each other while she is away. And I enjoyed getting to know Boomer in his true hellhound shape. He's *somewhat* different, you see...
For Sam's sake I hope she's developed a more forgiving attitude while she's been gone. Because let's just put it this way. The bad guy in this novel, as well as Nyalla, manage to wreck Sam's beloved possessions preeeeetty good. And her hard earned stash of money is in no way safe in Nyalla's inexperienced hands. Balancing a checkbook is not a requirement for Elvish slaves... In fact; those who have read the Imp series will probably cringe (or perhaps laugh) quite a bit, then they'll thank their lucky stars they're not the ones to mess with Sam's most treasured possessions. (Well, at least she still has Gregory!)And love (essence mixing) conquers all, right?
Okay, theme song: Sometimes you just know the perfect theme for books you read, and yesterday I had an epiphany. Nyalla is posing as a girl from Finland, and Finland has one of the most outrageous bands I can think of; Lordi. I think this particular song fits well with the overall theme of the Imp world series, and thought I'd share. So without further ado, I give you Lordi and their Hard Rock Haleluja: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Xl9...
March 25, 2014
Okay- so I'm always a little worried about spinoffs- you know, new series and main characters that existed as side characters in a 1st series. Dunbar's Imp series is a wonderful, fresh view on a world full of demons and angels and other non-humans. The main character in those books (Sam) is unapologetically bad, one of my favorite anti-heroes ever.
I was a bit concerned when I saw this book and realized we were going for a ride with a not-so-big character from the Imp series. But I love Dunbar's style of writing, and who can resist hellhounds? So, no joke, I finished this one up in just one day. So much fun!
What an awesome story, with a main character who is nothing like Sam. Nyalla is tentative about her decisions, constantly worried, not at all like brash and impulsive Sam. And this tale kept me riveted to the very end. Not to mention- some awesome "screen" time with that adorable, occasionally-2-headed Plott Hound.
Loved it. I'm gonna continue to eat up these books.
I was a bit concerned when I saw this book and realized we were going for a ride with a not-so-big character from the Imp series. But I love Dunbar's style of writing, and who can resist hellhounds? So, no joke, I finished this one up in just one day. So much fun!
What an awesome story, with a main character who is nothing like Sam. Nyalla is tentative about her decisions, constantly worried, not at all like brash and impulsive Sam. And this tale kept me riveted to the very end. Not to mention- some awesome "screen" time with that adorable, occasionally-2-headed Plott Hound.
Loved it. I'm gonna continue to eat up these books.
April 28, 2014
Okay, this was awesome!!! So what's the difference between this one and and the Spearwood serial that so recently enraged me with bitterness? Let's see, for Stolen Souls:
Did it cost 3 bucks? Yes, yes it did.
Were there typos? Yes, yes there were. (*less* typos than the Spearwood, mostly verb tense)
Did it consist of an ENTIRE book? Why, YES.
Was the writing compelling? ABSO-friggin'-LUTELY.
Was the plot interesting? YES!!!!
Did I feel an emotional connection with the characters? Did I ever!!!
Is this book worth 3 dollars? I would spend FIFTEEN dollars for the next e-ARC of the Imp series (if they did the Baen thing) these books are that good.
So, compared to the Spearwood series where you shell out 3 bucks for the first few chapters and then 99 cents for the following serial installments of a couple of chapters each, that, THAT is not worth it. This, THIS BOOK, this truly excellent book is worth it!!!!
Did it cost 3 bucks? Yes, yes it did.
Were there typos? Yes, yes there were. (*less* typos than the Spearwood, mostly verb tense)
Did it consist of an ENTIRE book? Why, YES.
Was the writing compelling? ABSO-friggin'-LUTELY.
Was the plot interesting? YES!!!!
Did I feel an emotional connection with the characters? Did I ever!!!
Is this book worth 3 dollars? I would spend FIFTEEN dollars for the next e-ARC of the Imp series (if they did the Baen thing) these books are that good.
So, compared to the Spearwood series where you shell out 3 bucks for the first few chapters and then 99 cents for the following serial installments of a couple of chapters each, that, THAT is not worth it. This, THIS BOOK, this truly excellent book is worth it!!!!
March 16, 2023
I gave up.
I bought this book off amazon for about 9 quid, which for a small book -I think is self published- I found quite expensive, I wont normally buy a novella that costs more than £6 as to me they aren't usually worth more. I thought Stolen Souls would be worth it.
Stolen Souls is a mystery book, not about who killed who but rather....who raised who. If I had thought that the book would have been focusing on a human -elf- and not a dog I probably would have rejected the idea of reading it, however the blurb made it seem as though the book focused on a hell hound that may be mischievously terrorising the town and his elf companion being an extra not the other way round. It also portrayed the book as being dark comedy and light hearted. However what I had to drag my brain through was mostly a romantic crime book that threw in a bit of Boomer -the hell hound- here and a dead man walking there.
I got bored of Nyella quite easily, and the only reason for my getting this far was the little conversations between her and Boomer who despite being a hell hound came across a lot more friendly than demonic.
Overall I think if I was going to read any of this authors work it shouldn't have been this as I am not a crime/mystery/romance reader. and though I absolutely wanted to enjoy it, I really never.
I bought this book off amazon for about 9 quid, which for a small book -I think is self published- I found quite expensive, I wont normally buy a novella that costs more than £6 as to me they aren't usually worth more. I thought Stolen Souls would be worth it.
Stolen Souls is a mystery book, not about who killed who but rather....who raised who. If I had thought that the book would have been focusing on a human -elf- and not a dog I probably would have rejected the idea of reading it, however the blurb made it seem as though the book focused on a hell hound that may be mischievously terrorising the town and his elf companion being an extra not the other way round. It also portrayed the book as being dark comedy and light hearted. However what I had to drag my brain through was mostly a romantic crime book that threw in a bit of Boomer -the hell hound- here and a dead man walking there.
I got bored of Nyella quite easily, and the only reason for my getting this far was the little conversations between her and Boomer who despite being a hell hound came across a lot more friendly than demonic.
Overall I think if I was going to read any of this authors work it shouldn't have been this as I am not a crime/mystery/romance reader. and though I absolutely wanted to enjoy it, I really never.
May 19, 2017
Great world novella
When Sam leaves the earth realm for an unanticipated sojourn in Hel, Nyalla, the human changeling, is left house sitting and looking after Sam's hellhound, Boomer. After living the first nineteen years of her life as a slave to the elves, Nyalla feels overwhelmed and out of her depth in the earth realm. She would happily stay holed up in Sam's house not interacting with anyone directly so long as the pizza guy keeps making regular deliveries. However, unbeknownst to everyone, Boomer has a night job overseeing any restless spirits in his territory and helping them move on to the afterlife when they are ready. One night while on patrol Boomer senses that a great evil has arisen. With Sam in Hel, Boomer turns to Nyalla for assistance in getting rid of the evil that threatens both the living and the dead. In order to help Boomer, Nyalla has to break out of her shell and discover that she has more skills than she realized and that hiding in Sam's house isn't really living.
When Sam leaves the earth realm for an unanticipated sojourn in Hel, Nyalla, the human changeling, is left house sitting and looking after Sam's hellhound, Boomer. After living the first nineteen years of her life as a slave to the elves, Nyalla feels overwhelmed and out of her depth in the earth realm. She would happily stay holed up in Sam's house not interacting with anyone directly so long as the pizza guy keeps making regular deliveries. However, unbeknownst to everyone, Boomer has a night job overseeing any restless spirits in his territory and helping them move on to the afterlife when they are ready. One night while on patrol Boomer senses that a great evil has arisen. With Sam in Hel, Boomer turns to Nyalla for assistance in getting rid of the evil that threatens both the living and the dead. In order to help Boomer, Nyalla has to break out of her shell and discover that she has more skills than she realized and that hiding in Sam's house isn't really living.
October 5, 2020
Stolen Souls (An Imp World Novel)
Nyalla, a human girl, who lived for years as a slave to elves, is now living in Samantha Martin’s (Satan)home. She and Boomer, a hellhound are babysitting the house while Sam is visiting Hell.
This story is about a young man dying in a car accident. He leaves behind a young wife and an infant son. Unbeknown to most family and friends someone tried to have John brought back to life. Sadly and terrifyingly it all went horribly wrong.
A ghoul has taken over John’s dead body and is causing all kinds of evilness and death.
This is a frightening story of evil let loose and how Nyalla, her friend Eric and Boomer tried to get rid of the ghoul. When their efforts proved worthless, help from a ghost hunter and finally a necromancer were used.
This is a dark story, but a satisfying ending is achieved.
I enjoyed the story, it’s twist and turns, but I have to say sometimes I didn’t want to turn the page, as I was frightened what would pop out next.
Kathy Barber Doyle - 10/5/2020
Nyalla, a human girl, who lived for years as a slave to elves, is now living in Samantha Martin’s (Satan)home. She and Boomer, a hellhound are babysitting the house while Sam is visiting Hell.
This story is about a young man dying in a car accident. He leaves behind a young wife and an infant son. Unbeknown to most family and friends someone tried to have John brought back to life. Sadly and terrifyingly it all went horribly wrong.
A ghoul has taken over John’s dead body and is causing all kinds of evilness and death.
This is a frightening story of evil let loose and how Nyalla, her friend Eric and Boomer tried to get rid of the ghoul. When their efforts proved worthless, help from a ghost hunter and finally a necromancer were used.
This is a dark story, but a satisfying ending is achieved.
I enjoyed the story, it’s twist and turns, but I have to say sometimes I didn’t want to turn the page, as I was frightened what would pop out next.
Kathy Barber Doyle - 10/5/2020
November 9, 2025
I accidentally deleted my quite long review for this one 😭 So I'll try to recreate it in short:
- Nyalla's quick grasp of English is ridiculous! it was weird in the previous Imp series book. it's even worse here. English is my second language and I've been learning it since I was a child and it was a hard and long process. Debra was better off writing in a magical device for helping her along because you simply can't get all the idioms and the depth of understanding in weeks.
- Another one that's too slow and long! It could have been at least 30% shorter with no difference, the author needs a sterner redactor
- I hated Eric: he was supposed to be a good guy, one that everyone really likes but at the end he was a typical misogynist. We were supposed to see his virtue when he turned down Nyalla invitation to send the night on their first date but honestly I didn't see the problem as She was the one offering and was a concenting adult? Also he was the least prepared to deal with the situation but that didn't stop him from mansplaining everyone to death, trying to "save Nyalla from herself" even when his suggestion was proven to not work, and of course hating the blue haired alternative woman on sight and immediately dismissing her even though she's working in that field and is contributing to the care significantly.
Maybe the Imp world series are just bad? I'm giving one more of these a chance and then I'll go back to read only the Main Imp story.
- Nyalla's quick grasp of English is ridiculous! it was weird in the previous Imp series book. it's even worse here. English is my second language and I've been learning it since I was a child and it was a hard and long process. Debra was better off writing in a magical device for helping her along because you simply can't get all the idioms and the depth of understanding in weeks.
- Another one that's too slow and long! It could have been at least 30% shorter with no difference, the author needs a sterner redactor
- I hated Eric: he was supposed to be a good guy, one that everyone really likes but at the end he was a typical misogynist. We were supposed to see his virtue when he turned down Nyalla invitation to send the night on their first date but honestly I didn't see the problem as She was the one offering and was a concenting adult? Also he was the least prepared to deal with the situation but that didn't stop him from mansplaining everyone to death, trying to "save Nyalla from herself" even when his suggestion was proven to not work, and of course hating the blue haired alternative woman on sight and immediately dismissing her even though she's working in that field and is contributing to the care significantly.
Maybe the Imp world series are just bad? I'm giving one more of these a chance and then I'll go back to read only the Main Imp story.
January 3, 2021
A great book!
Though I was little disappointed at first the story was not in Sam's perspective, I was soon dragged into the story an could not stop reading! I enjoyed the storyline, and how it wasn't purely Nyalla trying to figure what was happening. Last time I read a book that was wholely mystery, I got so sick and tired of it, and didn't enjoy reading it at all. In this book however, the bits of romance and comedy that were piled in allowed me to actually enjoy the book stayed up all night reading it, and would definitely reread it as well. I am really into the Imp World series, and this book added one more thing that I like about it. I sincerely believe that this book deserves five stars!
Though I was little disappointed at first the story was not in Sam's perspective, I was soon dragged into the story an could not stop reading! I enjoyed the storyline, and how it wasn't purely Nyalla trying to figure what was happening. Last time I read a book that was wholely mystery, I got so sick and tired of it, and didn't enjoy reading it at all. In this book however, the bits of romance and comedy that were piled in allowed me to actually enjoy the book stayed up all night reading it, and would definitely reread it as well. I am really into the Imp World series, and this book added one more thing that I like about it. I sincerely believe that this book deserves five stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2018
The opening chapter from Boomer's POV was awesome. Turns out there's a bit more going on in his head than I thought. I love his purpose on earth, it was a nice touch. After that though we jump solely to Nyalla's POV and she's whiney, insecure and overall not enjoyable to read. I pushed through several chapters, but it never got better. I understand she's trying to adjust to a very different world, but she's not actually trying that hard - she's hiding from it and letting everyone else carry her weight. The plot wasn't interesting enough for me to try to continue reading. First Imp book I didn't care for.
April 26, 2021
This book starts off with Boomer’s perspective, so I was a little hesitant to keep going. But it’s actually not bad. And it’s not the whole story. This focuses on Nyalla and how she is adjusting to being out of Hel and finding out there is a ghoul on the loose. I enjoyed reading this book and learning about Nyalla and Boomer.
June 13, 2017
Starts out with Boomer's POV, which is kind of awesome, but spends most of the time in Nyalla's POV. Not quite as fleshed out as Sam's books, but still had some fun little quirks and details. A little more finesse and this little gem could really shine.
December 1, 2018
Good story of Sam's dog Boomer and her house guest Nyalla. Hopefully, we see Nyalla more in upcoming stories and, of course, Boomer too. It will be fun to read when Sam gets back and finds out what happened to her Vette. LMAO!!!!!
August 27, 2019
Loved it!
Reading this series in the suggested order I was skeptical about this book, well I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this book. I won't doubt this author again! Awesome reading about other characters in this series.
Reading this series in the suggested order I was skeptical about this book, well I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this book. I won't doubt this author again! Awesome reading about other characters in this series.
June 4, 2020
To living good time!
The Imp Series and Impworld Series are just reads for paranormal enthusiasts. The plots are well developed and Dunbar's climaxes are a downhill thrill ride! Recommend a 5!
The Imp Series and Impworld Series are just reads for paranormal enthusiasts. The plots are well developed and Dunbar's climaxes are a downhill thrill ride! Recommend a 5!
December 7, 2021
I preferred when it switched to Nyalla's point of view. I like the concept of his, but it didn't quite do it for me. I REALLY need to find the story sheet she gets her powers - if assumed it would be this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2020
Slow start. Acceptable a finish. Not a necessary read for the Imp series, just a light filler.
April 3, 2021
Boomer is now one of my favorites in this series
August 29, 2023
3.5* this one was okay, felt a little rushed and wrapped up neatly at the end but did see some development in Nyalla’s character.
March 21, 2017
If you're going to reference pop culture movies, maybe watch them. Ash lost his hand in the first evil dead movie.
March 17, 2017
Simply wonderful!
These side stories are just too amazing for me to try and describe. I am not normally a fan of side stories, but these have seriously kept me on the edge of my seat! I wish these were going to be developed into entire series, they are just that good.
Debra Dunbar should be a household name!
These side stories are just too amazing for me to try and describe. I am not normally a fan of side stories, but these have seriously kept me on the edge of my seat! I wish these were going to be developed into entire series, they are just that good.
Debra Dunbar should be a household name!
July 8, 2018
77 points/100 (4 stars/5).
The Iblis is in Hel on a trip of great importance (she fucked up), and Nyalla is house sitting for her. Then the Iblis' dog, Boomer, started bringing back body parts and now Nyalla has to deal with a zombie. Nyalla doesn't need this kind of concern right now!
This was a much better put together story than I was expecting based off my memories and what I encountered in No Man's Land. This is a very solid side story. I enjoyed myself while reading this much more than I thought I would.
While you don't need to read this for the overall series, I wouldn't recommend reading this without having read the series up to this point. There is just too much that Dunbar relies on the reader already knowing for me to really recommend this as a total standalone or an introduction to the world.
The story itself was fine. Instead of searching for who created a dead body, Nyalla is trying to find who created an undead body. Also, she ends up befriending a (very uncop-like) cop (who isn't a detective, and really has no business in this at all) who helps her along the way. This is a bit different than other books in this series so far because it has zombies and ghouls and specialized magicians (necromancers). As far as I can remember, none of this has been in the series so far.
The story isn't good because of all of what I just mentioned - honestly those parts were pretty boring. It was good because it focuses on Nyalla still adjusting to a human life. I wish it would have focused on this part more, even. It is amazing how she changes over the course of this book. I expect great things from her in the future. She is funny, too. And kind, and strong, and great. We haven't been able to see much of her so far in the series, and I'm glad she got a moment to shine.
We also get a bit of perspective from Boomer, and honestly I'm highly disappointed. I was expecting more... demon or even hound out of these perspectives. Boomer just sounds very..human. Disappointing. I liked the role he played in this book, though. I now wonder what Boomer does when Sam is around, if this is what he gets up to when she isn't.
The romance was annoying. I felt like Dunbar felt like it was expected that there is a romantic interest in every story. This story didn't need it, Nyalla doesn't need it. I think it actually took away from the story a bit. Nyalla isn't set up for it, at all. I hate forced romances like this on characters who cannot handle it and don't even want to try. Nyalla felt like it was expected of her, too. I really liked the ending of the book because of what happens in the relationship, though.
Something I haven't brought up to this point in this series that is especially transparent in this book. Every person that finds out about the other side of things (magic, demons, etc.) is 100% fine with it. Nyalla's love interest, Eric, just skips over the fact that everything exists like it is no big deal. Sam is constantly coming across people who know what she is and just accepts it without a world. I feel like every human is taking crazy pills. None of them have any doubt at all at what they are getting told.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was a fun, if mostly unnecessary, addition to the Imp World.
The Iblis is in Hel on a trip of great importance (she fucked up), and Nyalla is house sitting for her. Then the Iblis' dog, Boomer, started bringing back body parts and now Nyalla has to deal with a zombie. Nyalla doesn't need this kind of concern right now!
This was a much better put together story than I was expecting based off my memories and what I encountered in No Man's Land. This is a very solid side story. I enjoyed myself while reading this much more than I thought I would.
While you don't need to read this for the overall series, I wouldn't recommend reading this without having read the series up to this point. There is just too much that Dunbar relies on the reader already knowing for me to really recommend this as a total standalone or an introduction to the world.
The story itself was fine. Instead of searching for who created a dead body, Nyalla is trying to find who created an undead body. Also, she ends up befriending a (very uncop-like) cop (who isn't a detective, and really has no business in this at all) who helps her along the way. This is a bit different than other books in this series so far because it has zombies and ghouls and specialized magicians (necromancers). As far as I can remember, none of this has been in the series so far.
The story isn't good because of all of what I just mentioned - honestly those parts were pretty boring. It was good because it focuses on Nyalla still adjusting to a human life. I wish it would have focused on this part more, even. It is amazing how she changes over the course of this book. I expect great things from her in the future. She is funny, too. And kind, and strong, and great. We haven't been able to see much of her so far in the series, and I'm glad she got a moment to shine.
We also get a bit of perspective from Boomer, and honestly I'm highly disappointed. I was expecting more... demon or even hound out of these perspectives. Boomer just sounds very..human. Disappointing. I liked the role he played in this book, though. I now wonder what Boomer does when Sam is around, if this is what he gets up to when she isn't.
The romance was annoying. I felt like Dunbar felt like it was expected that there is a romantic interest in every story. This story didn't need it, Nyalla doesn't need it. I think it actually took away from the story a bit. Nyalla isn't set up for it, at all. I hate forced romances like this on characters who cannot handle it and don't even want to try. Nyalla felt like it was expected of her, too. I really liked the ending of the book because of what happens in the relationship, though.
Something I haven't brought up to this point in this series that is especially transparent in this book. Every person that finds out about the other side of things (magic, demons, etc.) is 100% fine with it. Nyalla's love interest, Eric, just skips over the fact that everything exists like it is no big deal. Sam is constantly coming across people who know what she is and just accepts it without a world. I feel like every human is taking crazy pills. None of them have any doubt at all at what they are getting told.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was a fun, if mostly unnecessary, addition to the Imp World.
September 9, 2015
Yay! Look at the cover! Who doesn't love that guy? Despite his snack choices, of course.
Boomer and Nyalla make quite a good team :). This spinoff tale takes place while Sam is stuck in Hel, and Wyatt is out of town in San Diego. Nyalla is dog/housesitting for Sam, and the poor girl is all alone. Luckily, she has Michelle and Candy to check up on her.
Boomer, being the midnight adventurer he is, happens upon a grave that has been desecrated. The police think it's just simple vandalism, but Boomer knows better. He drags Nyalla off to the gravesite and what they uncover is pretty creepy. Pretty soon, things get out of control quickly and lives are at stake. It's up to a former slave to the elves and a hellhound to stop the madness. Good thing Nyalla makes some new friends who can lend her and Boomer a hand :)
I liked this spinoff story, but I missed Sam. She is truly the highlight of this series, along with Gregory. Oh fine, Gabriel too. I guess I missed him a little. Having said that, I liked that Nyalla was the star. The reader gets to know her a little bit more and we get to see her grow. She's no longer the scared girl in Hel, she's a less-scared girl on Earth. Although I do have to say, her character is kind of inconsistent. It seemed like the author tried too hard to make her seem even more innocent and uneducated about living with humans, but then she would say and do things that didn't mesh with how she is portrayed to be. Either way, I still like Nyalla, I just hope she is a more consistent character in any future books she appears in.
Oh - and hopefully Sam doesn't find out Nyalla took the 'Vette out. Boomer tried to warn her against that... :)
Boomer and Nyalla make quite a good team :). This spinoff tale takes place while Sam is stuck in Hel, and Wyatt is out of town in San Diego. Nyalla is dog/housesitting for Sam, and the poor girl is all alone. Luckily, she has Michelle and Candy to check up on her.
Boomer, being the midnight adventurer he is, happens upon a grave that has been desecrated. The police think it's just simple vandalism, but Boomer knows better. He drags Nyalla off to the gravesite and what they uncover is pretty creepy. Pretty soon, things get out of control quickly and lives are at stake. It's up to a former slave to the elves and a hellhound to stop the madness. Good thing Nyalla makes some new friends who can lend her and Boomer a hand :)
I liked this spinoff story, but I missed Sam. She is truly the highlight of this series, along with Gregory. Oh fine, Gabriel too. I guess I missed him a little. Having said that, I liked that Nyalla was the star. The reader gets to know her a little bit more and we get to see her grow. She's no longer the scared girl in Hel, she's a less-scared girl on Earth. Although I do have to say, her character is kind of inconsistent. It seemed like the author tried too hard to make her seem even more innocent and uneducated about living with humans, but then she would say and do things that didn't mesh with how she is portrayed to be. Either way, I still like Nyalla, I just hope she is a more consistent character in any future books she appears in.
Oh - and hopefully Sam doesn't find out Nyalla took the 'Vette out. Boomer tried to warn her against that... :)
May 21, 2015
I gave up.
I bought this book off amazon for about 9 quid, which for a small book -I think is self published- I found quite expensive, I wont normally buy a novella that costs more than £6 as to me they aren't usually worth more. I thought Stolen Souls would be worth it.
Stolen Souls is a mystery book, not about who killed who but rather....who raised who. If I had thought that the book would have been focusing on a human -elf- and not a dog I probably would have rejected the idea of reading it, however the blurb made it seem as though the book focused on a hell hound that may be mischievously terrorising the town and his elf companion being an extra not the other way round. It also portrayed the book as being dark comedy and light hearted. However what I had to drag my brain through was mostly a romantic crime book that threw in a bit of Boomer -the hell hound- here and a dead man walking there.
I got bored of Nyella quite easily, and the only reason for my getting this far was the little conversations between her and Boomer who despite being a hell hound came across a lot more friendly than demonic.
Overall I think if I was going to read any of this authors work it shouldn't have been this as I am not a crime/mystery/romance reader. and though I absolutely wanted to enjoy it, I really never.
I bought this book off amazon for about 9 quid, which for a small book -I think is self published- I found quite expensive, I wont normally buy a novella that costs more than £6 as to me they aren't usually worth more. I thought Stolen Souls would be worth it.
Stolen Souls is a mystery book, not about who killed who but rather....who raised who. If I had thought that the book would have been focusing on a human -elf- and not a dog I probably would have rejected the idea of reading it, however the blurb made it seem as though the book focused on a hell hound that may be mischievously terrorising the town and his elf companion being an extra not the other way round. It also portrayed the book as being dark comedy and light hearted. However what I had to drag my brain through was mostly a romantic crime book that threw in a bit of Boomer -the hell hound- here and a dead man walking there.
I got bored of Nyella quite easily, and the only reason for my getting this far was the little conversations between her and Boomer who despite being a hell hound came across a lot more friendly than demonic.
Overall I think if I was going to read any of this authors work it shouldn't have been this as I am not a crime/mystery/romance reader. and though I absolutely wanted to enjoy it, I really never.
April 9, 2014
eeeeep! it was so good to see Nyalla in a book and trying things and going on adventures with Boomer.
fantabulous story. I felt like maybe Michelle and candy went from bugging her and being involved to trickling off for a few nights while she ran around and I think I was a bit surprised - you would think candy would be all over that. But that's my only criticism and it wasn't even really a bad thing just something I noticed that happened.
otherwise fantastic as always - great story and I especially love the D3 reference :) [nerd moment]
can't wait for the next few books from Debra Dunbar to see how this ties back to imp series , etc when Sam finds out what happened to her house. ...
fantabulous story. I felt like maybe Michelle and candy went from bugging her and being involved to trickling off for a few nights while she ran around and I think I was a bit surprised - you would think candy would be all over that. But that's my only criticism and it wasn't even really a bad thing just something I noticed that happened.
otherwise fantastic as always - great story and I especially love the D3 reference :) [nerd moment]
can't wait for the next few books from Debra Dunbar to see how this ties back to imp series , etc when Sam finds out what happened to her house. ...
February 2, 2017
spoiler alert. I love Debra's original ideas. she has a fantastical way of looking at not only why something works but how it works. I love how nyalla grows in such a short period and concurs her fears. what i didnt like was how are Eric just accepted the fact that there are demons Ghouls and Angels around and that the girl he likes you still live in hel. Also found it unbelievable that a girl who was terrified to leave the house had no problem sleeping with a guy that she knew for all of two days even shes suppose to be afraid of everyone but yeah sleeping with a stranger definitely no nerve wracking at all who had suffered a life time of abuse.
August 6, 2016
Meh.
This spinoff story focuses on Nyalla, who was a side character in a series I enjoyed.
The plot is that a horrible undead monster is eating corpses and people. It's horrific -- but, at the same time, it feels low-stakes somehow. Gee, says the story, all the competent people are out-of-town, so it's up to Nyalla to deal with this little problem.
That made it hard to really care about the story.
I think I had better stop reading the spinoff stories.
This spinoff story focuses on Nyalla, who was a side character in a series I enjoyed.
The plot is that a horrible undead monster is eating corpses and people. It's horrific -- but, at the same time, it feels low-stakes somehow. Gee, says the story, all the competent people are out-of-town, so it's up to Nyalla to deal with this little problem.
That made it hard to really care about the story.
I think I had better stop reading the spinoff stories.
May 3, 2016
was ok, but couldn't really get into it. The main series is great, this just lacked a good character. Nyalla was pretty boring, the story was ok, and overall it was obvious it lacked the same lustre as the rest of the series - nor did it tie back in or enhance the main series in anyway. It's probably one novella, that if you haven't read, you won't miss anything, because in reading it, you won't gain anything.
March 20, 2014
What a fun, ever so slightly creepy, fun story with some amazing character growth. Nyalla is scared to just open the door for the pizza delivery guy and suddenly she's forced to figure out what supernatural being is killing people and how to get rid of it. She rises to the occasion magnificently as Dunbar takes us all on an amazing journey.
October 20, 2018
Fun
This look into other characters lives is brilliant.
Throwing in a Ghoul as Nyallla starts to take baby steps into the world would probably thrown most people, but if you've read the series, you know she's not most folk.
Love that she had a little fling.
Also we get a wee bit more of Boomer, adorbes that hell hound 😀👍👍👍
This look into other characters lives is brilliant.
Throwing in a Ghoul as Nyallla starts to take baby steps into the world would probably thrown most people, but if you've read the series, you know she's not most folk.
Love that she had a little fling.
Also we get a wee bit more of Boomer, adorbes that hell hound 😀👍👍👍
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews