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Raising Hell
Meet Ivy Elizabeth Mann:
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not half faery, or demon, or angel or anything like that. Mum's a Body Shop consultant living in a bungalow in Birmingham and Dad enters crossword competitions."
Once upon a time, Ivy and her friends did a very stupid thing and now there's a rift letting dark matter into the world. Dark matter that manifests as black magic which actually works. Now every teenager with access to the Internet is raising hell. Literally.
Ivy's doing her best to stem the tide, but her new job working school security barely pays the bills and there's only so much one girl with a machete (and a cat possessed by her own dead grandmother) can do against the forces of evil.
Now she's facing a teenaged goth with an attitude, a dark cabal with a terrifying agenda and a potential zombie apocalypse.
Ivy losing her job might be the best thing to happen to the world!
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not half faery, or demon, or angel or anything like that. Mum's a Body Shop consultant living in a bungalow in Birmingham and Dad enters crossword competitions."
Once upon a time, Ivy and her friends did a very stupid thing and now there's a rift letting dark matter into the world. Dark matter that manifests as black magic which actually works. Now every teenager with access to the Internet is raising hell. Literally.
Ivy's doing her best to stem the tide, but her new job working school security barely pays the bills and there's only so much one girl with a machete (and a cat possessed by her own dead grandmother) can do against the forces of evil.
Now she's facing a teenaged goth with an attitude, a dark cabal with a terrifying agenda and a potential zombie apocalypse.
Ivy losing her job might be the best thing to happen to the world!
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 2021
2 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Bryony Pearce
26 books188 followersBryony Pearce (formerly McCarthy) lives with her husband and two children in a village on the edge of the Peak District. She completed an English Literature degree at Corpus Christi College Cambridge in 1998 and afterward worked in the business-to-business market research sector. She went freelance in 2004 so she could devote more time to writing. Bryony was a winner of the 2008 Undiscovered Voices competition with her MG novel Windrunner's Daughter. Her first YA novel, Angel's Fury, will be published on 4th July 2011 by Egmont.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
July 8, 2021
Magic and monsters has quickly become the norm in London, after a spell went wrong 4 years ago. Ivy devotes her life to protecting kids, but discovers they might be able to stop it all.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
After one of their tight-knit group is killed by a hit-and-run driver, Ivy and her friends try to raise Violet from the dead. Not expecting anything to happen, it all goes wrong - one of them is killed, and a rift from hell is opened. Suddenly, London is the hotspot for paranormal activity. Children can all access magic, and teens in particular are causing trouble with their angst.
Four years later, Ivy's access to magic is fading (as with all adults); but she is working as security in a school, to protect them from hell hounds, phantoms and anything else that the kids might conjure. All she has is her trusty machete, and a drive to fix the chaos she started.
A chance inspection leads to fighting off hell hounds, dealing with a powerful teenage witch, and her bull-headed older brother.
This was like, the perfect teenage read, and as a teenager, I would have totally lapped it up.
At the centre of the story, is how much pain everyone is in, even if they don't show it. Teenagers seem to feel it most acutely of all; and these teens in London suddenly have the power to do something about it. Which makes them incredibly dangerous.
It's only been 4 years since magic has been a part of their lives, and it still feels new and uncertain. No one knows how to deal with it, and people are holding things together as best they can.
I thought the teenage characters, and the drama driving them, was really well-portrayed and realistic.
The not-so-good.
The lack of world-building.
I never truly knew what was going on, and why. It goes from action scene, to gory action scene, and throws in the odd comment about the government quizzing Ivy, but nothing is explained.
Why is Ivy a bad-ass demon-killer? Who trained her? How does she know to do exorcisms? She went from an average teen, to Buffy. Yes, there were 4 years in between, but no info.
I get why the school hire her; but what about the other security dude - why isn't he trained? Are the people guarding other schools just as useless?
For a while, I didn't even realise that it was Ivy's cocked-up spell that started all this.
The second half had more chaotic fight scenes that got hard to follow, and I couldn't understand most of Ivy's choices.
At one point she does consider sacrificing innocent blood, for the greater good. It just seemed to go against what the character believed.
And then the zombies...
Overall, this was a gory and entertaining story, and I'm interested to read the author's future works.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
After one of their tight-knit group is killed by a hit-and-run driver, Ivy and her friends try to raise Violet from the dead. Not expecting anything to happen, it all goes wrong - one of them is killed, and a rift from hell is opened. Suddenly, London is the hotspot for paranormal activity. Children can all access magic, and teens in particular are causing trouble with their angst.
Four years later, Ivy's access to magic is fading (as with all adults); but she is working as security in a school, to protect them from hell hounds, phantoms and anything else that the kids might conjure. All she has is her trusty machete, and a drive to fix the chaos she started.
A chance inspection leads to fighting off hell hounds, dealing with a powerful teenage witch, and her bull-headed older brother.
This was like, the perfect teenage read, and as a teenager, I would have totally lapped it up.
At the centre of the story, is how much pain everyone is in, even if they don't show it. Teenagers seem to feel it most acutely of all; and these teens in London suddenly have the power to do something about it. Which makes them incredibly dangerous.
It's only been 4 years since magic has been a part of their lives, and it still feels new and uncertain. No one knows how to deal with it, and people are holding things together as best they can.
I thought the teenage characters, and the drama driving them, was really well-portrayed and realistic.
The not-so-good.
The lack of world-building.
I never truly knew what was going on, and why. It goes from action scene, to gory action scene, and throws in the odd comment about the government quizzing Ivy, but nothing is explained.
Why is Ivy a bad-ass demon-killer? Who trained her? How does she know to do exorcisms? She went from an average teen, to Buffy. Yes, there were 4 years in between, but no info.
I get why the school hire her; but what about the other security dude - why isn't he trained? Are the people guarding other schools just as useless?
For a while, I didn't even realise that it was Ivy's cocked-up spell that started all this.
The second half had more chaotic fight scenes that got hard to follow, and I couldn't understand most of Ivy's choices.
At one point she does consider sacrificing innocent blood, for the greater good. It just seemed to go against what the character believed.
And then the zombies...
Overall, this was a gory and entertaining story, and I'm interested to read the author's future works.
April 12, 2021
Well, this was a whole lot of fun.
Several years ago Ivy and her friends did something very silly and the world changed for ever. A rift was opened and now magic is in the world. Ivy had to take all the blame and now the only job she can get is school security, checking the pupils for hexes, spells and charms.
When things go wrong at the school she ends up losing her job - but that could be just what's needed to save the world . . .
Okay, there was a lot to like here. It is, I'm guessing, aimed at a YA audience and when the (kind of obvious) future potential hunky love interest appears and they are (obviously) 'enemies' I did wince a little but that soon picked up and wasn't soppy so that worked out ok.
Our lead, Ivy, was a likeable character who felt very much like a Buffy The Vampire Slayer type but with zombies (so, Ivy the Zombie Slayer I guess) and the magic was believable (as much as these things can be). There were enough twists and surprises to keep me happy and I came away hoping there will be more stories of Ivy and co.
Several years ago Ivy and her friends did something very silly and the world changed for ever. A rift was opened and now magic is in the world. Ivy had to take all the blame and now the only job she can get is school security, checking the pupils for hexes, spells and charms.
When things go wrong at the school she ends up losing her job - but that could be just what's needed to save the world . . .
Okay, there was a lot to like here. It is, I'm guessing, aimed at a YA audience and when the (kind of obvious) future potential hunky love interest appears and they are (obviously) 'enemies' I did wince a little but that soon picked up and wasn't soppy so that worked out ok.
Our lead, Ivy, was a likeable character who felt very much like a Buffy The Vampire Slayer type but with zombies (so, Ivy the Zombie Slayer I guess) and the magic was believable (as much as these things can be). There were enough twists and surprises to keep me happy and I came away hoping there will be more stories of Ivy and co.
November 12, 2021
5 Word Review: Danger, responsibility, magic, snark, family.
Content warnings: Death, blood, religion, violence.
I didn't know that I needed this in my life quite so badly. Raising Hell is a wild ride, fast paced and exhilarating. I read it in a single sitting, ran out of page tabs, and wanted to start it again as soon as I had finished.
Ivy is an excellent character - she's messy and complicated and wracked with guilt. She's a little bit broken, but she's determined to absolve herself. I loved her snark, her distrust, her anger. She's as driven by her anger as she is her guilt, and the result is a little intoxicating. I want her to be my friend (and protector) but also I'm a bit afraid of her if I'm being honest. Her life is extraordinary and yet Ivy is deeply relatable, and when we first met Nicholas Ortega I was bristling alongside her.
Can my favourite character be the cat? I loved Gran. She gives no shits, she's full of snark. I just want to feed her some salmon and give her scritches under her chin. Her scenes had me laughing.
More than anything, Raising Hell is fun. It's a romp. It's like Buffy, with a dash of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but very British all at once. I almost felt nostalgic at times while I was reading it. As dark as the story was at times, it was also comforting, and it was fun. The action is breath-taking in its intensity, and it made me read even faster.
This is the kind of book that I want to read fanfiction of. I want to read about others doing Ivy's job, the chaos of hormones and magic clashing in teens. As short as this book is the scope of the world is enormous.
I already want to read Raising Hell again. I have tabbed so many passages, so expect a favourite quotes post soon. It was an amazing read.
Content warnings: Death, blood, religion, violence.
I didn't know that I needed this in my life quite so badly. Raising Hell is a wild ride, fast paced and exhilarating. I read it in a single sitting, ran out of page tabs, and wanted to start it again as soon as I had finished.
Ivy is an excellent character - she's messy and complicated and wracked with guilt. She's a little bit broken, but she's determined to absolve herself. I loved her snark, her distrust, her anger. She's as driven by her anger as she is her guilt, and the result is a little intoxicating. I want her to be my friend (and protector) but also I'm a bit afraid of her if I'm being honest. Her life is extraordinary and yet Ivy is deeply relatable, and when we first met Nicholas Ortega I was bristling alongside her.
Can my favourite character be the cat? I loved Gran. She gives no shits, she's full of snark. I just want to feed her some salmon and give her scritches under her chin. Her scenes had me laughing.
More than anything, Raising Hell is fun. It's a romp. It's like Buffy, with a dash of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but very British all at once. I almost felt nostalgic at times while I was reading it. As dark as the story was at times, it was also comforting, and it was fun. The action is breath-taking in its intensity, and it made me read even faster.
This is the kind of book that I want to read fanfiction of. I want to read about others doing Ivy's job, the chaos of hormones and magic clashing in teens. As short as this book is the scope of the world is enormous.
I already want to read Raising Hell again. I have tabbed so many passages, so expect a favourite quotes post soon. It was an amazing read.
April 12, 2021
Thank you to the publishes and NetGalley for this e-arc!
Raising Hell is the first in a new dark and funny urban fantasy series, and let me tell you something, it was DEFINITELY fun!
It’s got a cat possessed with a spirit, a girl walking around with a machete, ZOMBIES, spell casting and plenty of evil lurking around.
The action starts straight from the first page as Ivy, working as a “security guard” fight to save the students at a school from hellhounds.
It doesn’t slow down from there as Ivy, along with a few others work to make a wrong they mistakenly committed years ago, right.
This publishes 3rd June - add it to your tbr! I am already patiently waiting for the next one.
Raising Hell is the first in a new dark and funny urban fantasy series, and let me tell you something, it was DEFINITELY fun!
It’s got a cat possessed with a spirit, a girl walking around with a machete, ZOMBIES, spell casting and plenty of evil lurking around.
The action starts straight from the first page as Ivy, working as a “security guard” fight to save the students at a school from hellhounds.
It doesn’t slow down from there as Ivy, along with a few others work to make a wrong they mistakenly committed years ago, right.
This publishes 3rd June - add it to your tbr! I am already patiently waiting for the next one.
May 7, 2024
3,5*
An action packed YA story full of magic, unexpected friendships and a cat.
Ivy and her friends didn’t mean to release dark magic into the world. But they did. So now all the teenagers are able to access the magic and Ivy is determined to stop them.
From the very beginning this book hits us with all the action, magic, hellhounds and more. On her mission to close the portal and save the world, things will not go as planned and decisions will need to be made. There is a decent amount of blood for a YA book and if you love Buffy, this book will be perfect for you.
A fun and fast paced story full of surprises and a brilliant protagonist that you will root for.
An action packed YA story full of magic, unexpected friendships and a cat.
Ivy and her friends didn’t mean to release dark magic into the world. But they did. So now all the teenagers are able to access the magic and Ivy is determined to stop them.
From the very beginning this book hits us with all the action, magic, hellhounds and more. On her mission to close the portal and save the world, things will not go as planned and decisions will need to be made. There is a decent amount of blood for a YA book and if you love Buffy, this book will be perfect for you.
A fun and fast paced story full of surprises and a brilliant protagonist that you will root for.
March 27, 2022
I will be honest and say that Raising Hell was a book that left me conflicted. The fact it was such a quick and easy read had a part of me wanting to give this a three-star rating. At the same time, it was too quick and easy for me to give it such a rating. Therefore, while this one did have some interesting elements, it was not quite enough to win me over.
I think the main reason why I did not love this, why I felt it was too quick and easy, was because there was no real depth to the worldbuilding. We had an explanation that linked to the story, yet there were lots of bigger picture details that were never explained in full. I wanted those details, wanted to see how they really played into things, yet there were always over and done with too quickly. I think part of this comes down to the fact that this story was so fast paced. It focused upon the action, which was great, but it meant the other important aspects were somewhat lacking. With more focus on these details – to create a bigger picture, to make the emotions of the characters more believable – it would have been great to explore some of the details at a slower pace, with the story spread out over a longer time.
All in all, this had potential, I enjoyed some aspects of it, but it didn’t quite deliver.
I think the main reason why I did not love this, why I felt it was too quick and easy, was because there was no real depth to the worldbuilding. We had an explanation that linked to the story, yet there were lots of bigger picture details that were never explained in full. I wanted those details, wanted to see how they really played into things, yet there were always over and done with too quickly. I think part of this comes down to the fact that this story was so fast paced. It focused upon the action, which was great, but it meant the other important aspects were somewhat lacking. With more focus on these details – to create a bigger picture, to make the emotions of the characters more believable – it would have been great to explore some of the details at a slower pace, with the story spread out over a longer time.
All in all, this had potential, I enjoyed some aspects of it, but it didn’t quite deliver.
April 13, 2021
This book was flagged up via a Netgalley email and really glad that it came my way. I love Urban fantasy and this is a fresh addition to the genre. For a start it is set in the UK and with a female lead character - although female MCs are common in this genre, the combination of location and MC is not - however this may reflect the authors I read!
Set in London, Ivy and her friends Elena and Danny are mourning the death of their friend Vi, In a move to provide some closure for Elena in particular they perform a rite to raise the dead, however all does not go as planned. Although they did raise Vi she returns as a ravening zombie who kills Danny, they also created a rift to a dark source which allows those under 20 to perform magic. This causes chaos across the UK ,so Ivy seeking to make amends protects those affected by the wave of monsters which emerge and looks to close the rift.
A tale of one woman, her trusty machete Matilda, her Gran (soul in tabby cat - don't ask) and some new compatriats go forth to save the day, kill the zombies and close the rift. Go Ivy!
My thanks to the publisher and net
Set in London, Ivy and her friends Elena and Danny are mourning the death of their friend Vi, In a move to provide some closure for Elena in particular they perform a rite to raise the dead, however all does not go as planned. Although they did raise Vi she returns as a ravening zombie who kills Danny, they also created a rift to a dark source which allows those under 20 to perform magic. This causes chaos across the UK ,so Ivy seeking to make amends protects those affected by the wave of monsters which emerge and looks to close the rift.
A tale of one woman, her trusty machete Matilda, her Gran (soul in tabby cat - don't ask) and some new compatriats go forth to save the day, kill the zombies and close the rift. Go Ivy!
My thanks to the publisher and net
June 18, 2021
What a fun YA gem!
Ivy Mann and her friends carry out a ritual at their recently deceased friend's graveside with hope of bringing her back to life, a shock to them all, but it actually worked! Well, sort of. She comes back from the dead as a zombie. As a result, a magic rift has been opened where the supernatural can now freely roam. Ivy, feeling guilty, becomes a security guard at the school protecting teenagers from hell hounds. She's not thrilled about it but is getting on with things, that is, until the Ortega siblings get involved and things spiral even more out of control!
This was fun from start to finish. A good teenage zombie a story with lots of action. I loved the humour in this from the beginning and Ivy is a great protagonist. A fast moving plot, an enemies to lovers storyline and laugh out loud moments. What's not to love?
I only wish this had been longer! I hope this is going to be part of a series!
Thank you to Netgalley and UCLan publishing for providing me with a copy to review.
Ivy Mann and her friends carry out a ritual at their recently deceased friend's graveside with hope of bringing her back to life, a shock to them all, but it actually worked! Well, sort of. She comes back from the dead as a zombie. As a result, a magic rift has been opened where the supernatural can now freely roam. Ivy, feeling guilty, becomes a security guard at the school protecting teenagers from hell hounds. She's not thrilled about it but is getting on with things, that is, until the Ortega siblings get involved and things spiral even more out of control!
This was fun from start to finish. A good teenage zombie a story with lots of action. I loved the humour in this from the beginning and Ivy is a great protagonist. A fast moving plot, an enemies to lovers storyline and laugh out loud moments. What's not to love?
I only wish this had been longer! I hope this is going to be part of a series!
Thank you to Netgalley and UCLan publishing for providing me with a copy to review.
July 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this book and it was absolutely everything that I expected and more!
Ivy was a brilliant protagonist because she was funny and snarky and so strong and brave as well. I loved her from the very beginning, literally as soon as the book started I knew that she was going to be fun to spend the book with. Something I really liked about the characters in the book is how the magic system worked with them, especially with Norah and Olivia comparing to Elena and Ivy. One of another character I enjoyed was Nick as he changed a lot through the course of the book and I really enjoyed it!
The plot was well developed and fast-paced and just brilliant. It was just amazing and I loved reading all of it as it went down and the world that it was all set in. One of my favourite parts of the plot was how the introduction of magic into the world happened and how that affected the rest of the book. And omg that cliffhanger at the end! I felt so happy with how it all ended and then Bryony Pearce came and pulled the rug out from underneath me.
The writing was jsut brilliant. Bryony Pearce really knows how to make a book suspenseful and interesting and fun. I hope she continues this into a series because I would love to read more from her.
I was kindly provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ivy was a brilliant protagonist because she was funny and snarky and so strong and brave as well. I loved her from the very beginning, literally as soon as the book started I knew that she was going to be fun to spend the book with. Something I really liked about the characters in the book is how the magic system worked with them, especially with Norah and Olivia comparing to Elena and Ivy. One of another character I enjoyed was Nick as he changed a lot through the course of the book and I really enjoyed it!
The plot was well developed and fast-paced and just brilliant. It was just amazing and I loved reading all of it as it went down and the world that it was all set in. One of my favourite parts of the plot was how the introduction of magic into the world happened and how that affected the rest of the book. And omg that cliffhanger at the end! I felt so happy with how it all ended and then Bryony Pearce came and pulled the rug out from underneath me.
The writing was jsut brilliant. Bryony Pearce really knows how to make a book suspenseful and interesting and fun. I hope she continues this into a series because I would love to read more from her.
I was kindly provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 10, 2021
I loved this book and for the first time in ages, I sat and read a book in one sitting.
The action starts in this book straight away. Ivy is a security guard at a high school in England - yes, England. How thrilled I was to read a decent book set here, I cannot tell you.
Once upon a time, Ivy and her friends did a very stupid thing and now there's a rift letting dark matter into the world. Dark matter that manifests as black magic which actually works. Now every teenager with access to the Internet is raising hell. Literally.
There is plenty of sass from Ivy, a bit of gore throughout the book (but nothing particularly harrowing) and some truly fantastic supporting characters. Especially, Ivy's Gran.
I really hope that this book flies off the shelves but more than that, I hope to God that the author is planning many more books featuring Ivy Elizabeth Mann.
The action starts in this book straight away. Ivy is a security guard at a high school in England - yes, England. How thrilled I was to read a decent book set here, I cannot tell you.
Once upon a time, Ivy and her friends did a very stupid thing and now there's a rift letting dark matter into the world. Dark matter that manifests as black magic which actually works. Now every teenager with access to the Internet is raising hell. Literally.
There is plenty of sass from Ivy, a bit of gore throughout the book (but nothing particularly harrowing) and some truly fantastic supporting characters. Especially, Ivy's Gran.
I really hope that this book flies off the shelves but more than that, I hope to God that the author is planning many more books featuring Ivy Elizabeth Mann.
July 15, 2022
This book wants to be the next Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a little bit of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
The premise was good enough. Magic in modern Britain didn't exist until one day Ivy and her friends manage to perform a deadly spell. Now a portal to hell has opened and Ivy has took it on herself to protect her community from zombies.
Zombies aren't normally a subject I'd choose to read about. Maybe that's why it took me a while to get round to reading this Netgalley approval. However, this was a pretty good YA horror. I think I wanted a bit more world building and explanation though.
The premise was good enough. Magic in modern Britain didn't exist until one day Ivy and her friends manage to perform a deadly spell. Now a portal to hell has opened and Ivy has took it on herself to protect her community from zombies.
Zombies aren't normally a subject I'd choose to read about. Maybe that's why it took me a while to get round to reading this Netgalley approval. However, this was a pretty good YA horror. I think I wanted a bit more world building and explanation though.
October 4, 2021
This has the potential to be an interesting series, though I felt some elements of the story were not explained early enough to help us really understand why certain events were happening. A healthy disregard for the rules and a knowing black humour helps this story rattle along, and definitely hint at some potential issues to come.
Our main character is a young woman called Ivy. When we first meet her she is wandering into her old high school carrying a machete and on the lookout for dangerous teenagers. I admit, at this point, I had no idea what was happening or how we came to be in this situation. Little information is given at the beginning, but we witness Ivy's involvement in trying to prevent one of the students from summoning a hell hound and causing total chaos. The world building does not come early, and though this does lead to some uncertainty over why these events are happening it didn't mar my enjoyment of what was actually taking place.
What we soon learn is that Ivy and a group of friends were responsible for carrying out an act four years ago that changed the way the world works. They opened a portal to hell as they tried to summon the dead body of their friend. Things did not go to plan, people died, and Ivy now feels she has to atone for her dalliance in black magic by protecting those teens who seem to have an affinity for the dark arts.
We follow Ivy and her unwilling companions - which include her grandma's spirit stuck in a cat - in this journey to try and help banish the hell hounds summoned at the start. Someone is behind these growing events, and Ivy eventually learns that no matter how well prepared you are for strange occurrences, sometimes you have to make it up as you go along.
There's plenty of action, a lot of bizarre events and a healthy love of gore. As a teenager I think I would have loved this - we watch the misfits trying to find their place in this new world, without guidance and - on occasion - getting it horribly wrong.
While the world-building left a little to be desired at times, there was enough here to entertain me. I particularly enjoyed the hints of what might come next as Ivy learns to adjust to her new skills.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance of publication.
Our main character is a young woman called Ivy. When we first meet her she is wandering into her old high school carrying a machete and on the lookout for dangerous teenagers. I admit, at this point, I had no idea what was happening or how we came to be in this situation. Little information is given at the beginning, but we witness Ivy's involvement in trying to prevent one of the students from summoning a hell hound and causing total chaos. The world building does not come early, and though this does lead to some uncertainty over why these events are happening it didn't mar my enjoyment of what was actually taking place.
What we soon learn is that Ivy and a group of friends were responsible for carrying out an act four years ago that changed the way the world works. They opened a portal to hell as they tried to summon the dead body of their friend. Things did not go to plan, people died, and Ivy now feels she has to atone for her dalliance in black magic by protecting those teens who seem to have an affinity for the dark arts.
We follow Ivy and her unwilling companions - which include her grandma's spirit stuck in a cat - in this journey to try and help banish the hell hounds summoned at the start. Someone is behind these growing events, and Ivy eventually learns that no matter how well prepared you are for strange occurrences, sometimes you have to make it up as you go along.
There's plenty of action, a lot of bizarre events and a healthy love of gore. As a teenager I think I would have loved this - we watch the misfits trying to find their place in this new world, without guidance and - on occasion - getting it horribly wrong.
While the world-building left a little to be desired at times, there was enough here to entertain me. I particularly enjoyed the hints of what might come next as Ivy learns to adjust to her new skills.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance of publication.
May 22, 2021
I recently had the pleasure of reading Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw, this was a YA fantasy that really caught my attention and renewed my love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Then along came Raising Hell by Bryony Pearce.
A new YA fantasy that in my opinion is going to make waves in this genre of book.
Poor Ivy doesn't have much luck when one fateful day just trying to do her best to protect others, she ends up losing her job and perhaps a piece of her sanity when it turns out that she now plays a vital role in saving the world!
The action starts from page one and continues right through to the last page.
Fast-paced.
Thrilling.
I don't think you need to be young to read this book.
There is a great enemies to lovers trope woven into the tale (sucker for a romance) but it doesn't distract from all the other exploits and zombie killing.
Magic, hellhounds, and a strong protagonist. Bryony has done a fabulous job of building a new and fascinating world that I'm excited to see more of.
This is ultimately the tale of one kick arse young woman, her trusty machete Matilda, along with her Gran, who's soul ended up in a cat and cast of old and new friends/comrades who are willing to sacrifice a lot to save others.
Epic.
I can see this making a highly entertaining TV show, also a great graphic novel.
Then along came Raising Hell by Bryony Pearce.
A new YA fantasy that in my opinion is going to make waves in this genre of book.
Poor Ivy doesn't have much luck when one fateful day just trying to do her best to protect others, she ends up losing her job and perhaps a piece of her sanity when it turns out that she now plays a vital role in saving the world!
The action starts from page one and continues right through to the last page.
Fast-paced.
Thrilling.
I don't think you need to be young to read this book.
There is a great enemies to lovers trope woven into the tale (sucker for a romance) but it doesn't distract from all the other exploits and zombie killing.
Magic, hellhounds, and a strong protagonist. Bryony has done a fabulous job of building a new and fascinating world that I'm excited to see more of.
This is ultimately the tale of one kick arse young woman, her trusty machete Matilda, along with her Gran, who's soul ended up in a cat and cast of old and new friends/comrades who are willing to sacrifice a lot to save others.
Epic.
I can see this making a highly entertaining TV show, also a great graphic novel.
September 27, 2021
This starts by immediately hooking you in to the action, with a twist on the idea of school “checkpoints” scanning students for weapons/contraband.
The story then begins from the middle: in the past, Ivy and her teen friends, grieving, meddled with forces outside their understanding and brought magical forces into the world, which only teens have access too. Chaos ensued. In the present, Ivy has a job Buffy-ing magical security at the local high school in order to secretly make amends, and lives with her grandmother, who is… a little unusual. And that’s where this story begins.
Teens meddling, like teens will, manage to start a zombie near-apocalypse, and it is down to Ivy and her friends to try to right past wrongs and fix their mistakes before everyone dies… or worse!
There is loads of shock-horror here – heads lopped off and babies eaten – some humour, and even a little bit of a political commentary (the BRP). There are themes of guilt and blame, sacrifices and selfishness, and the dangers of acting on pure emotion without considering the consequences.
Not everything in the plot made sense, and the characters were not all as well-developed as I would have liked, but this was a really fun, action-packed read and I would definitely be happy to read more from both Ivy Mann and Bryony Pearce in future.
- Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
The story then begins from the middle: in the past, Ivy and her teen friends, grieving, meddled with forces outside their understanding and brought magical forces into the world, which only teens have access too. Chaos ensued. In the present, Ivy has a job Buffy-ing magical security at the local high school in order to secretly make amends, and lives with her grandmother, who is… a little unusual. And that’s where this story begins.
Teens meddling, like teens will, manage to start a zombie near-apocalypse, and it is down to Ivy and her friends to try to right past wrongs and fix their mistakes before everyone dies… or worse!
There is loads of shock-horror here – heads lopped off and babies eaten – some humour, and even a little bit of a political commentary (the BRP). There are themes of guilt and blame, sacrifices and selfishness, and the dangers of acting on pure emotion without considering the consequences.
Not everything in the plot made sense, and the characters were not all as well-developed as I would have liked, but this was a really fun, action-packed read and I would definitely be happy to read more from both Ivy Mann and Bryony Pearce in future.
- Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
March 28, 2022
3.5⭐
Magic, Zombies & Mayhem.
As soon as I heard Raising Hell compared to Buffy The Vampire Slayer I knew I needed a copy! I was really fortunate to actually win a copy of this book with YALC.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, and the flash back to how all the magic of the world happened! I did struggle a little in the middle, as I was expecting a lot of different demons and monsters, but the story focuses on one particular case and then it all links together.
Although the main character Ivy is great, the real favourite character of this book has to be Ivy's Gran who is a cat! Full of cattitude!
The ending was fabulous, I really hope we get more books with more demons/zombies/hell hounds!
*gifted*
Magic, Zombies & Mayhem.
As soon as I heard Raising Hell compared to Buffy The Vampire Slayer I knew I needed a copy! I was really fortunate to actually win a copy of this book with YALC.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, and the flash back to how all the magic of the world happened! I did struggle a little in the middle, as I was expecting a lot of different demons and monsters, but the story focuses on one particular case and then it all links together.
Although the main character Ivy is great, the real favourite character of this book has to be Ivy's Gran who is a cat! Full of cattitude!
The ending was fabulous, I really hope we get more books with more demons/zombies/hell hounds!
*gifted*
February 19, 2024
I'd like to thank UCLan Publishing for providing this e-arc, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
3.75 ⭐ magic and teenagers, what could go wrong?
It's all fun and games till somebody gets eaten.
Meet Ivy, a young adult trying to keep kids safe from spells gone wrong and hell creatures. When things take a turn, Ivy has her own reasons to put her safety on the line to help save a teenage girl...
This was a lot of fun. Quick to read and keeps you entertained enough that you just want to see what happens next!
3.75 ⭐ magic and teenagers, what could go wrong?
It's all fun and games till somebody gets eaten.
Meet Ivy, a young adult trying to keep kids safe from spells gone wrong and hell creatures. When things take a turn, Ivy has her own reasons to put her safety on the line to help save a teenage girl...
This was a lot of fun. Quick to read and keeps you entertained enough that you just want to see what happens next!
August 12, 2022
I loved this, it was so quick and easy to get into and just fall in love with the world and it’s characters, it’s so fast paced and so much action, so much fun, gore and such a great YA horror, recommend to anyone, I’d have loved this as a YA myself
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
April 29, 2024
Ivy and her friends, Elena and Danny did a magical ritual that went wrong and now every teenager can access magic. Ivy does the best to stop the worst of it but but now a dark alliance is trying to cause an apocalypse and this might be the end of the world as we know it.
Goths, incantations, hellhounds and a zombie invasion oh my! Ivy blames herself for the magic that’s been unleashed and feels responsible for protecting the teenagers from their own magical manifestations. When all hell breaks loose literally, she has to deal with teenagers with attitude, a very annoying and handsome brother and a group with a very nefarious agenda.
Ivy is an incredible heroine with peak final girl vibes even whilst she deals with a cat possessed by the soul of her dead grandmother and losing her job because if a hellhound.
A fun romp of a book that really starts as it means to go on and never stops, it is action packed and fast paced with a really rich vein of the darkest humour. This is YA horror so there is gore and it is quite gruesome in places but the portal to hell has been open, so you have to kind of expect that. I really enjoyed this new twist on monsters and magic.
Goths, incantations, hellhounds and a zombie invasion oh my! Ivy blames herself for the magic that’s been unleashed and feels responsible for protecting the teenagers from their own magical manifestations. When all hell breaks loose literally, she has to deal with teenagers with attitude, a very annoying and handsome brother and a group with a very nefarious agenda.
Ivy is an incredible heroine with peak final girl vibes even whilst she deals with a cat possessed by the soul of her dead grandmother and losing her job because if a hellhound.
A fun romp of a book that really starts as it means to go on and never stops, it is action packed and fast paced with a really rich vein of the darkest humour. This is YA horror so there is gore and it is quite gruesome in places but the portal to hell has been open, so you have to kind of expect that. I really enjoyed this new twist on monsters and magic.
September 7, 2022
I really enjoyed this YA horror. It was fun and quick to read. I liked the quick pace and I liked the heroine. We had demon dogs, magic, talking animals and zombies what else could we want. We had a good amount of gore too. I will definately be looking for more by this author. I am also wondering if there will be a sequel.
July 1, 2023
Enjoyed this book quite a bit. Had alot of plot holes but it was a fun homage to black magic horror and the main character was fun to follow
August 25, 2021
I got this as an eARC from NetGalley.
I really liked this book! It had supernaturals, magic, hell hounds and the underworld, so if you like all that you're going to love this! I thought the book was well paced and very easy to read. Ivy, the main character, is very sassy and no nonsense and I love it. In fact, I liked most of the characters in this book. An incident happened four years ago that caused a supernatural rift to open, causing teenagers everywhere to use magic against adults and other teenagers alike. Ivy is employed as a supernatural bodyguard to help prevent the use of magic at a school and she's very good at her job. That is until a student tried to unsuccessfully manifest a hell hound on the students, causing it to hunt the student instead. Ivy decides that it's her job to protect the girl and she also decides to try to close the rift, which has not been successful previously. Throw in a good looking man who just happens to be the protective older brother of the hunted student, and a talking cat...what's the worse that can happen?
I really liked this book! It had supernaturals, magic, hell hounds and the underworld, so if you like all that you're going to love this! I thought the book was well paced and very easy to read. Ivy, the main character, is very sassy and no nonsense and I love it. In fact, I liked most of the characters in this book. An incident happened four years ago that caused a supernatural rift to open, causing teenagers everywhere to use magic against adults and other teenagers alike. Ivy is employed as a supernatural bodyguard to help prevent the use of magic at a school and she's very good at her job. That is until a student tried to unsuccessfully manifest a hell hound on the students, causing it to hunt the student instead. Ivy decides that it's her job to protect the girl and she also decides to try to close the rift, which has not been successful previously. Throw in a good looking man who just happens to be the protective older brother of the hunted student, and a talking cat...what's the worse that can happen?
June 9, 2021
Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, and The Unread:
It says something about the times we’re currently living through that urban fantasy with multiple gory deaths and zombies counts as fluffy escapism. But that’s pretty much how I approached this book. Taking place in a 2025 where the events of 2020 were very different, but no less world-changing, the book follows Ivy Elizabeth Mann as she attempts to atone for her part in that catastrophe by dealing with the repercussions in her present. Ivy was a very ordinary London teenager, when she and two of her friends performed a ritual aimed at resurrecting the fourth member of their group recently killed in a tragic accident. None of them expected it to work, but it did, and they also opened a portal to other, much more dangerous, realms. Nearly five years later, Ivy is working as a school security guard, stopping the current crop of teenagers from taking magical artefacts in to their classes and from performing life-threatening rituals between their classes. Her week gets off to a bad start when she fails to stop one particular student from releasing a bunch of hellhounds into the world, and it gets worse when that student’s big brother gets her fired from her job for, essentially, doing her job.
Ivy is dedicated to her cause, however, and sets out to track down and banish the remaining hellhounds before they turn on and destroy their summoner. She is aided in this, reluctantly at first, by the aforementioned big brother, who happens to be wealthy and handsome, with a lot of resources at his disposal. It’s just unfortunate that he’s spent more time on his family’s business than on taking care of his little sister and noticing her interest in raising the dead. Also helping are the spirit of Ivy’s grandmother, now inhabiting the body of a cat, the ghost of her boyfriend – one of the original rift-opening trio – and the girlfriend of the girl the trio was trying to raise from the dead – now involved in various dodgy dealings involving the sale of magical items to teenagers. Plus another student Ivy caught performing illegal rituals.
The group uncover a not particularly secret conspiracy to overthrow the government – and to take over the world – by a new British political movement that has emerged following the opening of the rift. And then a zombie apocalypse starts up, which can only be stopped by Ivy and her companions returning to the scene of the initiating events and performing a new ritual that will hopefully close the rift once and for all.
This was a fast-paced and gripping story, although I had a few gripes regarding plot-holes and backstories that weren’t fully explained. It’s potentially the first in a series, however, so maybe all will be revealed in later books, and I liked some of the additional new complications in Ivy’s life that were revealed right at the end.
It says something about the times we’re currently living through that urban fantasy with multiple gory deaths and zombies counts as fluffy escapism. But that’s pretty much how I approached this book. Taking place in a 2025 where the events of 2020 were very different, but no less world-changing, the book follows Ivy Elizabeth Mann as she attempts to atone for her part in that catastrophe by dealing with the repercussions in her present. Ivy was a very ordinary London teenager, when she and two of her friends performed a ritual aimed at resurrecting the fourth member of their group recently killed in a tragic accident. None of them expected it to work, but it did, and they also opened a portal to other, much more dangerous, realms. Nearly five years later, Ivy is working as a school security guard, stopping the current crop of teenagers from taking magical artefacts in to their classes and from performing life-threatening rituals between their classes. Her week gets off to a bad start when she fails to stop one particular student from releasing a bunch of hellhounds into the world, and it gets worse when that student’s big brother gets her fired from her job for, essentially, doing her job.
Ivy is dedicated to her cause, however, and sets out to track down and banish the remaining hellhounds before they turn on and destroy their summoner. She is aided in this, reluctantly at first, by the aforementioned big brother, who happens to be wealthy and handsome, with a lot of resources at his disposal. It’s just unfortunate that he’s spent more time on his family’s business than on taking care of his little sister and noticing her interest in raising the dead. Also helping are the spirit of Ivy’s grandmother, now inhabiting the body of a cat, the ghost of her boyfriend – one of the original rift-opening trio – and the girlfriend of the girl the trio was trying to raise from the dead – now involved in various dodgy dealings involving the sale of magical items to teenagers. Plus another student Ivy caught performing illegal rituals.
The group uncover a not particularly secret conspiracy to overthrow the government – and to take over the world – by a new British political movement that has emerged following the opening of the rift. And then a zombie apocalypse starts up, which can only be stopped by Ivy and her companions returning to the scene of the initiating events and performing a new ritual that will hopefully close the rift once and for all.
This was a fast-paced and gripping story, although I had a few gripes regarding plot-holes and backstories that weren’t fully explained. It’s potentially the first in a series, however, so maybe all will be revealed in later books, and I liked some of the additional new complications in Ivy’s life that were revealed right at the end.
May 11, 2021
The appropriately named teen/YA fantasy Raising Hell was a solid 4-star read. It was fast-paced, action-packed and easy to read. My attention was caught in the very first chapter and held until the very end. The author’s description of the settings in and around London as the action progresses, made it was easy to feel I was part of the narrative. The characters were interesting and relatable. Their reactions throughout the story clearly illustrated their individual and often competing motivations. I could not wait to see how it played out!
I found Ivy to be interesting and relatable. Despite the grief from losing her boyfriend and the guilt she felt from the consequences of her actions the night he died, she was determined to right what she felt was her wrongs. In the aftermath of that night, she felt compelled to protect others from the chaos that was unleashed. The is illustrated in her determination to save Nora Ortega despite her actions and the fact that she caused Ivy to lose her job. Nicholas Ortega’s only concern was his sister. Therefore, he pushed for Ivy to be removed from her position and struggled with doing the right thing throughout the story. I found myself questioning his every move. Overall, I liked all the characters because I could understand and appreciate their motivations. Ivy wanted to atone for her mistakes by protecting others and Nicholas just wanted to save his sister's life. I found myself feeling compassionate for both characters.
I am usually very picky about the teen/YA book that I choose to read. However, Bryony Pearce did an excellent job of grabbing and keeping my attention and weaving a story that I could help but become invested in. I would recommend this book to readers young and old who enjoy a good action-packed fantasy novel.
#RaisingHell #NetGalley
I found Ivy to be interesting and relatable. Despite the grief from losing her boyfriend and the guilt she felt from the consequences of her actions the night he died, she was determined to right what she felt was her wrongs. In the aftermath of that night, she felt compelled to protect others from the chaos that was unleashed. The is illustrated in her determination to save Nora Ortega despite her actions and the fact that she caused Ivy to lose her job. Nicholas Ortega’s only concern was his sister. Therefore, he pushed for Ivy to be removed from her position and struggled with doing the right thing throughout the story. I found myself questioning his every move. Overall, I liked all the characters because I could understand and appreciate their motivations. Ivy wanted to atone for her mistakes by protecting others and Nicholas just wanted to save his sister's life. I found myself feeling compassionate for both characters.
I am usually very picky about the teen/YA book that I choose to read. However, Bryony Pearce did an excellent job of grabbing and keeping my attention and weaving a story that I could help but become invested in. I would recommend this book to readers young and old who enjoy a good action-packed fantasy novel.
#RaisingHell #NetGalley
April 19, 2021
"It's nothing personal, but you're going back to hell."
Zombies, hellhounds, magic, enemies to lovers, a girl with a machete and a talking cat. What more could you want in a funny, ya fantasy short novel?
Ivy Mann is a likeable protagonist straight from the beginning of Raising Hell. She is not perfect, she makes mistakes such as her and friends opening a whole rift as teenagers and now there are hellhounds and zombies roaming around London— but her being a messy protagonist worked and maade her so much more interesting.
What I liked the most about Raising Hell? I liked that the world building of the magic system was easy enough to follow along with, that all of the characters were developed as the story went on even just as side characters, but the biggest highlight? Gran.
The enemies to lovers trope of this story did not feel lacking to me either, despite this novel only having 240 pages. I thought it was beautifully written and developed well at the same time as all of this action and gore.
If you like magic, if you like stories that have stuff kicking off right from the first chapter, and if you like the idea of Gran's soul being stuck in a cat and there to give advice and be funny — Raising Hell by Bryony Pearce is the perfect short story for you.
Thank you so much to the publishing team and to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this delightful short tale of Ivy Mann.
Zombies, hellhounds, magic, enemies to lovers, a girl with a machete and a talking cat. What more could you want in a funny, ya fantasy short novel?
Ivy Mann is a likeable protagonist straight from the beginning of Raising Hell. She is not perfect, she makes mistakes such as her and friends opening a whole rift as teenagers and now there are hellhounds and zombies roaming around London— but her being a messy protagonist worked and maade her so much more interesting.
What I liked the most about Raising Hell? I liked that the world building of the magic system was easy enough to follow along with, that all of the characters were developed as the story went on even just as side characters, but the biggest highlight? Gran.
The enemies to lovers trope of this story did not feel lacking to me either, despite this novel only having 240 pages. I thought it was beautifully written and developed well at the same time as all of this action and gore.
If you like magic, if you like stories that have stuff kicking off right from the first chapter, and if you like the idea of Gran's soul being stuck in a cat and there to give advice and be funny — Raising Hell by Bryony Pearce is the perfect short story for you.
Thank you so much to the publishing team and to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this delightful short tale of Ivy Mann.
June 4, 2021
We first meet Ivy in an action-packed scene involving hell-hounds and Ivy’s machete, Matilda. I was sold immediately – black magic, machetes and a fierce main character, all these elements tick my boxes.
Ivy is a normal girl, except for being responsible for unleashing the power of black magic to the world. A couple of years before, Ivy and her friends, Elena and Danny attempted to bring friend Vi back from the dead. Things didn’t go exactly to plan and now anyone can cast a spell or a hex, unleashing the power of hell.
When Ivy loses her job, trying to take down Norah Ortega for possible occult dealings, her world spirals out of control. But Ivy, Matilda and Gran should be able to fight anything that comes their way? Right? You’ll have to read it yourself to find out.
Though the story is action-packed, with a liberal squirt of blood, there are some heavier topics lying beneath the surface. Grief, loss and finding your place in a crazy world.
The characters are colourful and leap off the page in the action. They are so much fun and I can imagine plenty of adventures ahead of them. The premise of the book was fantastic and I love the idea of a reality where a black magic is available to teenagers.
The school setting and badass main character fighting evil, reminded me of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer from the first scene. To summarise, Raising Hell was a frantic and exciting, fun and blood-soaked read.
Ivy is a normal girl, except for being responsible for unleashing the power of black magic to the world. A couple of years before, Ivy and her friends, Elena and Danny attempted to bring friend Vi back from the dead. Things didn’t go exactly to plan and now anyone can cast a spell or a hex, unleashing the power of hell.
When Ivy loses her job, trying to take down Norah Ortega for possible occult dealings, her world spirals out of control. But Ivy, Matilda and Gran should be able to fight anything that comes their way? Right? You’ll have to read it yourself to find out.
Though the story is action-packed, with a liberal squirt of blood, there are some heavier topics lying beneath the surface. Grief, loss and finding your place in a crazy world.
The characters are colourful and leap off the page in the action. They are so much fun and I can imagine plenty of adventures ahead of them. The premise of the book was fantastic and I love the idea of a reality where a black magic is available to teenagers.
The school setting and badass main character fighting evil, reminded me of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer from the first scene. To summarise, Raising Hell was a frantic and exciting, fun and blood-soaked read.
May 22, 2021
Ivy Elisabeth Mann, once your average teenager is now your more than average occult school security guard. A couple IG years earlier Ivy and a couple of her friends dabbled with magic in an attempt to resurrect a friend killed in a car accident, this opened a rift to dark magic giving every teenager magic powers! A recipe for disaster!
A couple of years forward, armed with her trusty Matilda (axe/machete !) Ivy has become a school security guard and her only companion is the reincarnation of her dead grandmother...in a cat!
Throw in a teenage goth with magical ability, attitude, and desperate to bring her little sister back from the dead, an overprotective but frustratingly handsome older brother. Then mix them in with hell hounds, a dark political agenda, and the odd zombie apocalypse and you have the recipe for a hell of a ride!
This was a fun read, Ivy’s charm is high on snark, with touches of loss, love and a true desire to fix the mess she played a part in creating! Grandma is a cat is perfect - absolutely loved the imagery.
Overall, if you’re looking for a fun read that’s high on action and not too in depth on emotion, thus is the book for you. Definitely YA in tone, level and storyline, but overall fun. Just be aware, this book does touch on abandonment, love, loss, suicide, blood, gore and a number of other gooey bits.
A couple of years forward, armed with her trusty Matilda (axe/machete !) Ivy has become a school security guard and her only companion is the reincarnation of her dead grandmother...in a cat!
Throw in a teenage goth with magical ability, attitude, and desperate to bring her little sister back from the dead, an overprotective but frustratingly handsome older brother. Then mix them in with hell hounds, a dark political agenda, and the odd zombie apocalypse and you have the recipe for a hell of a ride!
This was a fun read, Ivy’s charm is high on snark, with touches of loss, love and a true desire to fix the mess she played a part in creating! Grandma is a cat is perfect - absolutely loved the imagery.
Overall, if you’re looking for a fun read that’s high on action and not too in depth on emotion, thus is the book for you. Definitely YA in tone, level and storyline, but overall fun. Just be aware, this book does touch on abandonment, love, loss, suicide, blood, gore and a number of other gooey bits.
August 25, 2021
This book was so funny, and not to be taken seriously, I mean there's a cat that's possessed by the main character's grandmother and a machete called Matilda!
The beginning of this book leaps right into the action without much explanation, so it's really a case of figure it out as you go along until a certain point, then we get told some background information, however I did enjoy the plot and the fast pacing mixed in with the action small romance. I did find this book surprisingly dark, which I absolutely loved!
I really enjoyed the world building too, the descriptions were vivid and I liked how the dark magic worked, and the different rituals and banishing things. Plus the setting in/near London was really cool to see, most of the books I read are either set in fiction places or America, so it was a nice change for me.
The narrative is told from Ivy's POV and let me tell you, the girl is so badass! Plus she is once again hilarious and takes responsibility for her mess.
The ending was drawn out but in a good way, usually I hate endings that take too long to finish, but this time I liked seeing how every bad situation caused in the book was dealt with (especially the zombies!). I also enjoyed the twist at the end and how it could lead on to a sequel.
The beginning of this book leaps right into the action without much explanation, so it's really a case of figure it out as you go along until a certain point, then we get told some background information, however I did enjoy the plot and the fast pacing mixed in with the action small romance. I did find this book surprisingly dark, which I absolutely loved!
I really enjoyed the world building too, the descriptions were vivid and I liked how the dark magic worked, and the different rituals and banishing things. Plus the setting in/near London was really cool to see, most of the books I read are either set in fiction places or America, so it was a nice change for me.
The narrative is told from Ivy's POV and let me tell you, the girl is so badass! Plus she is once again hilarious and takes responsibility for her mess.
The ending was drawn out but in a good way, usually I hate endings that take too long to finish, but this time I liked seeing how every bad situation caused in the book was dealt with (especially the zombies!). I also enjoyed the twist at the end and how it could lead on to a sequel.
September 30, 2021
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not half faery, or demon, or angel or anything like that. Mum's a Body Shop consultant living in a bungalow in Birmingham and Dad enters crossword competitions."
Raising Hell is a fun, dark urban fantasy from literal hell. Four years ago, Ivy and her friends, while drunk, decide to give some dark magic a whirl and unleash a rift that lets dark matter spill into London. Suddenly kids have the ability to perform magic. Sounds good right!
This book has hell-hounds, zombies, and oh so much death and gore. SO MUCH GORE. I was absolutely endeared to Ivy our lead, she's extremely kick ass and clearly a special character with more than meets the eye. And Grandma really brought a special something to the narrative.
To be honest though, the character development and world-building lacks. And the speed of the story leaves a bit to be asked for in terms of relationship building. But I genuinely think young adults (older teens) will not care about that so much with the plot being so fast-paced and high action.
I really thought this was a great short 'n' sweet YA read and think this would be a great addition to any school library. As an adult I would give this a 3 star, however, for teens who I am certain this ia marketed for, its a solid 4.
Raising Hell is a fun, dark urban fantasy from literal hell. Four years ago, Ivy and her friends, while drunk, decide to give some dark magic a whirl and unleash a rift that lets dark matter spill into London. Suddenly kids have the ability to perform magic. Sounds good right!
This book has hell-hounds, zombies, and oh so much death and gore. SO MUCH GORE. I was absolutely endeared to Ivy our lead, she's extremely kick ass and clearly a special character with more than meets the eye. And Grandma really brought a special something to the narrative.
To be honest though, the character development and world-building lacks. And the speed of the story leaves a bit to be asked for in terms of relationship building. But I genuinely think young adults (older teens) will not care about that so much with the plot being so fast-paced and high action.
I really thought this was a great short 'n' sweet YA read and think this would be a great addition to any school library. As an adult I would give this a 3 star, however, for teens who I am certain this ia marketed for, its a solid 4.
May 3, 2021
We meet Ivy Mann as a kickass school security guard, along with her trusty machete, Matilda. She might be barely out of high school herself, but she's got direct experience with the minions of Hell being called into the world, so she's there protecting the kids from any magical mumbo jumbo and gigantic soul sucking hell hounds. That's because there's a rift in London which means magic and demons are real - but only controllable by teenagers, as the magic fizzles out in adults.
This is a fast-paced romp, taking place over a single day as Ivy gets drawn into a much larger conspiracy and the stakes are raised. But Raising Hell isn't all action, it's got some depth to it too; abandonment, grief, guilt and love.
A little bit darker and more gruesome than a lot of YA I've read, the action escalates to a fever pitch and it all becomes a little gruesome when people start coming back from the dead, as zombies. Can Ivy (along with her gran, trapped in the body of a cat) save her friends, and what about the bigger picture, is it possible she could even save the world?
Well you'll have to read it to find out. A very compelling one-sitting read.
This is a fast-paced romp, taking place over a single day as Ivy gets drawn into a much larger conspiracy and the stakes are raised. But Raising Hell isn't all action, it's got some depth to it too; abandonment, grief, guilt and love.
A little bit darker and more gruesome than a lot of YA I've read, the action escalates to a fever pitch and it all becomes a little gruesome when people start coming back from the dead, as zombies. Can Ivy (along with her gran, trapped in the body of a cat) save her friends, and what about the bigger picture, is it possible she could even save the world?
Well you'll have to read it to find out. A very compelling one-sitting read.
May 12, 2021
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not half faery, or demon, or angel or anything like that. Mum's a Body Shop consultant living in a bungalow in Birmingham and Dad enters crossword competitions."
Once upon a time there was a girl, a talking cat, and the apocalypse.
It sounds like the start of a joke, but Ivy's life is anything but - a while ago she had just a normal life but after a very stupid thing she did Dark Matter is slowly leaking into the world, easily accessable by everyone who knows how to turn on a computer.
Hell is coming to earth and Ivy has no idea what to do next.
Raising Hell was a hilarious riot of a story with non-stop action, bloody fights and absolute absurdity. It packed a punch right from the first chapter and kept going - in less than 250 pages this story was ridiculously fun and easy to read, with some very cute moments scattered throughout. Featuring what could have been very typical storylines, Pearce gave her own unique spin on the supernatural. Ivy was instantly best friend material and it was a pleasure to watch her descent into the bowels of hell.
Also ... talking cat.
Once upon a time there was a girl, a talking cat, and the apocalypse.
It sounds like the start of a joke, but Ivy's life is anything but - a while ago she had just a normal life but after a very stupid thing she did Dark Matter is slowly leaking into the world, easily accessable by everyone who knows how to turn on a computer.
Hell is coming to earth and Ivy has no idea what to do next.
Raising Hell was a hilarious riot of a story with non-stop action, bloody fights and absolute absurdity. It packed a punch right from the first chapter and kept going - in less than 250 pages this story was ridiculously fun and easy to read, with some very cute moments scattered throughout. Featuring what could have been very typical storylines, Pearce gave her own unique spin on the supernatural. Ivy was instantly best friend material and it was a pleasure to watch her descent into the bowels of hell.
Also ... talking cat.
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