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Breakup from Hell
Fans of Undead Girl Gang and The Babysitters Coven will love Breakup from Hell , a witty YA rom-com with a supernatural twist, starring horror novel obsessed Mica Angeles, who discovers the guy she fell for comes straight out of one of her beloved books. Miguela Angeles is tired. Tired of her abuela keeping secrets, especially about her heritage. Tired of her small Vermont town and hanging out at the same places with the same friends she's known forever. So when another boring Sunday trip to church turns into a run-in with Sam, a mysterious hottie in town on vacation, Mica seizes the opportunity to get closer to him. It's not long before she is under Sam's spell and doing things she's never done before, like winning all her martial arts sparring matches -- and lying to her favorite people. The more time Mica spends with Sam, the more weird things start to happen, too. Like terrifying-visions-of-the-world-ending weird. Mica's gut instincts keep telling her something is off, yet Sam is the most exciting guy she's ever met. But when Mica discovers his family's roots, she realizes that instead of being in the typical high school relationship, she's living in a horror novel. She has to leave Sam, but will ending their relationship also bring an end to everything she knows and everyone she loves? Clever, hilarious, and steeped in supernatural suspense, Breakup from Hell will keep you hooked until the last page.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 3, 2023
57 people are currently reading
8769 people want to read
About the author
Ann Dávila Cardinal
13 books412 followersAnn is a Nuyorican, Vermont-based novelist with an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). She comes from a long line of Puerto Rican writers, including father and son poets Virgilio and José Antonio Dávila, and her cousin, award-winning fiction writer Tere Dávila.
Ann’s first solo novel, a young adult horror novel titled Five Midnights, was released by Tor Teen on June 4, 2019. Five Midnights won the 2020 International Latino Book Award in the category of Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure, an AudioFile’s Earphones Award for the audiobook, and was finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. The story continues in Category Five, also from Tor Teen, released on June 2, 2020. Category Five is a 2021 nominee for the same International Latino Book Award category. Her latest young adult horror novel, Breakup From Hell, was released by HarperCollins on January 3, 2023.
Her first adult novel, the Puerto Rican magical realist mystery The Storyteller’s Death, was released from Sourcebooks Landmark on October 4, 2022. Her second adult novel, We Need No Wings, is scheduled for release in October 2024.
Her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology from HarperCollins (2022), Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic from Polis Books (2020) and the Latine young adult collection Our Shadows Have Claws from Workman Publishing (9/6/22),
Ann lives in Vermont with her husband in a lovely little house with a massively creepy basement.
Ann’s first solo novel, a young adult horror novel titled Five Midnights, was released by Tor Teen on June 4, 2019. Five Midnights won the 2020 International Latino Book Award in the category of Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure, an AudioFile’s Earphones Award for the audiobook, and was finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. The story continues in Category Five, also from Tor Teen, released on June 2, 2020. Category Five is a 2021 nominee for the same International Latino Book Award category. Her latest young adult horror novel, Breakup From Hell, was released by HarperCollins on January 3, 2023.
Her first adult novel, the Puerto Rican magical realist mystery The Storyteller’s Death, was released from Sourcebooks Landmark on October 4, 2022. Her second adult novel, We Need No Wings, is scheduled for release in October 2024.
Her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology from HarperCollins (2022), Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic from Polis Books (2020) and the Latine young adult collection Our Shadows Have Claws from Workman Publishing (9/6/22),
Ann lives in Vermont with her husband in a lovely little house with a massively creepy basement.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 415 reviews
January 18, 2023
Well, this is fast pacing, entertaining, enjoyable paranormal romance you may finish in one sitting! The characterization is good! The love story is insta and pacing needs a little balance ( it starts quiet fast, after insta love story blooms, the ex caution of the events gets a little slow down and the conclusion wraps up a little abruptly) but overall: just like its strikingly beautiful cover, it’s worth to dive into and enjoy the full wild ride!
Mica ( Miguela) Angeles, a badass and bookish Puerto Rican teenager, earning her black belt by her talent in martial arts, living in an ordinary, uneventful life in her small town, looking for some action to change the direction of her life, getting frustrated because she thinks her abuela keeps secrets about true history and roots of their family.
Then enigmatic young man Sam and his disturbing sister moves moves to their small Vermont town and she finds herself into a whirlwind romance. Throughout their relationship Mica gets estranged from her friends and feels the change in her body: she feels so powerful and extra story. But the visions she starts seeing give her creeps.
As soon as she finds the truth about the secrets her abuela keeps about her family roots, she realizes she has to end her relationship urgently but now the creepy sister comes for her and she has no intention to run without a fight!
Overall: I had so much even though I found the romance parts a little instant! But it was quick, gripping reading and I highly recommend if you’re into YA paranormal romance reads and badass heroines!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books / Harper Teen for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Mica ( Miguela) Angeles, a badass and bookish Puerto Rican teenager, earning her black belt by her talent in martial arts, living in an ordinary, uneventful life in her small town, looking for some action to change the direction of her life, getting frustrated because she thinks her abuela keeps secrets about true history and roots of their family.
Then enigmatic young man Sam and his disturbing sister moves moves to their small Vermont town and she finds herself into a whirlwind romance. Throughout their relationship Mica gets estranged from her friends and feels the change in her body: she feels so powerful and extra story. But the visions she starts seeing give her creeps.
As soon as she finds the truth about the secrets her abuela keeps about her family roots, she realizes she has to end her relationship urgently but now the creepy sister comes for her and she has no intention to run without a fight!
Overall: I had so much even though I found the romance parts a little instant! But it was quick, gripping reading and I highly recommend if you’re into YA paranormal romance reads and badass heroines!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books / Harper Teen for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
August 19, 2023
"I mean, you've pissed off a lot of guys in your day, present company included, but this is the first time it brought on the end of the world."
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
⚠️Trigger Warning: Animal Sacrifice, Graphic Scenes of Death (I honestly don't know why they're in a YA novel)⚠️
❗This review contains some minor spoilers❗
This is the simplest definition of "Don't judge a book by its cover." I saw this standalone on Instagram, with its cutsie cover and its interesting title, and decided to look it up. The synopsis only fascinated me more, it seemed to be a cute, teen rom-com with beautiful demon boys and an impending apocalypse. I expected it to be an easy 5-star read. Well, I was (partly) wrong. To begin with, it truly was an easy read, the plot had me so hooked, I was genuinely intrigued enough to finish it in less than two days (in spite of my being a bit of a slow reader, even though, the book was only around 300 pages). The ending was satisfying as well, with little hints that there might be a sequel in the works, which I may or may not be interested in reading. 👀 However, that's pretty much where the fun ends. Unfortunately, I found the writing mediocre and cringe, which can be partly excused because the characters are teenagers and shouldn't have to, by any means, use academic language to talk to each other (it was even funny at times), but that only includes the dialogue. When it comes to the narration, though, I expected a more stimulating level than what it was. Also, I felt that the book was constantly trying to convince me of the superiority of Christianity, and the strength of faith, which, to be perfectly honest, sort of annoyed me. That's purely on me, though. There isn't any reason anyone else couldn't enjoy this book regardless of their faith. Not to mention that this book is categorized as YA, yet there are several graphic scenes that I don't think should go with this genre. Essentially, this story has some solid and interesting premises, yet its execution is unbefitting. For what is worth, I honestly believe I might have enjoyed it a little more had I read it as a teenager.
Moreover, the characters aren't much of an improvement, either. While I did find myself relating to them on occasion, and I genuinely liked and rooted for them, they are just...a little too perfect. Essentially, there isn't any character depth, not for the protagonist, the love interest, or anyone else for that matter. They didn't have those flaws that make a character authentic and realistic unless you count Mica's impulsivity and bad taste in boys that leads to the literal apocalypse. That's not quite enough though, is it? Besides, even though, Mica (Miguela) is a sweet character, loyal, and brave, every description, dialogue, or action she takes is meant to show that she's 'not like other girls,' which is honestly lazy writing and completely untrue. She reads books, likes horror, and dresses comfortably...how's that uncommon? Please explain. Also, she spends the entirety of the book hell-bent (pun intended) on leaving Stowe and studying at UCLA, despite her literally all her loved ones' attempts to dissuade her, only for her to decide by the end that they're probably right. What the hell was that? Seriously?
Furthermore, as for the rest of the characters, not much is different. Only Sam (I have a feeling his full name is Samael - the devil's angel name), the demon boyfriend, seems to have a slightly more complex character than the others, with him being the son of satan, and his evil nature conflicting with the goodness inside of him, not that he was given the chance to explore that more before the book ended. I just hope that if there is a sequel, he will be in it and his character can be developed properly. Then again, that should be done to all the characters. As for the other characters, Zee, Barry and Rage (whose full names are Zerakiel, Barakiel, and Raguel - a little too on the nose, no?) are pretty much the same as Mica. They are all a little too perfect, one-dimensional, and their only flaw is that instead of accepting their friend's wishes and supporting her, they are trying to convince her not to leave. Very codependent, right??
Finally, the romance is cute yet messy, much like any teenage love is, to be honest. It's just that this one involved magic from hell. I really liked Mica and Sam's relationship, at first. They are really cute together, they both love reading, he took her to some really cute, if not slightly questionable, dates, and Mica could use a little rebellion in her life. However, it doesn't take long for their relationship, and, Sam in particular, to raise some serious red flags. A part of their relationship is built on magically induced gaslighting, solely by Sam, to ensure that Mica is attracted to and falls for him, which also has a strong physical effect on her, mostly making her extremely drowsy. Oh! He also stares at her while she's sleeping. It didn't impress me with Edward and Bella and it won't impress me now. Thankfully, she realises this quickly and acts accordingly. Having said that, despite the synopsis, I initially hoped they would somehow end up together in the end (before the gaslighting stuff happened) because they are together on the cover and my tiny brain imprinted on their relationship before I even started reading the book. I got too attached too soon. 😅😅 Alas, there is another relationship, much healthier than this one between Mica and her friend Rage that I can learn to appreciate soon enough, although I am as much of a fan of friends-to-lovers as I am of enemies-to-lovers.
So, would you read this?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
⚠️Trigger Warning: Animal Sacrifice, Graphic Scenes of Death (I honestly don't know why they're in a YA novel)⚠️
❗This review contains some minor spoilers❗
This is the simplest definition of "Don't judge a book by its cover." I saw this standalone on Instagram, with its cutsie cover and its interesting title, and decided to look it up. The synopsis only fascinated me more, it seemed to be a cute, teen rom-com with beautiful demon boys and an impending apocalypse. I expected it to be an easy 5-star read. Well, I was (partly) wrong. To begin with, it truly was an easy read, the plot had me so hooked, I was genuinely intrigued enough to finish it in less than two days (in spite of my being a bit of a slow reader, even though, the book was only around 300 pages). The ending was satisfying as well, with little hints that there might be a sequel in the works, which I may or may not be interested in reading. 👀 However, that's pretty much where the fun ends. Unfortunately, I found the writing mediocre and cringe, which can be partly excused because the characters are teenagers and shouldn't have to, by any means, use academic language to talk to each other (it was even funny at times), but that only includes the dialogue. When it comes to the narration, though, I expected a more stimulating level than what it was. Also, I felt that the book was constantly trying to convince me of the superiority of Christianity, and the strength of faith, which, to be perfectly honest, sort of annoyed me. That's purely on me, though. There isn't any reason anyone else couldn't enjoy this book regardless of their faith. Not to mention that this book is categorized as YA, yet there are several graphic scenes that I don't think should go with this genre. Essentially, this story has some solid and interesting premises, yet its execution is unbefitting. For what is worth, I honestly believe I might have enjoyed it a little more had I read it as a teenager.
Moreover, the characters aren't much of an improvement, either. While I did find myself relating to them on occasion, and I genuinely liked and rooted for them, they are just...a little too perfect. Essentially, there isn't any character depth, not for the protagonist, the love interest, or anyone else for that matter. They didn't have those flaws that make a character authentic and realistic unless you count Mica's impulsivity and bad taste in boys that leads to the literal apocalypse. That's not quite enough though, is it? Besides, even though, Mica (Miguela) is a sweet character, loyal, and brave, every description, dialogue, or action she takes is meant to show that she's 'not like other girls,' which is honestly lazy writing and completely untrue. She reads books, likes horror, and dresses comfortably...how's that uncommon? Please explain. Also, she spends the entirety of the book hell-bent (pun intended) on leaving Stowe and studying at UCLA, despite her literally all her loved ones' attempts to dissuade her, only for her to decide by the end that they're probably right. What the hell was that? Seriously?
Furthermore, as for the rest of the characters, not much is different. Only Sam (I have a feeling his full name is Samael - the devil's angel name), the demon boyfriend, seems to have a slightly more complex character than the others, with him being the son of satan, and his evil nature conflicting with the goodness inside of him, not that he was given the chance to explore that more before the book ended. I just hope that if there is a sequel, he will be in it and his character can be developed properly. Then again, that should be done to all the characters. As for the other characters, Zee, Barry and Rage (whose full names are Zerakiel, Barakiel, and Raguel - a little too on the nose, no?) are pretty much the same as Mica. They are all a little too perfect, one-dimensional, and their only flaw is that instead of accepting their friend's wishes and supporting her, they are trying to convince her not to leave. Very codependent, right??
Finally, the romance is cute yet messy, much like any teenage love is, to be honest. It's just that this one involved magic from hell. I really liked Mica and Sam's relationship, at first. They are really cute together, they both love reading, he took her to some really cute, if not slightly questionable, dates, and Mica could use a little rebellion in her life. However, it doesn't take long for their relationship, and, Sam in particular, to raise some serious red flags. A part of their relationship is built on magically induced gaslighting, solely by Sam, to ensure that Mica is attracted to and falls for him, which also has a strong physical effect on her, mostly making her extremely drowsy. Oh! He also stares at her while she's sleeping. It didn't impress me with Edward and Bella and it won't impress me now. Thankfully, she realises this quickly and acts accordingly. Having said that, despite the synopsis, I initially hoped they would somehow end up together in the end (before the gaslighting stuff happened) because they are together on the cover and my tiny brain imprinted on their relationship before I even started reading the book. I got too attached too soon. 😅😅 Alas, there is another relationship, much healthier than this one between Mica and her friend Rage that I can learn to appreciate soon enough, although I am as much of a fan of friends-to-lovers as I am of enemies-to-lovers.
So, would you read this?
December 29, 2022
I really liked the concept for this book, but it didn’t quite reach the potential I was hoping for. That being said it is a fast paced engrossing story that I think a lot of people will really like. I expected a bit more of a romance with a bit more of a surprise (as least to the love interest herself) when it soured. This was instant “dating” but also suspicions from the start. I did like Mica’s friends and I liked Mica’s passions. I think all of the characters could have been fleshed out a little more. They read like cartoon or comic book characters more than characters in a novel. I think if the book had been slowed down and longer everything could have developed more deeply.
February 19, 2023
A super cool premise but a mixed delivery. The characters felt more like caricatures in the way that they were written. You know what I mean right? Like the bad guy may as well say, 'mwah ha ha ha' with his head turned up to the darkening sky, his arms outstretched blah blah blah. Mica wasn't a character I could get behind either. It did get better towards the end but that was purely because of the biblical showdown. I'm not having much luck with YA this week.
January 25, 2023
why is this pitched as a cute love story that goes wrong when the main character has suspicions from the start? also it was instalove and lacked heavily in chemistry. wasn’t bad though and it was a quick read. i think a lot of teens would enjoy this.
April 20, 2023
the writing was so terribly atrocious it brought actual tears to my eyes.
and girlie rlly thought The Conjuring was an underground and obscure horror movie im cryingggg she’s so stupid
and girlie rlly thought The Conjuring was an underground and obscure horror movie im cryingggg she’s so stupid
January 4, 2023
3.5 Stars
A witty coming of age, fantasy YA about a teen girl’s first foray into dating (and then breaking up with) the son of Satan.
I really enjoyed this one and thought the Supernatural, lovers-to-enemies style romance was thoroughly entertaining and tongue in cheek hi-jinx we encounter kept the tone light despite all the fire and brimstone imagery (and “hellish” characters that make an appearance.)
Fans of Lucifer (especially fans of Tom Ellis’ portrayal of true titular character) and the melodramatic goodness of Buffy The Vampire Slayer will appreciate the good vs. evil plot line and all the villain based shenanigans that results from breaking up with the son of the devil. Though I do have to admit the pacing was a little too fast at times which I found a bit jarring and meant the romance did feel a little Insta-lovey.
But, since the synopsis makes it clear that the romance is pretty much doomed, Ann Dávila Cardinal does swiftly usher us through most of the “honeymoon phase” scenes — allowing us to bask in all the juicy, drama-filled and action-packed (sometimes farm animal related) conflicts that we’ve been waiting for.
I liked Mica, our protagonist who yearns for excitement and a life beyond the small town she’s grown up in—which many teen readers will find highly relatable. I also really loved the other characters too(particularly Barry who’s enthusiasm for demon slaying was hilariously refreshing and Rage-alternate love interest of Mica’s who I genuinely adored). It was also great to see that even the antagonists (Sam and Rona) were pretty memorable characters and got their own time to shine—with witty one liners, evil speeches, demonic possessions galore.
Overall, a fairly lighthearted and entertaining fantasy romp that perfect for fans of Lucifer, Buffy and all things supernaturally weird (we’re talking angels, demons, devilish exes, possessed farm animals, and even a dragon!)
And a huge thank you to Harper360ya for the e-arc
A witty coming of age, fantasy YA about a teen girl’s first foray into dating (and then breaking up with) the son of Satan.
I really enjoyed this one and thought the Supernatural, lovers-to-enemies style romance was thoroughly entertaining and tongue in cheek hi-jinx we encounter kept the tone light despite all the fire and brimstone imagery (and “hellish” characters that make an appearance.)
Fans of Lucifer (especially fans of Tom Ellis’ portrayal of true titular character) and the melodramatic goodness of Buffy The Vampire Slayer will appreciate the good vs. evil plot line and all the villain based shenanigans that results from breaking up with the son of the devil. Though I do have to admit the pacing was a little too fast at times which I found a bit jarring and meant the romance did feel a little Insta-lovey.
But, since the synopsis makes it clear that the romance is pretty much doomed, Ann Dávila Cardinal does swiftly usher us through most of the “honeymoon phase” scenes — allowing us to bask in all the juicy, drama-filled and action-packed (sometimes farm animal related) conflicts that we’ve been waiting for.
I liked Mica, our protagonist who yearns for excitement and a life beyond the small town she’s grown up in—which many teen readers will find highly relatable. I also really loved the other characters too(particularly Barry who’s enthusiasm for demon slaying was hilariously refreshing and Rage-alternate love interest of Mica’s who I genuinely adored). It was also great to see that even the antagonists (Sam and Rona) were pretty memorable characters and got their own time to shine—with witty one liners, evil speeches, demonic possessions galore.
Overall, a fairly lighthearted and entertaining fantasy romp that perfect for fans of Lucifer, Buffy and all things supernaturally weird (we’re talking angels, demons, devilish exes, possessed farm animals, and even a dragon!)
And a huge thank you to Harper360ya for the e-arc
December 15, 2022
Breakup from Hell follows Miguela "Mica" Angeles who is desperate to leave snowy small town Vermont for sunny California. She's tired of her grandmother trying to keep her as the sheltered good Catholic school girl and can't wait to break free.
When a mysterious boy name Sam moves to town he immediately shows and interest in Mica and strange things start happening. Soon Mica discovers her new boyfriend is literally one of Satan's sons and determined to destroy the town.
This book was funny/poked fun at classic teen fantasy tropes. I also liked the way it wove Christianity and the book of Revelation into the magic system. People may have mixed feelings about the portrayal of religion in this story but I thought it was very relatable from the teen perspective. It doesn't condemn or critique Catholicism. It gives you an as realistic as it can in this type of story, view of a regular Catholic school girl's life. And Mica being Puerto Rican, religion is very tied into the culture.
The pacing is a little uneven at times since it's quite fast in the beginning and slows down once the world is set up and reveals are made.
The writing is also very approachable for teen readers. There's a message in this story but it's not a heavy handed message.
When a mysterious boy name Sam moves to town he immediately shows and interest in Mica and strange things start happening. Soon Mica discovers her new boyfriend is literally one of Satan's sons and determined to destroy the town.
This book was funny/poked fun at classic teen fantasy tropes. I also liked the way it wove Christianity and the book of Revelation into the magic system. People may have mixed feelings about the portrayal of religion in this story but I thought it was very relatable from the teen perspective. It doesn't condemn or critique Catholicism. It gives you an as realistic as it can in this type of story, view of a regular Catholic school girl's life. And Mica being Puerto Rican, religion is very tied into the culture.
The pacing is a little uneven at times since it's quite fast in the beginning and slows down once the world is set up and reveals are made.
The writing is also very approachable for teen readers. There's a message in this story but it's not a heavy handed message.
July 3, 2023
I can't with this, today is not my day, another book, another 1⭐ rating
January 27, 2023
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF'd @ 25%
I liked the idea of Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal, but it just wasn't for me. The concept sounded pretty fun, but the execution of it was lacking primarily in the pacing and the characters. I don't know if these elements improved over the course of the novel, but I lost all interest in bothering with continuing on with it.
DNF'd @ 25%
I liked the idea of Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal, but it just wasn't for me. The concept sounded pretty fun, but the execution of it was lacking primarily in the pacing and the characters. I don't know if these elements improved over the course of the novel, but I lost all interest in bothering with continuing on with it.
October 14, 2023
2.5, rounded up (mild spoilers in the first paragraph, if you want to go blind into the book you can start reading from the second paragraph)
Wtf I thought this was a YA lovers to enemies book, not a gorey book with literal animal sacrifices, the love interest turned villain in question probably being Sammael and him eating a still beating heart, that was just too much tbh
Anyway, it was an entertaining read, I listened it in audiobook and I was IMMERSED, Mica is kinda annoying as a main character but she's a teenager so it's understandable, all teenagers are annoying to some point, I do know I was annoying as hell (and probably still am).
I liked Sam but it was obvious from the beginning he wasn't a normal human being, and that Mica wasn't a common human being neither, it's kinda like a comedy of many YA paranormal 2000's books but it was also pretty entertaining and interesting as well. If you're in a reading slump or want to listen to something while cooking, cleaning, etc., I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version.
Pre-reseña:
Se suponía que esto iba a ser ruido de fondo en lo que hacía mi tarea.
No hice mi tarea.
Wtf I thought this was a YA lovers to enemies book, not a gorey book with literal animal sacrifices, the love interest turned villain in question probably being Sammael and him eating a still beating heart, that was just too much tbh
Anyway, it was an entertaining read, I listened it in audiobook and I was IMMERSED, Mica is kinda annoying as a main character but she's a teenager so it's understandable, all teenagers are annoying to some point, I do know I was annoying as hell (and probably still am).
I liked Sam but it was obvious from the beginning he wasn't a normal human being, and that Mica wasn't a common human being neither, it's kinda like a comedy of many YA paranormal 2000's books but it was also pretty entertaining and interesting as well. If you're in a reading slump or want to listen to something while cooking, cleaning, etc., I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version.
Pre-reseña:
Se suponía que esto iba a ser ruido de fondo en lo que hacía mi tarea.
No hice mi tarea.
December 16, 2022
2 Stars
I wanted to like it. I liked the concept. The execution here was just a little lacking. "Breakup From Hell" sets up an expectation here that the book doesn't quite follow through on. I was looking forward to a love story that turns sour, to a slow revelation (pun intended) that the love interest here... is perhaps not of this world. But the love was a little insta, and the suspicions were there from the onset. There was not chemistry between these characters. There wasn't even lust to excuse the relationship away. So why where they together?
I did enjoy Mica's friends. It was nice to have a protagonist who didn't have to go it alone. She had a whole support group around her.
Anyway, my full review will be available January 13, 2023 at Gateway Reviews--first review of 2023!
I wanted to like it. I liked the concept. The execution here was just a little lacking. "Breakup From Hell" sets up an expectation here that the book doesn't quite follow through on. I was looking forward to a love story that turns sour, to a slow revelation (pun intended) that the love interest here... is perhaps not of this world. But the love was a little insta, and the suspicions were there from the onset. There was not chemistry between these characters. There wasn't even lust to excuse the relationship away. So why where they together?
I did enjoy Mica's friends. It was nice to have a protagonist who didn't have to go it alone. She had a whole support group around her.
Anyway, my full review will be available January 13, 2023 at Gateway Reviews--first review of 2023!
January 6, 2023
This is my first read of the year and the first time I read a book and really hate everything about it.
Let's start with Mica's friends they're so selfish and so not worth anyone's time. Rage said something so stupid at the end "just because you're going to face him alone doesn't mean you're lonely" Yeah, they let her face the son and daughter of Lucifer alone while both Rage and Barry went to save Zee and nobody thought that Mica is facing an impossible task alone. That was always the case during the whole book. At the beginning when they went to the fair the boys went to play with each other and Zee went to buy food while Mica stood their alone watching them (She didn't want to go to the fair, they used her grandmother against her to get her there, but then left her alone). No wonder she wanted to leave town. They didn't respect the fact that she wanted to go to collage in LA and kept manipulating her and siding with her grandmother against her without giving a damn about her opinion about her life and I am supposed to like them because they were betraying her because they love her; so that should make it ok. Also, Rage treated her badly when he knew about the collage and I am supposed to feel good about that because he was doing this because he was in love with her and didn't want her to leave. Couldn't he just talk to her. Tell her that he loved her and didn't want her to leave, but to treat her badly and guilt trip her into staying is so selfish and childish.
Her grandmother was a nightmare. Raising somebody to be a good person doesn't mean you have to treat them like they disgust you their whole lives, take every decision for them until they hate their entire existence, and guilt trip them for every breath they take.
Mica hated her life in Stowe and between her grandmother and her friends she had every right to. Even if she was wrong, she still had the right to take decisions for herself and to have the people in her life respect these decisions. They can argue with her, but they can't just ignore her wishes completely and go on to choose everything in her life for her. Actually the whole theme of the book seemed to be that you shouldn't want more or different even if that change was totally in your power, you should just accept your life the way it is. I have no problem with acceptance, but acceptance happens with the things that we can never change no matter what we do; like the death of a loved one. But, accepting to live somewhere you hate while you have the ability to live somewhere else is called being lazy. Accept the unchangeable and change what you can change.
Another point that was really a problem in this book is the diversity issue and that's a problem with all books nowadays. Writers just try to be diverse for the sake of convincing a larger number of people to buy their book and they do it even if it destroys the whole plot. Here, we have 4 teenagers descended from 4 angelic lines and destined to battle demons. Yet one of these 4 teenagers is pagan. Yep, you read that right we should prove that we're open minded. And I really want to ask in what world do parents (who know that the devil is literally hunting them down to kill them) allow their children to choose another religion other than that of their ancestors? you have the devil after you and yet you give up the heritage of your ancestors which is your only weapon in that battle just to keep an open mind? who does that? But we have to be inclusive. Also in the book Barry is pro guns and Zee is anti guns so that no one will feel left out reading this book. Sure they're descended from generations of the best warriors of all time, but her parents let her just hate weapons and think that fighting is bad. FIGHTING IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THEIR EXISTANCE. Barry is gay, but we'll never see his boyfriend again we're just throwing that in for the sake of diversity. Some people are vegan some really enjoy meat. They keep telling Mica that she's a badass for all of our feminist friends out there. And after throwing all that what do we get? we don't get a diversified universe we get an identity crisis. This is a story about super religious Catholics who have to put their religion before anything else to literally survive. So, that naturally won't resonate with certain types of people. A person who doesn't believe in God, angles, demons, heaven, or hell, will not be able to resonate with that story. I really hope that we get back to the times when writers knew that everything you write should serve the plot, that you're going to have only a certain number of audience for each story, and you shouldn't in any way ruin the story just to impress the whole world. It just won't work. Actually, it had never worked.
Lastly, there was the cartoonish quality of the story, I know this is a young adult romance novel. But seriously who though that it was a good idea that Mica beats Lucifer by throwing his phone to the ground. She says literally "Lucifer's son or no. There's something he can't live without" and then she throws his phone to the floor and he says nooooooooooooooooo and gets to the ground to retrieve it while she uses that time to free her grandmother. How old are we now? This could've worked if it was made into a cartoon for four or five year olds where Lucifer's son would be that cutsy little demon, Mica would be that small cute little girl, and then she would throw his toy on the ground and that would be a clever move, Sam gets defeated and everyone is happy. But If anyone older than four tries to read this it just won't work. Every situation in the book, every conversation was so cartoony I was always asking how old is the targeted audience are supposed to be. I have read books who were targeting middle graders who had way more mature conversations than this book. And some people are classifying this under horror. Have we read the same book?!!! What's so scary about a demon who is afraid of breaking the screen of his smart phone?, but I got say that made him more relatable to me because me too; I am always afraid of breaking the screen of my smart phone.
All in all I hated everything about this book, but it is really my fault I keep giving romance books a shot in a hope of finding something worth reading, but that never happens. I hope I will learn the lesson and never pick up a romance novel again.
Let's start with Mica's friends they're so selfish and so not worth anyone's time. Rage said something so stupid at the end "just because you're going to face him alone doesn't mean you're lonely" Yeah, they let her face the son and daughter of Lucifer alone while both Rage and Barry went to save Zee and nobody thought that Mica is facing an impossible task alone. That was always the case during the whole book. At the beginning when they went to the fair the boys went to play with each other and Zee went to buy food while Mica stood their alone watching them (She didn't want to go to the fair, they used her grandmother against her to get her there, but then left her alone). No wonder she wanted to leave town. They didn't respect the fact that she wanted to go to collage in LA and kept manipulating her and siding with her grandmother against her without giving a damn about her opinion about her life and I am supposed to like them because they were betraying her because they love her; so that should make it ok. Also, Rage treated her badly when he knew about the collage and I am supposed to feel good about that because he was doing this because he was in love with her and didn't want her to leave. Couldn't he just talk to her. Tell her that he loved her and didn't want her to leave, but to treat her badly and guilt trip her into staying is so selfish and childish.
Her grandmother was a nightmare. Raising somebody to be a good person doesn't mean you have to treat them like they disgust you their whole lives, take every decision for them until they hate their entire existence, and guilt trip them for every breath they take.
Mica hated her life in Stowe and between her grandmother and her friends she had every right to. Even if she was wrong, she still had the right to take decisions for herself and to have the people in her life respect these decisions. They can argue with her, but they can't just ignore her wishes completely and go on to choose everything in her life for her. Actually the whole theme of the book seemed to be that you shouldn't want more or different even if that change was totally in your power, you should just accept your life the way it is. I have no problem with acceptance, but acceptance happens with the things that we can never change no matter what we do; like the death of a loved one. But, accepting to live somewhere you hate while you have the ability to live somewhere else is called being lazy. Accept the unchangeable and change what you can change.
Another point that was really a problem in this book is the diversity issue and that's a problem with all books nowadays. Writers just try to be diverse for the sake of convincing a larger number of people to buy their book and they do it even if it destroys the whole plot. Here, we have 4 teenagers descended from 4 angelic lines and destined to battle demons. Yet one of these 4 teenagers is pagan. Yep, you read that right we should prove that we're open minded. And I really want to ask in what world do parents (who know that the devil is literally hunting them down to kill them) allow their children to choose another religion other than that of their ancestors? you have the devil after you and yet you give up the heritage of your ancestors which is your only weapon in that battle just to keep an open mind? who does that? But we have to be inclusive. Also in the book Barry is pro guns and Zee is anti guns so that no one will feel left out reading this book. Sure they're descended from generations of the best warriors of all time, but her parents let her just hate weapons and think that fighting is bad. FIGHTING IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THEIR EXISTANCE. Barry is gay, but we'll never see his boyfriend again we're just throwing that in for the sake of diversity. Some people are vegan some really enjoy meat. They keep telling Mica that she's a badass for all of our feminist friends out there. And after throwing all that what do we get? we don't get a diversified universe we get an identity crisis. This is a story about super religious Catholics who have to put their religion before anything else to literally survive. So, that naturally won't resonate with certain types of people. A person who doesn't believe in God, angles, demons, heaven, or hell, will not be able to resonate with that story. I really hope that we get back to the times when writers knew that everything you write should serve the plot, that you're going to have only a certain number of audience for each story, and you shouldn't in any way ruin the story just to impress the whole world. It just won't work. Actually, it had never worked.
Lastly, there was the cartoonish quality of the story, I know this is a young adult romance novel. But seriously who though that it was a good idea that Mica beats Lucifer by throwing his phone to the ground. She says literally "Lucifer's son or no. There's something he can't live without" and then she throws his phone to the floor and he says nooooooooooooooooo and gets to the ground to retrieve it while she uses that time to free her grandmother. How old are we now? This could've worked if it was made into a cartoon for four or five year olds where Lucifer's son would be that cutsy little demon, Mica would be that small cute little girl, and then she would throw his toy on the ground and that would be a clever move, Sam gets defeated and everyone is happy. But If anyone older than four tries to read this it just won't work. Every situation in the book, every conversation was so cartoony I was always asking how old is the targeted audience are supposed to be. I have read books who were targeting middle graders who had way more mature conversations than this book. And some people are classifying this under horror. Have we read the same book?!!! What's so scary about a demon who is afraid of breaking the screen of his smart phone?, but I got say that made him more relatable to me because me too; I am always afraid of breaking the screen of my smart phone.
All in all I hated everything about this book, but it is really my fault I keep giving romance books a shot in a hope of finding something worth reading, but that never happens. I hope I will learn the lesson and never pick up a romance novel again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2022
Fun, fast-paced story. I loved Mica. She was strong-willed, spunky and so smart! I loved how she stood her ground, pushed for what she wanted and always tired to look at everything clear-eyed and level headed. Her friend group was great - I loved their connection, their witty banter and their adorable memories and traditions. Z was especially intriguing since she'd been putting up with a more troubling ability for awhile and had been sruggling. I also appreciated Abuela and how much she tried to care and love Mica. Even if she wasn't always supportive (and she kept secrets), she was a rock that Mica and her friends needed.
The story is a little over the top but in all the best ways. I mean, the hot new guy in town with only eyes for Mica - of course he has a wicked smile and fire in his eyes! I loved the few references to other books and silly stories. This is definitely geared toward a younger YA but I didn't mind. It was cute and entertaining and I enjoyed it! I enjoyed this audio over one long trip across state lines and consuming it all at once definitely helped me keep characters and storyline straight.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an audiobook via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
The story is a little over the top but in all the best ways. I mean, the hot new guy in town with only eyes for Mica - of course he has a wicked smile and fire in his eyes! I loved the few references to other books and silly stories. This is definitely geared toward a younger YA but I didn't mind. It was cute and entertaining and I enjoyed it! I enjoyed this audio over one long trip across state lines and consuming it all at once definitely helped me keep characters and storyline straight.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an audiobook via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
March 3, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. I think that because I know what Ann Dávila Cardinal is capable of after reading The Storyteller’s Death, this turned a little disappointing but HONESTLY IT IS STILL VERY GOOD AND ENTERTAINING! Like, I was immediately rooting for Mica and I always love some magical realism thrown into Latine books. There are YA books I love even now as an adult and then there are YA books I know I would’ve loved more if I was a teen, this is the latter (which makes sense since I’m not the target audience).
As for Sam, all I gotta say is: 🙄.
But also, I’m such a sucker for abuelitas in books 🫶. I loved how her and Mica’s relationship developed throughout the story.
As for Sam, all I gotta say is: 🙄.
But also, I’m such a sucker for abuelitas in books 🫶. I loved how her and Mica’s relationship developed throughout the story.
January 10, 2023
3.5/5
Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal is a fast paced, highly engrossing, unique YA novel. It has been a while since a YA book surprised me and this is one definitely managed to do that. It's a supernatural rom-com set in a small town in Vermont and it features Miguela Angeles who loves horror novels and wants to leave the small town that she has known forever. I absolutely loved her group of friends who play a very prominent role in the book. Then there is Sam who is supposedly on a vacation in her town along with his sister. Their arrival marks the beginning of strange, terrifying events, horrifying visions and Mica's discovery of her family history as well as the truth about who Sam actually is. There is a breakup which literally involves hell, friendship, family, epic sword battles, library research and a lot more.
It was refreshing and unique and I finished it in a single sitting. I really liked it.
Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal is a fast paced, highly engrossing, unique YA novel. It has been a while since a YA book surprised me and this is one definitely managed to do that. It's a supernatural rom-com set in a small town in Vermont and it features Miguela Angeles who loves horror novels and wants to leave the small town that she has known forever. I absolutely loved her group of friends who play a very prominent role in the book. Then there is Sam who is supposedly on a vacation in her town along with his sister. Their arrival marks the beginning of strange, terrifying events, horrifying visions and Mica's discovery of her family history as well as the truth about who Sam actually is. There is a breakup which literally involves hell, friendship, family, epic sword battles, library research and a lot more.
It was refreshing and unique and I finished it in a single sitting. I really liked it.
January 28, 2023
Well this was a demonic barrel of Vermonty fun. Like the tv-show Lucifer meets a feminist send-up of YA fantasy set primarily in Stowe, Vermont but also visiting other places near where I live - like Vermont College of Fine Arts (which is down the road from where I work), Al's French Fry's, etc. I heard the author say that part of her inspiration was the chance to send lava down Mount Mansfield's ski slopes, and she doesn't hold back on the devilish fun - including a dragon straight out of Revelations and the brilliant use of cows (yes cows) & a farm thresher that had me LOL. The story centers on high-school-senior Mica and her home-town friends & the hellish hijinks that ensue when Mica starts dating a mysterious out-of-towner who just might be the ultimate "bad boy". Hilarious dialogue, a feisty grandmother who was one of my favorite characters and a heavenly kiss scene just add to the fun - an enthusiastic recommendation for this action-packed horror-comedy. You'll never see cows in the same way again lol.
February 21, 2023
So, Now that the strike is over! I Can give you my two cents on “Breakup from HELL”
For all my lovers of LUCIFER the Tv show , This one is for you.
I had so much fun reading this book!
So Míguela and her group of BFFS Barry, Zee, and Rage live in a small town in Vermont. A new boy arrived and Míguela falls head over heals for him. They go on their daily small town adventures, like going to school, church and attend the same place on Friday nights to hang out. They also will be attending the same college everyone in the small town attends.. BUT
Míguela aka Mica is tired of this monotone life and behind her uber religious and protective grandmother’s back applies to UCLA and gets accepted! 🫣 so she’s keeping that a secret from her..
Mica is also a booknerd and lover of horror stories and one day when she’s feeling down and tired of the same every day she meets Sam “the seductive and mysterious” new boy in town. So as they start to spend more time together She falls for his charming ways, BUT then suddenly weird things starts to happen to not just Mica but her group of friends…
Is Sam who she believes He is? Why are her and her friends experiencing all these strange things? Waiiiittt why is abuela acting up so weird too? Hmmmm Abuela is hiding something 🫣…
Abuela is definitely hiding something 👀…
For all my lovers of LUCIFER the Tv show , This one is for you.
I had so much fun reading this book!
So Míguela and her group of BFFS Barry, Zee, and Rage live in a small town in Vermont. A new boy arrived and Míguela falls head over heals for him. They go on their daily small town adventures, like going to school, church and attend the same place on Friday nights to hang out. They also will be attending the same college everyone in the small town attends.. BUT
Míguela aka Mica is tired of this monotone life and behind her uber religious and protective grandmother’s back applies to UCLA and gets accepted! 🫣 so she’s keeping that a secret from her..
Mica is also a booknerd and lover of horror stories and one day when she’s feeling down and tired of the same every day she meets Sam “the seductive and mysterious” new boy in town. So as they start to spend more time together She falls for his charming ways, BUT then suddenly weird things starts to happen to not just Mica but her group of friends…
Is Sam who she believes He is? Why are her and her friends experiencing all these strange things? Waiiiittt why is abuela acting up so weird too? Hmmmm Abuela is hiding something 🫣…
Abuela is definitely hiding something 👀…
January 10, 2023
This book was very surprising to me it subverted many of my expectations the story started maybe like what I was thinking of but it quickly went a completely different direction that direction was really interesting though. It was a great good vs evil story the romance was different than expected I still loved everything about this book. I really loved the characters I especially loved Mica she was different than what I expected from the lead in a paranormal romance. I also loved her friends and the other romantic interest Rage he was much better for her I really liked how they got together by the end. The story was really interesting it started out like your typical paranormal romance with Maci meeting a new and interesting guy that she likes really quickly faster than she should of. After than weird things happen and things just go wrong often so after that other things happen and the new and interesting guy becomes something that Mica would not of expected at first. After that the romance of her and Rage starts with many bumps in the road other not so nice things happen and Mica and her friends find something out and set out to save the day after a while all is well and the also has a great ending to a great romance with her and Rage.
January 2, 2024
This is my first time reading a book by Ann Davila Cardinal I really enjoyed the book Miguela is a tough young lady who is trying to save her town with her three best friends. I was shocked when Miguela and Zee went to dig dirt on who Sam really and was shocked to discover that he's the son of Satan. Breakup from Hell was a page turner I had a hard time putting it down.
January 9, 2023
powiem tak… za dwa tygodnie na bank nie będę kompletnie pamietała o tej książce…
liczyłam na coś super, a dostałam bardzo nijakie opowiadanie rodem 3 sezon riverdale (z większa ilością latynoskiej reprezentacji)
niestety, nie była to moja książka
liczyłam na coś super, a dostałam bardzo nijakie opowiadanie rodem 3 sezon riverdale (z większa ilością latynoskiej reprezentacji)
niestety, nie była to moja książka
July 26, 2025
Not great, more like mediocre. An easy read but not Cardinal's best work.
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If you love active book communities, check out LiterALLy BOOKiSh Book Club (on Facebook)! Games, giveaways, discussions, reviews, bingo, swaps, pen pals, traveling books, and a lot more!
January 11, 2023
I would love to write a review once HarperCollins decides to come to the table and negotiate with the HC Union.
December 12, 2022
This was a funish read. I found myself slogging through the second half of the book but I did liked enoughcharacters. I just hoped the story would have been a bit more exciting. But that's a personal preference. I think a lot of people will probably enjoy this book.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest revie
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest revie
October 11, 2023
4.5 ⭐
January 4, 2023
Let me start out by saying that I am not at all religious, and I know absolutely nothing about Catholicism, a "Saint Michael" or any bible verses. I am very happy that the author did explain most of the religious references and bible quotes, otherwise I would have been very, very confused. I usually avoid books that center around religion, but I actually really liked this book. You absolutely do not need to believe in a god or have any knowledge of churches at all to be able to fully comprehend the story. I love discovering books that are unique and bring something new to the table. I've never personally read a YA fantasy book that was even remotely similar to this, but take that with a grain of salt since I don't often read books that involve religion.
I'm glad that Mica and her friends weren't extremely religious/evangelical, because it made it easier to relate to her. It felt like a normal YA fantasy book, a group of teens discovering their powers and ancestry. Zee was my favorite character. She is so sensitive and kind, and her visions and feelings played a key role in the mystery. I loved the mystery aspect. In many fantasy books that involve people with powers, the world-building is completely explained and established in the beginning. It was refreshing to see the teens come into their own while also having that suspense. Breakup From Hell definitely had some creepy moments, but I appreciated that the evil part of good vs evil wasn't too terrifying.
However, I do have a few nitpicks. I would have wished we had some more background on the characters and perhaps had them showing some signs of powers before we met Sam, because I'm still not sure if Sam and Rona influenced them, or if their presence coincidentally activated their instincts. It would have been nice if their romance started for real, and then along the way we become suspicious of Sam and Rona. I also think that the feelings with Rage (Yes, that is a real character's name), came on a bit suddenly and could have been built up to more. Also, who actually names their kid "Rage?" Seems like you're dooming them to have anger issues. It took me like 20 pages from when he was introduced to realize that he was a character and not a metaphor or imaginary friend. Those aren't big things, just little things.
I'm glad that Mica and her friends weren't extremely religious/evangelical, because it made it easier to relate to her. It felt like a normal YA fantasy book, a group of teens discovering their powers and ancestry. Zee was my favorite character. She is so sensitive and kind, and her visions and feelings played a key role in the mystery. I loved the mystery aspect. In many fantasy books that involve people with powers, the world-building is completely explained and established in the beginning. It was refreshing to see the teens come into their own while also having that suspense. Breakup From Hell definitely had some creepy moments, but I appreciated that the evil part of good vs evil wasn't too terrifying.
However, I do have a few nitpicks. I would have wished we had some more background on the characters and perhaps had them showing some signs of powers before we met Sam, because I'm still not sure if Sam and Rona influenced them, or if their presence coincidentally activated their instincts. It would have been nice if their romance started for real, and then along the way we become suspicious of Sam and Rona. I also think that the feelings with Rage (Yes, that is a real character's name), came on a bit suddenly and could have been built up to more. Also, who actually names their kid "Rage?" Seems like you're dooming them to have anger issues. It took me like 20 pages from when he was introduced to realize that he was a character and not a metaphor or imaginary friend. Those aren't big things, just little things.
January 14, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
However, I am currently withholding my review due to the HarperCollins strike.
However, I am currently withholding my review due to the HarperCollins strike.
January 30, 2023
I received a galley of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
God, should I have DNF'd this? Yes, absolutely. I truly don't know how I made it through this book. I guess part of it was that this is a quick and easy read (and also relatively short). I just really did not like this. Let's start with the writing: it was incredibly immature, and juvenile but in a way where it seems like the author hasn't interacted with a teenager since like 2012 at the latest. It was incredibly cringey and painful to read. The main character was also absolutely insufferable. The male lead literally used the words "you're not like other girls" to describe her and she took that as the biggest compliment she'd ever gotten. If that doesn't tell you enough about her than I don't know what else will. Just in case, here is something else about her: she constantly acts superiour to everyone else in this small town because she's tough and loves horror and knows really obscure movies like *rechecks list* The Conjuring. Yeah, feeling cool and edgy and misunderstood for liking extremely mainstream things wasn't cool in 2010 and it still isn't know. She was also incredibly stupid. Oh my god, I haven't read about anyone this plain ol' dumb in quite a while. She missed the most obvious of clues, while also being suspicious of the most normal of behaviours. Blegh, it was insufferable. On top of that the romance was incredibly underdeveloped, insta-lovey, and completely without chemistry as well. The only thing I liked about this book was how intriguing the plot was. It was obvious from the start something was amiss and even though some parts of it where incredibly obvious, I was quite curious about the answers to other questions. However, once we got those they felt incredibly stupid and lame. It literally made my eyes roll. However, I still didn't DNF because at point I was that far already that I just feel like I had to make that suffering worth something. I really wish I could have loved it because the premise sounded so much fun. Incredibly cheesy, yes, but also a whole lot of fun. However, it ended up just being absolute misery and I hate myself for wasting my own time.
God, should I have DNF'd this? Yes, absolutely. I truly don't know how I made it through this book. I guess part of it was that this is a quick and easy read (and also relatively short). I just really did not like this. Let's start with the writing: it was incredibly immature, and juvenile but in a way where it seems like the author hasn't interacted with a teenager since like 2012 at the latest. It was incredibly cringey and painful to read. The main character was also absolutely insufferable. The male lead literally used the words "you're not like other girls" to describe her and she took that as the biggest compliment she'd ever gotten. If that doesn't tell you enough about her than I don't know what else will. Just in case, here is something else about her: she constantly acts superiour to everyone else in this small town because she's tough and loves horror and knows really obscure movies like *rechecks list* The Conjuring. Yeah, feeling cool and edgy and misunderstood for liking extremely mainstream things wasn't cool in 2010 and it still isn't know. She was also incredibly stupid. Oh my god, I haven't read about anyone this plain ol' dumb in quite a while. She missed the most obvious of clues, while also being suspicious of the most normal of behaviours. Blegh, it was insufferable. On top of that the romance was incredibly underdeveloped, insta-lovey, and completely without chemistry as well. The only thing I liked about this book was how intriguing the plot was. It was obvious from the start something was amiss and even though some parts of it where incredibly obvious, I was quite curious about the answers to other questions. However, once we got those they felt incredibly stupid and lame. It literally made my eyes roll. However, I still didn't DNF because at point I was that far already that I just feel like I had to make that suffering worth something. I really wish I could have loved it because the premise sounded so much fun. Incredibly cheesy, yes, but also a whole lot of fun. However, it ended up just being absolute misery and I hate myself for wasting my own time.
December 21, 2022
Full disclosure, I usually avoid religious material like the plague because of my own relationship with Christianity in the past, but holy hell, this was a fun romp and I didn't find it triggering at all! Yes, this is the usual good versus evil as in angels vs. demons, god vs. satan kind of situation, but what made this a safe space for me all the same was the fact that the characters in the book are not bible-thumpers; they take the lord's name in vain and the whole thing was actually pretty irreverent and cheesy in the best kind of way and I loved every page of it! Also, because the focus is on Catholicism and not Southern Baptism where I come from, that helped me put some distance between my background and where the story actually takes place.
I loved all the characters and relationships in this book, so much! Main character Mica's parents are gone but she is very close to her grandmother, with a bit of teenage angst and rebellion thrown in there for good measure, and I loved the way they could fight but still respect and love each other. I loved Mica's friend group (Zee was my favorite, because she was very "out there" but still loyal and sweet) and their interactions, and how they were all their own unique people with their own interests and hobbies. Mica and Rage are into tae kwon do; Zee is into crystals; and Barry is a farmboy who loves his pigs and cows. But even though they're all so different, they would fight to the death to protect one another. They were just such a great cast!
This book went places I really did not anticipate! Animal sacrifice, hail satan, full throttle! It just went absolutely batshit crazy towards the end of the book and I loved every minute of it. There were moments in this book that made me laugh out loud, and there were some that were genuinely scary. It was just so good!
Long story short, I loved it and would love to read more by this author, and more from this series (if it becomes one).
I loved all the characters and relationships in this book, so much! Main character Mica's parents are gone but she is very close to her grandmother, with a bit of teenage angst and rebellion thrown in there for good measure, and I loved the way they could fight but still respect and love each other. I loved Mica's friend group (Zee was my favorite, because she was very "out there" but still loyal and sweet) and their interactions, and how they were all their own unique people with their own interests and hobbies. Mica and Rage are into tae kwon do; Zee is into crystals; and Barry is a farmboy who loves his pigs and cows. But even though they're all so different, they would fight to the death to protect one another. They were just such a great cast!
This book went places I really did not anticipate! Animal sacrifice, hail satan, full throttle! It just went absolutely batshit crazy towards the end of the book and I loved every minute of it. There were moments in this book that made me laugh out loud, and there were some that were genuinely scary. It was just so good!
Long story short, I loved it and would love to read more by this author, and more from this series (if it becomes one).
January 10, 2023
This book was RIDICULOUS. But not entirely in a bad way 😂. It’s like a mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Twilight meets Lucifer the TV show meets Riverdale? Like the CW would LOVE this for a show 😂.
The story is fun, it seems to sort of poke fun at itself, I mean there are Buffy, Twilight, and Lucifer jokes, a random Indiana Jones joke, other weird references that I’m not sure teenagers in high school in current day would actually say?
But the writing was just a mess. The descriptions were repetitive and cliched. It was a lot of “the page was kissed with gold” or “the sun kissed the sky” or “he wore old fashioned clothing”. The dialogue had so much cheesy name calling, calling someone a goth-ho or devil-ho or a biatch (LOL - do teens still say that?!) and everything was “so badass”.
And the ending was also very messy, and it was supposed to be all about Mica having a support system except her friends just sort of disappeared from the novel at 85%-ish and we regroup with them at the end and get a paragraph recap of what they were up to, but it was in dialogue written like no one actually talks, like it had been part of the book earlier on but instead they copied and pasted it into dialogue in a later draft?
Overall, this had a lot of potential, but just didn’t meet expectations. There’s a scene where Mica knocks Sam’s (the devil’s son) phone off a throne or something and he’s legit like “NOT MY PHONE!” And I died 😂😂😂.
If you’re looking for a super fast, supernatural, CW-teen cheesy read, with okay-ish writing this is for YOU. 😂📚
3.5⭐️
The story is fun, it seems to sort of poke fun at itself, I mean there are Buffy, Twilight, and Lucifer jokes, a random Indiana Jones joke, other weird references that I’m not sure teenagers in high school in current day would actually say?
But the writing was just a mess. The descriptions were repetitive and cliched. It was a lot of “the page was kissed with gold” or “the sun kissed the sky” or “he wore old fashioned clothing”. The dialogue had so much cheesy name calling, calling someone a goth-ho or devil-ho or a biatch (LOL - do teens still say that?!) and everything was “so badass”.
And the ending was also very messy, and it was supposed to be all about Mica having a support system except her friends just sort of disappeared from the novel at 85%-ish and we regroup with them at the end and get a paragraph recap of what they were up to, but it was in dialogue written like no one actually talks, like it had been part of the book earlier on but instead they copied and pasted it into dialogue in a later draft?
Overall, this had a lot of potential, but just didn’t meet expectations. There’s a scene where Mica knocks Sam’s (the devil’s son) phone off a throne or something and he’s legit like “NOT MY PHONE!” And I died 😂😂😂.
If you’re looking for a super fast, supernatural, CW-teen cheesy read, with okay-ish writing this is for YOU. 😂📚
3.5⭐️
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