5 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: October 8th, 2018

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Series: The Great Devil War

The Devil’s Apprentice—Book 1

The Die of Death—Book 2

The Wrongful Death—Book 3

The Angel of Evil—Book 4

The Fallen Angel—Book 5 (expected publication date: 2020)

The Fallen Devil—Book 6 (expected publication date: 2020)

Where you can find The Devil’s Apprentice: Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne?

The Devil’s Apprentice is volume 1 in The Great Devil War-series.

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First Line:

Philip heard him.

The Devil’s Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen

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My Review:

The Devil’s Apprentice is the story about Philip. Philip is a good boy. So Philip was puzzled when he dies after a car accident, and he goes to Hell. It is after meeting Lucifer that they realize a mistake has been made. The wrong boy died. Lucifer is desperate and he needs an heir because he is dying. So, he makes Philip his heir and is determined to teach him how to become evil.

Meanwhile, Philip is busy making friends (and enemies). He also discovers that what is happening to Lucifer is being done on purpose. Will Philip turn evil? Will he be able to find out what is happening to Lucifer?

The Devil’s Apprentice did get off to a slow start. I understand that the author was doing the character and world-building at the time. The slowness lasted only for a couple of chapters. Once Philip was in Hell, the book sped up. There was zero lag in the plotline. That, along with the nicely moving plotline, made The Devil’s Apprentice a good read for me.

I was a little skeptical about a young adult novel set in Hell. But, the author was able to make Hell approachable. There was a town where the demons lived with the main street called Maim Street. I loved that the author took a place that has been associated with evil and made it into something somewhat normal and relatable. Of course, it had its dark side, and that dark side showed up often.

I liked Philip. I did feel bad for him when he first realized he was in Hell. Talk about shock!! He did acclimate as well as a human could. I mean, he was surrounded by all sorts of devils and demons. I know I wouldn’t have acclimated as well as he did!

I wasn’t too sure about Satina for a good part of the book. I thought that she was using Philip right from the beginning. By the middle of the book, I was divided on how I felt about her. It wasn’t until Philip fought Aziel that my opinion of her turned.

The storyline with Philip trying to figure out why Lucifer was dying was interesting. The author did a great job of keeping why and who was trying to kill Lucifer under wraps. I was surprised when it was revealed at the end of the book.

The other main storyline, Philip being in Hell, was fascinating. I did wonder if he was ever going to go back to Earth. That was my thoughts for the first half of the book. My thoughts on the second half were “No freaking way.” Philip changed so much in that part of the book. Now, I am wondering how that is going to affect him in real life.

The end of The Devil’s Apprentice was satisfying. The author wrapped up some storylines but left other storylines open. I can’t wait to read the next book.

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I would give The Devil’s Apprentice a Young Teen rating. There is no sex. There is no language. There is very violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 13 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread The Devil’s Apprentice. I am also on the fence if I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**