Tag: The Great Devil War

The Angel of Evil (The Great Devil War: Book 4) by Kenneth B. Andersen

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC1 Comment
The Angel of Evil: The Great Devil War IV by [Andersen, Kenneth B., Andersen, Kenneth Bøgh]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: October 20th, 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Series: The Great Devil War

The Devil’s Apprentice—Book 1 (Review here)

The Die of Death—Book 2 (Review here)

The Wrongful Death—Book 3 (Review here)

The Angel of Evil—Book 4

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

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

Where you can find The Angel of Evil: Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

SPOILER-ALERT! Stop reading if you haven’t read book I-III yet!

Nothing will ever be the same. Satina is gone, kidnapped by the enemy. Disobeying Lucifer, Philip heads out to find her, journeying into the deep darkness of Outer Reach. But nothing can prepare Philip for the horror that awaits—or the demons he will face.

Meanwhile, Lucifer’s kingdom is threatened as the Great Devil War draws closer. All Hell is about to break loose.

The Angel of Evil is volume 4 of The Great Devil War series.

First Line:

There was a knock at his door and he heard his mother’s voice in the hallway.

The Angel of Evil by Kenneth B. Andersen

My Review:

I was super excited when I started reading The Angel of Evil. I needed to know what was going to happen to Philip, Lucifer, Satina, Aziel (yes, him!!), and the other residents of Hell that have been introduced throughout this series. I was not disappointed. The Angel of Evil more than delivered in this book.

It is hard to write a review for a book that has such a complex storyline. I am going to try. There is so much that I want to say but can’t because I fear revealing something I shouldn’t. I am going to be annoyingly vague in this review (sorry, not sorry). Hopefully, my vagueness will make someone want to read the series.

The plotline of The Angel of Evil was fast-paced. Right from the beginning, it took off, and it didn’t slow down until the end. I loved it. I also liked that, for once, I couldn’t tell what was going to happen to Philip.

I am going to warn people (as I did in previous reviews and this blurb does) that The Angel of Evil is NOT a stand-alone book. You NEED to read the first three books first before reading this one. That isn’t a suggestion. There is so much going on that you will get lost reading this first. Trust me on this.

I loved Philip in this book. He was on a mission to save his friends, and nothing would stop him. Not even Lucifer saying, “No.” He showed leadership skills at points during the book. And let’s not forget about his bravery. Or the actual depth of his feelings for Satina.

Again, the author did a fantastic job of taking Biblical stories and myths from various cultures and meshing them together. I loved seeing Norse mythology being featured right along with Biblical stories.

The storyline about The Great Devil War and Aziel were wonderfully written. There was a point where I was wondering what that little devil was up to. His plans were meticulously laid out, but Philip was the one who threw a wrench in them.

I felt awful for Satina in The Angel of Evil. Her time with Aziel changed her. She was not the sweet tempter anymore. She had been through a traumatic experience. I am expecting her to be back to her old self for the next book. I missed her in this one.one.

The end of The Angel of Evil was terrific. I cannot wait to see what book five is going to bring. If the teaser chapter is any inclination, then I can’t wait to read the book!!

I would give The Angel of Evil an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is mild language. There is violence. I would reccomend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread The Angel of Evil I would recommend it to family and friends.

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

The Wrongful Death (The Great Devil War: Book 3) by Kenneth B. Andersen

On By JolieIn book review4 Comments
The Wrongful Death: The Great Devil War III by [Andersen, Kenneth B., Andersen, Kenneth Bøgh]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: April 5th, 2019

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Series: The Great Devil War

The Devil’s Apprentice—Book 1 (review here)

The Die of Death—Book 2 (review here)

The Wrongful Death—Book 3

The Angel of Evil—Book 4

The Fallen Angel-–Book 5

The Fallen Devil—Book 6

Where to find The Wrongful Death: Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

An unfortunate chain of events makes Philip responsible for the untimely death of the school bully Sam—the Devil’s original choice for an heir. Philip must return to Hell to find Sam and bring him back to life, so that fate can be restored. But trouble is stirring in Lucifer’s kingdom and not even Philip can imagine the strange and dark journey that awaits him. A journey that will take him through ancient underworlds and all the way to Paradise.

The Wrong Death is volume 3 of The Great Devil War series.

First Line:

“I’m going to bed, Mom.”

The Wrongful Death by Kenneth B. Andersen

My Review:

This review is going to be challenging to write because I can’t give too much away without spoiling this book. That frustrates me because there is so much that I want to write, but I can’t!! But I will try.

The Wrongful Death is the 3rd book in The Great Devil War series. The Wrongful Death is not a book that can be read alone. To understand what is going on in The Wrongful Death, you need to read the first two books. I can’t stress this enough for this series. You will get lost!!

The plotline for The Wrongful Death was slow to start. Usually, I wouldn’t like it. I would want the author to start the book off with Philip going back to Hell. But, in this case, it is needed. Philip’s state of mind and his friendships (mainly with Sam) needed to be explained. Plus, it was interesting to see Satina’s jealousy manifesting. After those couple of chapters, the book did pick up speed, and it flew to the end.

The author did a fantastic job of creating a Hell that wasn’t as evil as I thought it would be. He also did a tremendous job of showing a fractured Hell. A Hell where the demons were starting to split between Aziel and Lucifer. I loved it!!

I loved that the author also chose to write in Biblical stories, along with Greek myths. Which meant I loved it when Philip and Satina journeyed to Hades to rescue Sam. The condemned that they met, along with Hades and Persephone (who was scarier than Hades, in my opinion), was wonderfully written.

I enjoyed getting to know more about Sam in this book. As evil as he was on Earth, he was innocent in Hell (and Hades). He was shocked by what he witnessed. Even more so, he was shocked by Philip’s infamy down there.

Philip and Satina’s relationship was cute. I did raise my eyebrows at the whole sleeping in bed together but, and I stress but, nothing happened. There were a few innocent kisses, and that’s it.

I am still getting over the ending of The Wrongful Death. I was not expecting either things to happen. I was shocked and saddened. But, at the same time, I cannot wait to read book four because I have a feeling that everything is going to hit the fan in that book.

I would give The Wrongful Death an Older Teen rating. There is no sex (some kissing scenes). There is mild language. There is violence. I would reccomend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread The Wrongful Death. I would recommend it to family and friends.

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

The Die of Death (The Great Devil War: Book 2) by Kenneth B. Andersen

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC7 Comments
The Die of Death: The Great Devil War II by [Andersen, Kenneth B., Andersen, Kenneth Bøgh]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: October 5th, 2018

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Series: The Great Devil War

The Devil’s Apprentice—Book 1 (Review Here)

The Die of Death—Book 2

The Wrongful Death—Book 3

The Angel of Evil—Book 4

The Fallen Angel—Book 5

The Fallen Devil—Book 6

Where you can find The Die of Death: Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Philip’s adventures as the Devil’s apprentice have changed him—in a good way. Although he misses his friends in Hell, he has made new friends in life. But when the future of the underworld is threatened once again, Philip’s help is needed. Death’s Die has been stolen and immortality is spreading across the globe. Philip throws himself into the search—and discovers a horrible truth about his own life along the way.

The Die of Death is volume 2 in The Great Devil War-series.

First Line:

“Philip.”

The Die of Death by Kenneth B. Andersen

My Review:

The cover of The Die of Death was the first thing that I noticed about the book. It is one of the more arresting covers that I have seen, ever. It caught my eye and made me wonder what the book was going to be like.

The Die of Death is the 2nd book in The Great Devil War series. You cannot read this as a stand-alone. It will help if you read the previous books to understand what was going on in this book. I can’t stress this enough. You will be lost if you decide to read The Die of Death first.

The Die of Death is billed as a young adult fantasy. Because of the subjects discussed and portrayed, I would suggest that an older teen (16+) read the book.

The Die of Death’s plotline was fast-paced. But, it wasn’t so fast that I had issues following the plotline. The author knew when to slow down enough for critical scenes to be absorbed. Also, there were no dropped storylines or characters. I loved it!!

Philip was different in The Die of Death. His time in Hell had changed him. He stood in a more morally gray area. He was still a “good” boy, but there was an edge to him. I wasn’t surprised when he died again. But I was surprised when he was tasked with finding Mortimer’s dice. With Satina’s help (and I loved how teed off she was with him at the beginning), he started to dig into who had the dice. I did not doubt that he would find the dice. But I was surprised at the twists and turns that the story took to get there. Philip visited Purgatory (which was nothing like I imagined) and spent time at Mortimer’s house. I can’t go much after that because of massive spoilers. All I will say is that I wasn’t expecting Philip’s storyline to turn out the way it did.

I loved that the author took evil historical figures and peppered them throughout the book. I had a deep sense of satisfaction when I saw that Jack the Ripper was being chased by the women he murdered.

Philip and Satina’s developing romantic relationship was cute. There were a few “aww” moments with them during the book. I hope that they stay strong in the next book!!

Lucifer was a considerable presence in the book. I am still trying to wrap my head around him being fatherly to Philip. Not something I would even think to say when I think of the devil. I will say that I didn’t agree with his decision, and yes, it did hasten things up quite a bit.

The storyline involving the dice was interesting. I wasn’t expecting who took it. I did think it was another person, so, yes, I was surprised. But, I was also saddened by why the person took it. The hourglasses also saddened me along with the bargain Philip made with Mortimer.

The end of The Die of Death was bittersweet. I wasn’t surprised at who was in Mortimer’s basement. I also wasn’t surprised at what that person did and attempted to do. He got what was coming to him. There was also a perfect lead in to the next book, which I can’t wait to read!!!

I would give The Die of Death an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is mild language. There is violence. I would reccomend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread The Die of Death. I would recommend it to family and friends.

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

The Devil’s Apprentice (The Great Devil War: Book 1) by Kenneth B. Andersen

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC4 Comments
The Devil's Apprentice: The Great Devil War I by [Andersen, Kenneth B., Andersen, Kenneth Bøgh]

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.

First Line:

Philip heard him.

The Devil’s Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen

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.

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**