Review: Three stars: A funny book that takes demons and angels and puts them in an office setting.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2014
Melody is a bit anxious to start her new job as a temp in the HELL corporation. Mel is an angel who is on an undercover mission to find the head demon, Lucifer, and sniff out his plans for world domination. Mel must tread carefully, the last two angels that worked in the HELL corporation didn't return. Mel finds herself surrounded by daily by demons and ridiculous bureaucracy and tedious paperwork, but in spite of her surroundings, Mel finds that she has more in common with the demons than she thought. In the quest for a good cup of coffee, Mel just might earn a few new friends, but will she be able to avoid succumbing to Luce the CEO of HELL?What I Liked:*See You In Hell is a book that takes angels and demons and throws them into the business world complete with bad coffee, red tape, ridiculous paperwork and lots of bureaucracy. I liked the spin on HELL and thought the humor was quirky and fun.*Melody the main character is an angel, but she is not the righteous, uptight, perfect type of angel. She comes across as an average human, one with a big heart and kind smile. She even has sex. Who knew angels had sex? I liked that she was likable and easy to connect with, as angels are one of my least favorite paranormal entities. Mel, however, is relatable and I liked watching her go into the HELL corporation and quickly make friends. I especially appreciated that she didn't have the preconceived prejudices against the demons that some of her fellow angels had. I loved watching her get to know the demons, make some friends and land herself in a few sticky situations, my favorite being her first confrontation with Luce and the subsequent discussion over the cleanliness of his desk.*The demons are far from the evil entities I am used to. They too are like normal humans posing as office workers. Sure they have a few quirks, but they are not diabolical and evil and are quite friendly once you get to know them. After working with Mel, they end up being likable characters, and I can certainly relate with them over the bad coffee. Office life with bad coffee equals Hell!*I liked the quirky humor in this one. There is a lot of poking fun at life in the office, from the never ending paperwork, the chain of command and the questionable decisions from the higher ups. The author puts her own spin on the drudgery of office life, and she takes it to a funny new level. The scene where the HELL corporation tries to cut expense by doing away with purchasing new office supplies is one example. Aside from the satire, there is also lots of jokes that border on the risqué, they are not blatant, but they carry sexual innuendoes that made me chuckle.*The ending for the most part wraps up the story nicely, without a jarring cliffhanger. However, the author throws in a tantalizing tease for the next book.*This is a self pubbed book, but I had no issues with it. I didn't find any glaring errors. I will tell you that this book is set in Australia, so there were some terms that I wasn't familiar with, but overall a solid indie read. You can grab your own copy for $.99.And The Not So Much:*I struggled a bit with the world building. I wanted to know much more about angels, demons, heaven and hell. I didn't exactly have a clear understanding as to what exactly the HELL corporation's main purpose was or what the staff did in the office all day expect menial paperwork. I think the world building needs more detail.*The ending was a bit too abrupt. There is a startling confrontation at the end between Mel and Lucifer and Mel reveals a big secret about herself, and I was left confused. What type of angel exactly is Mel? I needed more information!*The plot could be a bit tighter. At times, it seemed to be all over the place. One minute there is talk about alien invasions and the next ridiculousness regarding eradication of pests. The overall storyline could use a bit more polish and focus.See You in Hell is a quick, entertaining and humorous read that takes the reader into HELL on earth, which is life in an office filled with mundane paperwork and a chain of command that isn't in tune. I liked spending time with Melody as she made new friends amongst the demons as she searched for the perfect cup of coffee. This is a fast read for those who want something light and different.I received a copy of this book from the tour promoter in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.