Review: Beneath: Running from the Devil 1, by J E Taylor and Katie Salidas

 

 

 

 

The book begins with long-time torturer of Hell Phenex taking a chance upon a rogue portal and ending up stranded in New York City with very realistic culture shock. Fate has assigned her exactly one ally, a being equally between realms as she is, and a redemption contract that she'd best fulfill or else.

The ally, Smoke, prefers living as a stray tomcat to either Hell or Heaven. Phenex, or as she renames herself, Phoebe,
discovers a long-buried joy in aiding animals serves her well. Her task is to stop a rogue Djinn from gorging on too many human lottery winners with the help of a Night Hag she met Down Below... all before she figures out how to learn to read.

The only hiccup I encountered in believing this unfolding tale was how quickly our heroine figures out the telling of time. Otherwise I was very easily entranced by this spin on the supernatural realms, and look forward to finding out what's making the portals, why Lucifer is MIA Down There, and whether Phoebe and Smoke can do all seven of her Redemption Tasks while also becoming a full-fledged Veterinarian's assistant. That is, if she quits nearly dying prematurely. Fine start to a series.

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3564604987

 https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Running-Devil-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07XDC8LVF/

 

Although it is not marketed as a YA,  I am designating it as one because it is not at all romantic or even sexual in content, and it has plenty of puppies.

Review: Magic In Disguise (Agents of A.S.S.E.T. #3) by Katie Salidas

This is the 3rd installment of the Agents of A.S.S.E.T series featuring Sage Cymwrig. She grew up in Phoenix unaware of her mother's actual profession as one of these buffers between the regular human and the arcane world. Her mom died in the line of duty and Sage discovers she is actually a Terran, one of the great lineages created with absolute immunity to magic. Heritage obliges her to continue the family profession, but in the previous episode she has come up against something beyond the usual, and it's kept at bay only by being stuck to her, literally.

This episode is about how the spreading blackness in Sage's left hand is finally remedied, and in the process, all manner of conspiracies and power schemes are exposed. Also exposed are the vulnerabilities in her partner Grey's past that have been scuttling their effectiveness as a team. While the rest of her life is literally burnt to the ground, Sage and Grey race against time to get assistance and materials for a showdown with the Goddess Herself.

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. But I would gladly have gotten this action-packed heart-wringing adventure on my own.

Although there is romance, it is never explicit enough to make the series wrong for young people. The characters are much too busy surviving frequent injuries to do more than cuddle.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42315877-magic-in-disguise