Down in Flames

February 15, 2017
A human boy finds adventure and a home in hell in this sequel to Donny's Inferno (2016).After a series of near-fatal encounters, Donny Taylor reaches the conclusion that his friend and protector, Angela Obscura, doesn't really care about his human life. An overheard conversation convinces him that the beautiful, shape-shifting archdemon is simply using him to educate herself about the mortal world. Attempting to return to his former life, he connects with the mother who abandoned him, but she doesn't offer to take him in. Luckily, Angela convinces him it was all a misunderstanding. She needs him in her efforts to keep hard-liners in the underworld (now called Sulfur) from returning to their old ways of tormenting human beings; she really does care. Together they solve the mystery of souls that have gone missing, but not without battles that further endanger the white, human boy. With short chapters and fast-paced action, this is another suspenseful read. The author's worldbuilding continues to be impressive. The duo's travels through the underworld allow plenty of opportunity for Catanese to describe its sights and sounds, and they visit some interesting parts of the human world as well: Old San Juan and Bayamon in Puerto Rico and Varosha in Cyprus. In her human form, Angela apparently chooses to be white-skinned like the protagonist; the underworld creatures are impressively varied. Second in a series that promises continued terror and delight. (Fantasy. 9-13)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-Hell has never been so appealing. This engaging sequel catches up with Donny Taylor (mere teenage mortal) and Angela Obscura (archdemon of the underworld) as they slay beasts, fight fantastic creatures, and order takeout. Catanese reprises the memorably dry, witty tone from Donny's Inferno. Riffing on the classic mythos of hell handed down by Dante, the first book revealed reforms of hell that, among other things, extinguished the infamous "Pit of Fire." In this follow-up, souls are instead damned to contemplate their wrongs for all eternity. Now called Sulphur, this new underworld incorporates the expected (gargantuan stone pillars, a river remarkably like Acheron, and imps) and the surprising (basic cell phone service, who knew?). Once, Angela (whose ability to shape-shift allows her to take human form as a white, freckled redheaded teen) saved Donny from certain death, and he must now serve as her assistant. As they are assigned increasingly lethal missions that could kill Donny but will leave Angela unscathed, he begins to question why she insists he put himself in danger when she has no need of mortal help. Angela continues to dodge this all-important question, downplaying Donny's terror at every turn, as they embark on their latest task: tracking a mysterious beast and discovering why souls are mysteriously disappearing from Sulphur.

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