*This book was provided as a digital galley by NetGalley and Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Sam Sullinger lives in the shadow of adolescence. He’s lost among his overachieving siblings, constantly knocked down by his harsh father, and bullied daily. His only solace is his best friend and crush, Harper.
In a grand plan designed to help him confess his love to Harper, Sam accidentally sets off a series of events that lead to her being kidnapped and taken to Hell. Racked with guilt, Sam makes a bold decision for the first time in his life: He’s going to rescue his only friend.
Sam is thrust into a vivid world fraught with demons, vicious beasts, and a falling city. And every leg of his journey reminds him that he isn’t some brave knight on a quest — he’s an insecure teenager yearning to make his mark on at least one world.
My Review:
I have to say, I did like this book. I waited to start it for a while, but I liked it. I was hesitant about the whole “journey to Hell” aspect since similar things have been done a lot, but the world-building in this one was very different and very creative. I thought the characters were also really strong, too. I didn’t think that Sam was a great character, but he was well-developed and I was dedicated to the others. I didn’t find any plot holes either. Despite all of these good things, I didn’t really get into the book. I don’t know why, I thought it was good, but I didn’t feel like it was my type of book.
I would mainly recommend this book to people who like traditional heroes’ journeys and fantasy in general. I’ve read a lot of “storybook come true” books and I felt like this is good for people who like those too. I give this book a mediocre rating not because it’s a bad book, but because I didn’t connect with it. I did like the book, I just didn’t love it enough to rate it higher.
Overall, I would give this book…
⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.
The Fiction Feature 