Book 73, 2019

[chez_jae]

Hell in a Head Gasket by G.A. Chase

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Last night, I finished reading Hell in a Head Gasket by GA Chase. It's the first book in his "Devil's Daughter" urban fantasy series, featuring Serephine (Sere) Mal-Laurette, who is, indeed, the devil's daughter, and a fair demon hunter, to boot.

Sere managed to escape hell, but she isn't free from its influences. When a soulless demon also manages to escape, it is bound and determined to kill its mortal equivalent and take over the man's life. Sere can't let that happen, or the loas of the dead will realize who she is, and she'll be stripped of her immortality. Hunting down the doppelganger will take all of her skill, and Sere discovers she's going to have to accept some help along the way. In the meantime, the doppelganger is on a killing spree, perfecting its technique before it eliminates its "real" in the mortal realm. With mortal lives on the line, as well as her immortal soul, Sere must stop the doppelganger and prevent hell on earth.

The more I read this, the more I wondered if it was a spin-off series. Turns out, it is. I didn't have too much trouble following along, but the author could have done a much better job with the backstory. Don't assume your readers have read your earlier series! I liked Sere; she was a tough badass, which is why I was disappointed that the author (*cough* a man *cough*) didn't let Sere be the hero on her own. No, she needed help from a man, and a mortal at that. Really? Plus, I never was sure of his name. Sere kept referring to him in her head as "Bartender Smooth", because she first encountered him at the bar where he was, you know, bartending. At some point, he became "Bart", presumably to shorten his nickname. And that's another thing. If Bart has a job bartending, how does he have time to follow (*cough* stalk *cough*) Sere all the way to New Orleans? Sheesh. Also, in many places in the narrative, Sere's thoughts are in quotes. Um, was she talking to herself out loud? It sure seemed that way.

Favorite line: "I realize we never taught you how to flirt, but just so you know, that wasn't it."

Interesting story, feisty heroine, some humor, some gore. A good read, but not great. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars, but I'm going with 3.