Release Date: 1st September, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 496pgs
The Story
Hades, the second book in Adornetto's captivating series, is a riveting story that explores the sacrifices we are willing to make in order to save those closest to us.
On the night of Halloween a foolish prank goes horribly wrong. Jake Thorn, banished to the fiery abyss of Hell, is accidently summoned back to Venus Cove. When Jake snatches Beth from the arms of her boyfriend, Xavier, Beth finds herself dragged into the nightmarish underworld of Hades.
While the angels call on higher powers to help recover Beth, Hell goes after the one thing Beth loves more than anything. But to spare Xavier's life, Beth must make the ultimate sacrifice.
Will she make a deal with the Devil? And what will happen to an angel in Hell?
The Review
A big thanks to Lara from HarperCollins for sending me a review copy of this book!
Now while I wasn't a fan of Alexandra Adornetto's Halo book - at least of the characters more so than of the actual angel-falls-to-Earth kind of concept, I thought that I should at least give this series a second chance and try out its sequel. Judging by the beautiful cover, I assumed this book would offer more action considering its backdrop is mainly set in Hell, and in its own way, I guess it did deliver in terms of an action-packed adventure. The characters still annoyed me as Hell would itself, but I did find myself liking this far more than the first installment.
Truth be told, HADES had improved as the story progressed, but what still didn't work out for me was the main heroine herself - that being, Bethany. I don't know about you guys but I don't like over-the-top nice characters. Maybe that's not the right words to say, but there's just something about her that I don't like or even try to like. I admired her strength towards the end of the book and the way she proved herself to the others who tried to bring her down into Hell-ish corruption, but much like in Halo, I disliked the way she pines over her boyfriend, Xavier, whom to me was just as annoying.
Throughout the book in Bethany's eyes she thinks Xavier is making himself stronger for the sake of protecting her from evil forces, when really, he's not. I think he should focus more on making himself less of a target by staying clear of Bethany. He's mortal, so what can he really do that could possibly effect Heaven and/or Hell? I mean think about it. Xavier really needs to rethink his situation and say to himself, "What's the point of protecting my weak girlfriend - who is supposed to be an angel that SHOULD be stronger than me - when I can't even protect myself?" I don't know, but that's just how I feel. But when you overlook the lovey-dovey stuff (trust me there's plenty of 'Honey Bear' moments), what I loved the most about this book and its sequel is Jake Thorn himself. As soon as Jake makes an appearance, I'm sooooooo there! When he brings Bethany into Hell - in the most laughable way possible and on a motorbike no less - that's when the story really takes off in an interesting-twisty turn. It's Jake after all and he's probably my favourite character in the entire book series. He's bad but he's good at it.
Look, when it comes down to it, even if you weren't crazy for Alexandra Adornetto's Halo book, HADES delivers a cinematic book with enough action, romance, and suspense for readers. Sure, I can't promise that you won't be driven crazy over Bethany and Xavier's 'romance', but you will have a much better time than Halo.
The Rating
3 1/2 / 5 stars
