Book Review: Repossessed

Repossessed
by A.M. Jenkins

Repossessed is a 2007 Cybils finalist.

Kiriel just wants to experience a bit of life. As a demon, er, fallen angel, he's usually immersed in the suffering and regrets of those souls who end up in Hell. Can he be blamed if he wants to find out what life is really like? So he borrows the body of a teenage boy named Shaun. It's not like Shaun will need it anyway; Kiriel takes the body seconds before Shaun is about to die, hit by a car.

Kiriel is determined to experience everything he can in Shaun's body before he gets caught and recalled. All the sensations of living are glorious - food, smells, even the feel of a t-shirt. Not surprisingly, sex is high on Kiriel's list of things to experience, but when he sets out to accomplish that goal, he finds out that even that is much more complicated than he imagined.

Kiriel discovers that he wants to make a difference in the world; to leave a mark that will last after he's gone. He finds that helping people is much more satisfying than seeking personal gratification. And he learns that what he really wants is to get a response from the Creator.

Repossessed is a clever, funny book with a lot of teen appeal. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Kiriel's voice in this first person novel is distinctive and likable. He's rebellious, questioning, at times even angry, and yet beneath that is a depth and a goodness that belies the demon label. Although he is in many ways different than the teen whose body he inhabits, he is clearly a teenager in the cosmic sense, both rebelling against and seeking attention from the Creator.

This is a book for mature readers: there's a lot of off-color humor and adult situations. Yet it's also a book that's surprisingly spiritual, not in a strictly religious sense, but in its appreciation for all creation and depiction of seeking one's place in the universe.

Book Review: Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon

Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon
by Rick Yancey

Alfred Kropp thought that things would improve after he saved the world. But his life has only gotten worse: the only people he cared about are dead, he's stuck in a foster home, the kids at school torment him, and most people think he's either crazy or a criminal. But things are about to change. Two powerful artifacts have been stolen from the vaults of the secret organization OIPEP, artifacts that will allow the bearer to command the forces of the fallen angels of heaven. Alfred is once again drawn into the conflict, finding his life in peril at every turn. But it would be a lot easier to save the world if someone would tell him what's going on!

Get this book into the hands of your reluctant readers! Who can resist a story with both fast cars and demons from hell - and one with a teen driving a fast car at 250 MPH while being pursued by the demons from hell is even better!

Alfred Kropp is a fast paced, exciting book, but it also has a healthy dose of humor. I also like that Alfred doesn't have any special abilities. He's just an ordinary teen, who happens to be descended from Lancelot, but who is mostly just trying to do the best that he can in the situations in which he finds himself. He's a likable character, with courage and values but also a healthy dose of skepticism, which is understandable given the way people in his life have of using him.

This isn't a book for sensitive readers; there are a couple of gruesome and intense scenes, which is to be expected in a book about demons - they don't play fair, after all. But anyone else who likes an exciting fantasy set in the modern world will enjoy this book.

My only complaint about this book is that the cover is ugly! (I thought the same about the first book, as well.) I like the UK cover better.

Also read our reviews of the first Alfred Kropp book