#review #5stars The Devil’s Apprentice, by Kenneth B. Andersen The Great Devil War book 1

I participated in a blog tour for this book a while back and am finally getting around to reading it! I wish I wouldn’t have put it off for so long, because it’s such an amazing read!!  I’ll be a review stop on the blog tour for book two of Kenneth Andersen’s Great Devil War series at the end of the month, so stay tuned for that!

MY REVIEW, five stars:

In this light hearted and crafty trip to hell you get to experience the coolest beasts, the tortured condemned, and the form-shifting tempters that will (if you’re anything like me) capture in your adventurous heart the very essence of what fantasy books can indeed accomplish. One wouldn’t think a book describing all of the nastinesses of hell could possibly be so FUN, but The Devil’s Apprentice has proven it doable. For me, it was as if Terry Pratchet’s Disc World books met up with the Freddie Vs. Jason movie and together they enjoyed lovely brunch, followed by a live theatrics version of something medieval that most likely contained whips chains and the skinning of people alive, followed by the creation of a love child… who’s name was The Devil’s Apprentice.

Let’s talk about Phillip, the MC. No bigger mistake could have possibly been made than that of Death’s when he accidentally took the life of Phillip, rather than his intended victim Samuel. The two children were schoolmates. Phillip, being the sweetest of all sweethearts, and Samuel, being the mother of all bullies. You see, Lucifer despite being immortal is in fact dying. He chose Samuel the human to train as his accessor to lead the continuation of Hell and it’s very successful opposition of angelic purity. Lucifer called upon Death, his forever friend and dice rolling comrad, to bring Samuel to the pits of hell where he would gain his horns and wings. Instead, it was Phillip that was dropped at his doorstep.

Oh what a vast mistake, or was it?

Phillip finds himself being tested by Lucifer, which is an utter fail in every way. He’s just too pure of heart. The purest of pure. He doesn’t lie cheat or steal, and more importantly everything he does or doesn’t do for that matter is for the greater good of humanity. No hurting of feelings or animals or fellow man in any way. Phillip is, to be quite quaint, a saint. He winds up making friends with Satina, a young temptress devil. She pushes him to break Lucifer’s rules, in his own home nonetheless, and in doing so they open the door to a very deadly mystery. The two hold the key to uncovering the reason behind Lucifer’s sickness, but even in this discovery nothing is as it seems.

While Phillip is trying to solve the mystery of exactly why he’s in hell of all places, he’s also undergoing the training and transformation into a devil himself. His horns, wings and tail slowly appear each time that evil doings get the best of him, and they retract when he conquers evil with good. What direction will Phillip be ultimately pulled? Trickery is no stranger in this place, especially with a few particular – other than humanly – comrades that Phillip has come to know and somewhat trust. Hell is a crafty and witty place where curious situations are popping up left and right. But, will Phillip be able to solve the wrongdoings to Lucifer himself, or will he be to late, allowing fate to drive him to an eternity of leading damnation?   

I very much enjoyed this book and am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series! A special thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange of an honest review. I was actually a little hesitant in accepting this book, as it’s really quite the opposite of what I’ve been reading lately. But, I’m SO glad that I did! What a unique and one of a kind read!

DESCRIPTION:

Box set containing the first three books in The Great Devil War series.

A multi-award winning series, published in more than 10 countries, movie rights optioned!

Welcome to a world like no other!

BOOK 1 – THE DEVIL’S APPRENTICE:
Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy.

Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training Philip in the ways of evil.
Philip is terrible at being bad, but when he falls in love with the she-devil Satina and experiences the powerful forces of love and jealousy, the task becomes much easier.

Philip finds both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne?

BOOK 2 – THE DIE OF DEATH:
Philip’s adventures as the Devil’s apprentice have changed him—in a good way. Although he misses his friends in Hell, he has made new friends in life.

But when the future of the underworld is threatened once again, Philip’s help is needed. Death’s Die has been stolen and immortality is spreading across the globe.

Philip throws himself into the search—and discovers a horrible truth about his own life along the way.

BOOK 3 – THE WRONGFUL DEATH:

An unfortunate chain of events makes Philip responsible for the untimely death of the school bully Sam—the Devil’s original choice for an heir.

Philip must return to Hell to find Sam and bring him back to life, so that fate can be restored. But trouble is stirring in Lucifer’s kingdom and not even Philip can imagine the strange and dark journey that awaits him.

A journey that will take him through ancient underworlds and all the way to Paradise.

The Great Devil War is a gripping and humorous tale about good and evil seen from a different perspective, making the reader laugh and think. It’s filled with biblical and historical characters and set in a world beyond your wildest dreams. Or nightmares …