Title: Hades
Author: Alexandra Adornetto
Publisher: Angus & Robertson
Year of Release: 2011
ISBN: 9780732289904
Source: Purchased
Number of Pages: 422
Jake Thorn and his demons have been banished and sent back to the underworld from which they came, and Bethany and Xavier settle down to resume a normal life. But on the night of Halloween, a childish prank goes terribly wrong and Jake is summoned back to the sleepy town of Venus Cove. Bethany is deceived and finds herself dragged into the nightmarish underworld of Hades.
While the angels call on higher powers to help rescue Bethany, Jake decides to play dirty and goes after the one thing she loves more than anything- Xavier. But to spare his life, Bethany must make the ultimate sacrifice.
Will she make a deal with the devil? And what will happen to an angel in Hell?
It has been a long time since I've read a book that's made me cry. Just like the book that came before it, Hades was brilliant. I absolutely loved it. This book had a lot more suspense and anticipation than Halo, but I liked that. Adornetto has a specific connection to the teenage world and is able to duplicate that knowledge very well in her writing. As a teenager myself, I really felt connected to the story as I'm sure the many others who read this book were too. Girls especially will really enjoy this book. And Xavier is just gorgeous.... you will be crushing on him after the very first chapter.
The only downside to the book is that I didn't exactly agree, or like for that matter, the way Adornetto portrayed Hell. I mean discos and hotels? Get real. I did however, agree with the way she portrayed the souls in Hell. Lifeless wanderers with blank stares and tortured expressions. Have you ever heard of the catholic beliefs of Hell from the medieval era? The catholic church back then had a lot of power and influence and made people fear Hell, threatening that if they didn't obey the catholic religion, that was where they would end up. They made the people believe that Hell was a torturous place, full of death and decay. That demons would torture them endlessly and mercilessly using terrifying methods deigned to inflict pain. In Hades, some parts of Hell were depicted like this, where people were being tortured in the most gruesome ways you can think of.
Lucifer (the original name for the devil/Satan) was depicted as a beautiful, but evil, creature that ruled the underworld of Hades. He was constantly plotting ways to torture people further and had absolutely no sympathy whatsoever, which is sort of how I imagine the attitude of the devil to be like.
The ending of Hades was brilliant, but it leads onto another book and now I am going to be full of suspense until the next one is released! I would highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone, especially if you have an interest in Heaven, Hell, angels, demons...etc. What I loved most about Halo and Hades are the characters (the good ones, of course!). They are just amazing, their qualities and traits are ones in which you can look up to and really admire. Even though they are fictional, they set a great example and I wouldn't be surprised if people look up to them as their role models. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what comes next from Alexandra Adornetto.
