Title: The Devil’s Apprentice
Author: Kenneth B. Andersen
Series: The Great Devil War, 1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication: October 8, 2018
Read: December 2019
Format: Audio
Length: 7 hours & 11 minutes
Narrator: Jeffrey Kafer
Rating: 3 1/2 Caffeinated Stars
Trigger Warnings: Torture, Suicide misconceptions
Book Blurb:
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. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets 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?
The Devil’s Apprentice is volume 1 in The Great Devil War-series.
My Thoughts:
The Devil’s Apprentice is the very first book tour I’ve done with The Write Reads group, so I was excited to start this book. Unfortunately, when the time came to read this book, I was busy with crafts, family events, and everything else, so I ended up buying the audiobook from Audible. I’m glad I listened to the audiobook because the narrator did a good job bringing the book to life. His voices were fun, and I enjoyed listening to him. I will admit that at times, his voice grated on a nerve, but that is more of a “me” issue and not a narrator issue.
I’m not quite sure what to say about this book. The premise was interesting, and I loved how unique it felt. I loved seeing Philip’s interactions with the Devils, and I loved seeing his transformation from the beginning of the book to the end. The characters were interesting though a little too simplistic in ways. It was very much stereotypical characters who were not quite evil enough to consider Devils. I will say that I enjoyed the grey areas in this book, and I wish that that was explored a bit more in the plot.
The plot kept me on my toes and kept me wondering what was going to happen. I didn’t know if I was supposed to root for good or evil, and that part did make me uncomfortable. I’m not particularly religious but watching a kid be trained on how to be evil definitely made me uneasy. I did push through my unease because I think that it’s okay to be uncomfortable when reading some books. My main issue with this book was how simplistic some of the plot points were. I also have to admit that the small offhand comment about suicide being the easy way out enraged me to the point of almost DNFing the book. I could write an essay on how much I hate this shitty take, but I’ll leave this link here and move on. Oh nope, here is another link FYI, this one is a hard read but does put things into perspective as well.
Though I did have some issues with this book, I will say that I enjoyed it. The Devil’s Apprentice is one of those books that will keep you guessing the entire time you’re reading it. All in all, if you’re looking for something different, check this book out.
Want to give this book a shot? Here are the buy links!
Amazon (Psst, this is on Kindle Unlimited), Audible, Libro.FM
About the Author:
Kenneth B. Andersen (1976) is an award-winning Danish writer. He has published more than forty books for children and young adults, including both fantasy, horror, and science fiction.
His books have been translated into more than 15 languages and his hit-series about the superhero Antboy has been turned into three movies. A musical adaptation of The Devil’s Apprentice, the first book in The Great Devil War series, opened in the fall 2018 and film rights for the series have been optioned.
Kenneth lives in Copenhagen with his wife, two boys, a dog named Milo, and spiders in the basement.
Website www.kennethbandersen.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriterKennethBAndersen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenneth_b_andersen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/K_B_Andersen
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kenneth-b-andersen
I recently read The Library of the Unwritten, and found that good and evil wasn’t as clear cut – Hell didn’t seem all bad, and Heaven wasn’t all good. But it didn’t really leave me with the mixed feeling as in your review of this book. It also dealt with the topic of suicide very differently. Just hearing the line that “suicide is the easy way out” makes me not want to read this book. It’s so frustrating that people still subscribe to this idea.
This book really did blur the lines of good and evil. It was designed (in my opinion) to make you uncomfortable.
That line truly forced me to put the book down. I know that it is just one line in a book but it didn’t sit well with me.
You are braver than I am, I wouldn’t be able to get past that cover!
That cover is truly creepy. Wonderfully honest review. I prefer listening to paranormal and supernatural books on audiobook.
That cover is wicked ♥ I do love fantasy books, so I’ll keep on the lookout for this one!
It definitely was an interesting read! It’s on Kindle Unlimited if you have it!
Great review, that cover is very creepy looking.
That cover definitely is creepy!
Looks like an interesting book but not my cup of tea.