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THE LOWDOWN: Then he accidentally unearths a devil, and Max’s choices are no longer his own. The big red guy has a penchant for couch-surfing and junk food—and you should never underestimate evil on a sugar high. With the help of Lore, a former goth girl who knows a thing or two about the dark side, Max is racing against the clock to get rid of the houseguest from hell before time—and all the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos this side of the fiery abyss—run out. Gina Damico, author of the Croak series, once again delivers all the horror, hilarity, and high-stakes drama that any kid in high school or hell could ever handle. FIRST IMPRESSION: SNAPSHOT: Burg, the devil antagonist, is consistent in his gross, indulgent habit while his metaphysics are shaky; it’s difficult to tell what he can and can’t do with his demonic powers, which makes it a challenging to see how Max ought to relate to him. Lore, Max’s enemy/friend and love interest is a social-outcast-Goth-esque stereotype. Unfortunately, a lot of her strength is told rather than shown, in how she becomes angry or talks about being self-reliant. This undermines her character in unfortunate ways. While the story has its charm and much of the writing is tight, the plot drags and is ultimately unsatisfying. It would have benefited from either a sharper ending or some heavy trimming. Readers may end up irritated by how frequently they are reminded of how scared or desperate Max is, or how much he really loves his mother, etc. Despite the length, there is not enough about the devils and their limitations. A few points were laid out, but Burg is mostly a being of unknown but great power. Max’s main ability to control the demon is that he sometimes yells at Burg and sometimes bribes him with snacks or liquor, though the devil demonstrates that he can easily completely ignore those things if he chooses. The main cast is, for the most part, likeable and worth caring about, but the secondary cast is flat. Which makes the irony of where Max’s mother’s new heart comes uninteresting and lack in bite. The ending wraps both too neatly and with not enough respect for the dead. Appropriate for ages 14+. Mild language, intense situations, light sexual situations, some violence, some underage alcohol use, some violence.
Deals with family, physical illness, responsibility. GET IT ON YOUR SHELF:
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