Review: Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

Personal Demons (Book 1/3) 

Author: Lisa Desrochers (@ Blogger/Website) 
Release Date:  9/14/10
Publisher: Tor Teen
Age Group: Ages 14+ (YA)
Source: Bought (Barnes & Noble)
Go Buy It! Amazon/Barnes&Noble/BookDepository
Overall Feelings:  Exceptional! (And a definite temperature-raiser. *fans self*)

"If you had to choose between Heaven and Hell, which would it be?

Are you sure about that...?

Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a wicked streak. She's spent years keeping everyone at a distance--even her closest friends--and it seems her senior year will be more of the same...until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can't seem to stay away from him. What she doesn't know is that Luc works in Acquisitions--for Hell--and she possesses a unique skill set that has the king of Hell tingling with anticipation. All Luc has to do is get her to sin, and he's as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn't stand a chance.

Unfortunately for Luc, Heaven has other plans, and the angel, Gabe, is going to do whatever it takes to make sure that Luc doesn't get what he came for. And it isn't long before they find themselves fighting for more than just her soul.

But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay...for all of them."

Plot & Ending: Lisa Desrochers outdid herself with Personal Demons. It was fast-paced, steamy, and had tons and tons of action. I never really realized how...intriguing a battle between demons v. angels could be. I loved the idea of seeing the world Lisa conjured through the eyes of a demon and rooting for said demon. A lot of supernatural books star angels and demons, but never have I found myself sympathizing with one, let alone wishing for him to get the girl. While I loved Gabe too, I tasted something bitter in my mouth every time I read about Frannie and Gabe together. Not that I didn't find their feelings for each other sweet and heart-warming, but, unfortunately for Gabe, Luc stole my heart...as well as Frannie's. (And it better damn well stay that way.)


What didn't sit well with me was the story being told in the first person. There's a reason why I prefer novels being told in the third person: I, as a reader, still get to see the events of the story unfold from all the main characters but the difference is I don't know the exact thoughts like I do in the first person POV.


The ending...there are no perfect words to describe it. There was just so much emotion in those last scenes. I cried (though, I'm a sensitive person, so I cry often, but...still). I don't want to give away the ending, but when a certain character gets tagged for Heaven, I stared at the last page of the book with my mouth gaping open, wondering how I got from point A to point B. Lisa Desrochers...*shakes head* boy, do you know how to weave a tale and suck in an unsuspecting reader. Thanks for the awesome read.


Characters: Thankfully, all of Lisa's characters have depth. Like they're majorly deep. They were solid and real people. If I could literally pull them out of my mind, I'd see solid, three-dimensional people. Out of all of 'em though, Frannie  stuck out. I really resonated with her. I have never had something vital from my life taken away from me, but in I understand her vast doubts on life and love as another adolescent. Lisa really captures the essence of an adolescent's life and hurdles, which helped me relate to most of them. Luc and Gabe...*sigh* they are both impeccably sculpted male specimens. Luc is a bad boy through and through (with a nice gooey center) and Gabe is a witty, genuine good guy.


"Because I love [Frannie]. That's got to be what this feeling is...How is that possible? There's no crying in baseball and no love in Hell. It's just the rules. You could say it's against our religion, more or less. It flies in the face of everything we are...But it's there, and it's real, and there's nothing I can do about it." Luc (193)


"[Gabe's] cool breath in my ear makes me shudder as he says, 'Everything happens for a reason.'
I pull my head off of him and look up into his eyes, hating myself for crying. 'I don't believe you.'
He smooths a tear away with his fingertips and gazes down into my eyes...Could I love him? Is it possible?" Frannie (130)


"[Frannie] lifts her hand, tracing my lips with the tip of her trembling finger, and I'm overwhelmed with the scent of warm chocolate. Chocolate? Could it be...love? Does she love me?" Luc (233)


Cover: I like it. I mean, it's not one of my favorites or anything, but it's pretty cool. Luc looks very dark and fierce. Gabe seems like the only light out of all the surrounding darkness (hmmmm...symbolic much). And Frannie (though I wish the model was younger) looks very alluring.