Publication Date: June 8, 2023

Publisher: Kindle

Length: 283 pages

I received this book from the author for an honest review.

In Hell, there is a devil that is feeling unsatisfied. Scaramouche is tired of the repetition in his job. Sinners come in, he tosses them into the pit, more sinners come in, repeat. He looks around at the other devils and they don’t seem to be struggling like he is. He needs a change. A sinner with green eyes shows up and manages to escape. Scaramouche knows that this is his opportunity to see what is beyond his pit. He finds himself waking up on Earth as a human. It certainly wasn’t what he meant by needing a change but he embraces the opportunity. What does a devil from Hell know about life as a human? Scaramouche finds help, a kindly lady named Ophelia offers him a place to stay temporarily. At her house, Scaramouche senses something odd. He wonders if Ophelia is truly a good person, eager to help, or someone else. What is that smell? How can anyone live so close to such a smell?

This is an interesting book. Scaramouche and Ophelia are very clever main character names. I kept hearing the lyrics from Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen in my head each time I read the character’s name. The idea of a bored devil is humorous. If he is throwing sinners into a pit in Hell wouldn’t that be fun? How long was he doing this job? How did Scaramouche get to Hell? Do devils beget devils? I don’t know if I have ever read how devils occur. Explaining Scaramouche’s origin is a missed opportunity. The backstory of his existence would serve as a good match to Ophelia’s backstory which we learn through her diary. Ophelia, at first blush, is a very charitable person, but why? Picking up down on their luck people can be dangerous. The only visible precaution that she takes is locking the person she is helping in their room at night. Ophelia hides her true self and presents herself as what she believes is a normal, boring person. Both main characters try to fit in and much of their interaction reminds me of two people being overly polite and insisting that the other one “goes first”. When their true nature comes out, will they be able to tolerate each other?

This book is categorized as horror. While it revolves around evil behavior, the gruesome, gory descriptions are mentioned but not over-emphasized. Perhaps this is why we can focus on Ophelia’s actions and motivation instead of the graphic nature of evil.

This book is certainly entertaining! This is a new author with an unusual perspective to write from. I felt that at times the pace of the story seemed uneven. The ending needed more explanation after such a big lead up to it. I would also have liked to see more of the character’s motivation explained. There were some events that needed to be explored instead of merely mentioned. I do recommend reading this book. N.B. Clarke seems to have a very fertile imagination and it will be interesting to see the next novel from an author with such creativity.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/5