Not a horror, more of a supernatural/paranormal story without a lot of horror, but some elements of gore.

Supernatural in that the story takes place in Hell. However, Hell isn't as scary as you would think. It's more like what life here would be like if Demons, satanism and all that go along with it were the norm.

This is a quest story about a young woman whose sister committed suicide in the opening (she shot herself when she found her boyfriend cheating on her), she learns that because of certain circumstances of birth and whatnot she is some major deal "Etherness" basically a type of Saint in Hell. She makes friends with a few not-ghosts but other people who at one point lived in Hell but are now "ex residents" and live in the house that Cassie moved into.

Said not-ghosts talk her into going into Hell with them because she wants to see her sister (who ended up there). She has to hide the fact that she is still alive (only the dead are in Hell), but those dead people are still "alive" and have a body that can die again. Just think of it like a parallel universe that only the people destined to go to Hell end up, basically starting a new life there. Eating, working, living, buying things, keeping out of the way, etc. Sure there are a lot of bad things that happen, but it's just all in the normal way things go there. It's not underground its a huge city that runs in an alternate bizzaro way where everything bad is good and Satan runs the show from his penthouse- we never meet him, but we meet the faction that is trying to overthrow him.

Meanwhile this Cassie is trying to find her sister for reasons, and it's a quest to find her, to hide the fact that she's an Etheress - some great mythological being that ended up being true.

There are funny parts, gross parts, action parts, sexual (but not sexy) parts, it's a regular read. However the story was fun, always had me interested, and I am now reading the second part.

So don't think this is some dark, super horror. Its supernatural in that we are dealing with demons, and hell, but think of the paranormal stories and this is pretty much like it. ( )

Cassie, una joven gótica, se ha visto apartada de sus amigos y arrancada de su vida en las entrañas de la ciudad, mientras su hermana se suicidaba. La vieja residencia sureña de antes de la guerra es algo más que una casa. Es un umbral al Paso de los Muertos, un lugar infernal en el que puedes abrir una puerta y entrar directamente al Infierno. Y eso es justo lo que hace Cassie. Es una pena que la puerta se cierre detrás de ella...
Pero el Infierno no es precisamente como ella se esperaba. No hay pozos con azufre hirviente, ni fuego eterno. Así como la civilización humana ha evolucionado en estos últimos cinco mil años, lo mismo ha ocurrido allí. El Averno es ahora una ciudad, una metrópolis pujante llena de maldad sistematizada, con la atrocidad como statu quo y su gobierno como estructura más diabólica.

I know what I am supposed to write in criticism of this book, which I rated one star to: Ooooooh, I was soooooo shocked! It was so horrifying!! Golly gee, what a bizarre and brutal place Hell is!!!

The truth is, I wasn't shocked, I wasn't horrified, I wasn't offended: I was just bored. To paraphrase Iggy Pop......I was the Chairman of the Bored when I read this book.

One good thing learned from this experiment: do not assume that you will like any horror genre book; read all the reviews, even the ones with spoilers before reading. I'm getting pretty good now at cutting out the deadwood while searching for a book and I won't make this mistake again. ( )

Cassie and Lissa are twins. Lissa commits suicide so what's the only logical thing a sister can do? Travel to hell with 3 ghosts to save her sisters soul of course! Cassie finds out that Hell is not what people going to church think it is. It has became a evolved evil metropolis of the damned a labrynth of atrocities and nightmares. Time is not measured in horrors and pain. Sorcery is their science.

This book paints beautiful, dark and gorey imagery, which is classic Edward Lee. Deep descriptions and memorable characters that you want to know in real life (Cassie, maybe not all the demons) This is definitely not a typical urban fantasy novel made for the squeamish. Hold on to your seat and take a heart regiment! If you're grossed out easily or faint hearted this is not the book for you. ( )

Edward Lee again goes full frontal on the gore assault front. This beginning of a series is worthy with it's world-building, unusual premise, and build-up.

Since I'm more of a character-orientated reader than a plot-driven one, the characters being a bit one-dimensional wasn't welcome. Cassie's powers seem to come too easily without training but again, that belongs in the story. She's reasonably likeable, although her sister is not. The dad is also enjoyable but was kept in the background as fodder. Cassie's sidekicks were amusing for the most part with their dialogue lines and motivations, although that can amp up the cheese sometimes.

The monsters? Creepy as can get. Lee takes time to focus on a large assortment of horrifying demons, abilities, scenarios, and gritty details - things he gets kudos for. The internal battles are particularly interesting and work well with the world building he's constructed.

I can't complain on the pacing at all - from a surprising family drama in the beginning to almost constant horror through a creative hell. Lee is talented with convincing dialogue but I'm hoping the second book makes me warm up to the main players more. ( )