Blog Tour Review: The Devil's Triangle by Toni De Palma

Author:  Toni De Palma

Genre:  Paranormal, Fantasy

Published: February 15th, 2013

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.
While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend who can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.
While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping him and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined."~Goodreads

 I thought I knew what to expect going into this book.  I was wrong.  Just judging by the cover and the synopsis I assumed that Cooper would be some bad boy seeking redemption while maintaining his snark and that the "triangle" in question would be one of the love variety (luckily that wasn't the case). I was nicely surprised on both points.  

LIKES:

• Male POV: With YA books I get a little burnt out reading from a teenage girl's perspective all the time.  I always like it when authors switch it up and write from a guys point of view.  I felt like the author did a great job of getting into the character of Cooper and he really felt like a guy.  He reacts to situations differently than his female counterparts would and that makes the story more interesting.

• Different "back from the dead" set up: Okay, with this one I feel like I have to be vague or I'll give major plot points away, but I loved the way De Palma set up the "back from the dead" scenario.  I expected Cooper to be zapped back to his old school before the fire as a totally different him.  It didn't quite work out like that and the result a kid who still has to deal with the consequences of his actions while getting used to a much better life.  I can't be more specific than that without spoilers, so you'll just have to read it to find out ;) 

• Cooper's growth:  This goes hand in hand with my last point.  Cooper does a lot of growing in his new life.  He finally gets to see what life is like with a loving family and friends.  This is both a kindness and a cruelty.  He knows that it could all go away at any moment and that knowledge makes him fight to keep it.  He transitions from a selfish, insecure delinquent to a kid that people might actually want to be around.  A guy who loves his family and his life and finds value in it and I really loved watching that transition.

DISLIKES:

• Rough start:  I have to be honest, I didn't think I was going to be able to get through the book after the first chapter.  Cooper was so obnoxious.  He kept referring to St. Peter as "St. Pete" which annoyed me to no end and his bravado and snark was a little much.  Luckily things really started turning around after that and I was able to get into the story.

• Grace: I'll just say it.  Plain and simple, I didn't like Grace.  She was so beaten down and weak.  I realize that her character is supposed to be showing strength by self-denial and not fighting back but I just couldn't take it.  Half-way through I just wanted to shake her and yell "DO SOMETHING".  Hopefully she finds a voice in the next book.

• The ending seemed incomplete:  The ending was something of a let-down.  It seemed like the action had just gotten going and then the book was over.  Everything was kind of left up in the air.  I always like it when books have some sort of solid ending, even if they're part of a series.  Unfortunately this ending was lacking.

The Devil's Triangle was not what I expected and that is a good thing.  I'm really glad that I got a chance to give it a read.  If you're looking for a new paranormal series that's a little brash and quirky with some great character growth I would give this a try.