Wrong Side of Hell, by Juliana Stone
My rating: 4 of 5 flames
Bill the Seraphim has tasked Logan with retrieving a soul from Purgatory. Logan’s a Hellhound, and his kind are made for escorting souls to certain levels of the Otherworld. But Logan feels he’s done his duty, above and beyond, and wants nothing more than to enjoy his good Canadian whiskey. But Bill has other plans.
Kira is dead. Her body is in the morgue at the Institution she’s spent the last 15 years of her life in. And the catalyst for her insanity? Being escorted to Hell at age 10. Logan was sent in to take her to Hell, but nothing felt right about that mission. It seemed…off…
In saving 10 year old Kira, Logan was connected to her in more ways than as her guardian. He just didn’t know it. And Kira’s no longer a ten year old child. She’s a woman. He may have left her in the human world without looking back, but that didn’t mean he’d never thought about the child he’d saved, or of the woman she’d become.
So, tracking her for the second time, he has no idea what he’s in for. Kira was such a strong character in the Gray Realm, that her heartbreaking reality was so hard to read. She was a broken ghost of a woman in reality, but a strong spirit in the Otherworld. Great contrast. It reminds me of just how well Ms. Stone writes, and shows amazing characterization.
This novella is primarily Logan finding Kira in the Gray Realm, and keeping her safe. I liked the fast paced action, and I loved the characters. I think it’s a bit hard to follow if you don’t know the “world” already, but I do think the author is talented enough to make it work. Oh, and I especially loved the cameo at the end of some familiar faces. Bill isn’t quite done meddling yet.
