Review: The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation #1) by Pembroke Sinclair

Published: January 13th 2014 by Booktrope Editions
Genre: urban fantasy,romance
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Katie wants to invest her heart and soul in love, but she may lose both to Hell. 

Katie, a senior in high school, is torn between loving the "good" guy, her childhood friend Wes who makes promises he doesn't keep and abandons her when she needs him the most, and the "bad" guy, the new kid at school Josh who is also a real demon from Hell. Katie wants someone who pays attention to her and puts her first, but what is she willing to give up to find him? 

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"Not exactly. When you're born, your soul is pretty much a blank slate. There's a fifty - fifty chance you could go either way. Most people are drawn to the good side because when they do a good deed, chemicals are released in the brain that make them feel even better. But the same thing happens to people who do evil. And your station in life doesn't dictate what side you're more prone to. It all boils down to choices."

The Good

I enjoyed the demon vs.  praesul aspect of the book. A praesul, being a human that has been blessed and spend their life hunting demons. The fact that praesuls have to keep everyone at a distance or put them at risk really fits. I also like the demons using hell hounds to scout out the area by having them appear as regular stray dogs.

The Bad

I never really understood why Katie would be tempted to hang out with a demon. Sure  he took her to some interesting places but he threatened her life, her mom's life and was willing to take the soul of anyone she knew.

The Romance

Katie has a huge crush on Wes but Josh pays attention to her so a one sided love triangle is born. The good guy can finish last it seems.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the book despite that fact I didn't empathize with being tempted by a hot demon. I love the whole good vs. evil aspect of the book. The praesuls are a little more interesting then say a fallen angel or even regular angels being there to protect us from the demons. I like that it's up to us as humans to fight them off.

Excerpts

"Let her go. I'm here now. She's no longer of any use to you."
"Well, now, that's not exactly true. See, I know how much she means to you. I can see into your soul, remember? She consumes three-fourths of it."


What exactly did he do? Josh said he protected the world from demons, but what did that entail? And were there that many demons coming into the world to constitute an entire secret society? There must have been. After all, Katie couldn't deny what she had seen with her own eyes. Or could she?


"That has yet to be decided. You are always free to choose what you will, what side you want to be on."
"And you're here to make sure I choose your side."
"Of course. You would be a valuable asset for hell."

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