Hades (Halo, #2)

by Alexandra Adornetto

[Stephanie]

Hades picks up where Halo left off. Xavier and Bethany are in their senior year at Bryce Hamilton. They are still inseparable and devoted to each other. On Halloween night in an effort to appease their friends Xavier and Beth split up for some quality girls only/boys only time. Despite her reservations, Beth participates in a seance with the girls. Beth's reluctance turns out to be prophetic Beth and the girls unwittingly release a spirit. The girls are a little nervous but return to the party. Xavier hasn't returned from the lake with the boys. Beth is starting to get spooked by the party when Xavier's friend shows up on his motorcycle. Before Beth knows what is happening, she's being driven straight into a portal to Hell. Beth and her family must fight against Hell and there are no rules.

I enjoyed Hades so much more than Halo. It almost seemed to be written by a different person or my mood was more suited for reading. Xavier and Beth are still very wrapped around each other but it wasn't as needy this time. At times Hades came across as self righteous religion and that my bother some readers. Once again, I felt like this was scaled back some from the previous book. Maybe I just wasn't so prickly about it this time.

The biggest difference for me was the action. Hades is almost non-stop and I had a hard time putting it down. The angels are put on the defensive and have to act to get Bethany back. We also meet another archangel and witness a demon possession and exorcism. Hell was something I didn't expect. I expected the pain and torturing but the organization and business like approach was unexpected. Bethany is an oddity in Hell. She doesn't belong. I enjoyed watching those around her react.

Now we get to the part that might seem incredibly small to some people but took a whole star off my rating. SPOILER: The whole time Bethany is in Hell, two people help her to survive it, Tucker and Hanna. Beth promises to take them out of Hell with her. They. Get. Left. Behind!!! Because they had their chance. Nevermind they made deals to protect other people's souls. If this is addressed in the next book I'll be a happy camper. END SPOILER.

Overall I really enjoyed Hades and it had a cliffhanger ending. I'll be reading the third book. If you've read Halo and felt so-so about it, I suggest you give Hades a try. It was a great addition to the series!