When Life Gives You Demons by Jennifer Honeybourn

When Life Gives You Demons

by Jennifer Honeybourn

Shelby Black has spent the past six months training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy - a Catholic priest - has put her through exorcist boot camp hell, hoping to develop her talent, but ohmygod, he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own.

High school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity to herself. The last thing she wants is for her crush, Spencer, to find out what she does in her off time.

But Shelby knows how to keep a secret - even a big one. Like the fact that her mum left under mysterious circumstances and it’s all her fault. Shelby is hellbent on finding her mum, no matter what it costs her - even if what it ends up costing her is her soul AND a relationship with Spencer.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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Who knew a book about a teenaged exorcist could be so charming and delightful?

• Pro: You will see this in a million reviews for this book, but it's only because it's so true. This book definitely scratched a Buffy-type itch for me. Shelby shared a lot of similarities with Buffy. She was a little snarky with a great sense of humor, and also struggled finding the balance between fighting demons and being an average teenager. This plus the raging guilt about her mother's disappearance endeared Shelby to me.

• Pro: So. Much. Fun. This book may have dealt with some dark themes, but it was kept on the light and fluffy side. I laughed and grinned and smiled and simply enjoyed it so much.

• Pro: The relationship between Shelby and Uncle Roy was very sweet. They each cared a lot about the other, and showed it in many different, not so obvious ways.

• Pro: There's just not enough YA books featuring teen exorcists. I love that authors are incorporating new and different topics into their books, and I found Honeybourn's approach to this topic interesting. The main focus was from the traditional Catholic viewpoint, but eventually, other schools of thought regarding exorcism/demon hunter were incorporated, which was all quite fascinating.

• Pro: Honeybourne did a fantastic job guiding us through the exorcisms. There was lots of detail when we were in the midst of the actual exorcism and also, written reports.

• Con: The resolution was a bit rushed. It wasn't terrible, but I was surprised at how quickly we reached that point.

• Pro: The romance was so sweet. The does-he, doesn't-he and all the excitement Shelby felt with every accidental brush or longing gaze made me smile. I do wish there had been a little more of this adorable romance though.

Overall: A fun and fast-paced look at what it takes to be a teen exorcist. It was a delight tagging along with Shelby as juggled her family obligations, her schoolwork, and the matters of her heart.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 July, 2018: Finished reading
  • 8 July, 2018: Reviewed