Personal Demons Book

First, I would like to thank Goodreads and the author of this novel - Lisa Desrochers - for awarding me an ARC of Personal Demons. I never win anything, so getting this giveaway was extremely exciting. As much as I am grateful, however, I can't bring myself to give the book a rave review.

I am always sad to see authors squander away their great story ideas. So is the case with Personal Demons. It has a great premise - a demon and an angel fighting for the soul of a seemingly ordinary girl. Imagine the possibilities here - a stand-off between good an evil! elaborate, cunning schemes to force a good girl to forfeit her soul (think Succubus books by Richelle Mead)! an irresistible seduction by evil in spite of all common sense (think The Goblin Fruit in Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor). But alas, my hopes were crushed, as the novel instead embraces every overused cliche of the genre.

There is an obligatory love triangle and hence - the heroine's constant switch from one guy to another; a "titillating seduction" over lab tables and English lit homework; the "evil guy" whose evilness is limited to wearing black T-shirts and a pierced brow; the emphasis on minutiae of every glance and touch; and, of course, the notion that a millennia-old demon will find an ordinary girl attractive. All this in place of solid character development and establishing realistic relationships and conflicts. And my last concern (a pet peeve of mine, actually): why are so many female authors so keen on writing 1st person male POVs? Not only narrative voices of Luc and Frannie are indistinguishable (except Frannie's extensive use of the word "'cause"), but am I supposed to believe a 7000-year old demon cares to describe to us the appearance of an elderly school secretary in these words -Her round body is clad in the uniform of the ancients: turquoise polyester slacks and matching floral blouse neatly tucked in, right on the second page of the book?

I do, however, think that the book has a potential to be enjoyed by the crowd that favors books like: Evermore, Hush, Hush, Fallen, Shiver. There is enough of touching and embracing and kissing and eternal love proclamations to interest such readers. The question is, will Personal Demons reach this crowd, which is easily seduced and impressed by aggressive marketing campaigns and fleshy, deceptively sophisticated covers promising dark, dangerous romances? I think the present cover might not do the trick, even though the writing is on par with that of the books I listed earlier.