Who knew a ragtag group of kids from Hell could be so dang endearing? The book gives a whole new meaning to "suburban hell," which funny enough ends up looking no too dissimilar from those on Earth. 

Mal and his friends are destined for big things. What those things are exactly is a bit cryptic at first, as we don't really get the technicalities until the last third of the book, despite it being written in Mal's voice. It doesn't feel like a grand reveal or like a mystery solved, just information that wasn't given to us earlier. The plotting of events in the story seem chaotic at times, retreading story beats and going down certain paths that don't really circle back to anything. It could have used maybe just one more round of editing to chop off the excess to help with pacing, but it gets back on track fairly quickly.

I'm always down for different interpretations of hellish beings or give a little shake up to any religious mythos. Here we have angels that reside in Hell to secure the evil forces within and protect the balance of reality. They're not demonic, devilish, or evil in any way, they just happen to live where the work is. It's a very middle-grade friendly version of Hell, detailing the various rings and which sins belong to which ring. We only ever see the more residential side, complete with diners, comic book shops, and movie theaters, so no need to worry about kiddies bearing witness to eternal torment before they can crack open some Alighieri.

The story itself is a very fun ride, full of magic and Halloween-type shenanigans as the kids find themselves on Earth, trying to thwart an escapee from the Pit looking to manipulate the people of Salem. It's spooky enough to satisfy anyone looking for an exciting fall read that may not scare their socks off, but will definitely get them in the mood for the season. The cover alone should snatch any passer-by's attention, and really, who can resist a bright red cover with three mischief makers on it? 

While it definitely felt plodding at times, I ultimately had fun with it and will continue with the next book in the series in the hopes that Mal's feelings of bi-panic will be followed through.