Select one of the keywords
Original Sin    by Lisa Desrochers Amazon.com order for
Original Sin
by Lisa Desrochers
Order:  USA  Can
Tor, 2011 (2011)
Softcover, CD, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers is the sequel to Personal Demons, which introduced feisty Frannie Cavanaugh, torn between unrequited love for two celestial beings ... an angel and a demon. If she consummates that love with the demon she'll be destined for Hell; if with the angel, he'll lose his wings. A more frustrating love triangle is hard to imagine.

Luc Cain worked in Hell's Acquisitions, charged by his namesake (Lucifer himself) with tagging Frannie's soul for the infernal team. Gabe had the opposite agenda and each of these gorgeous beings dogged her footsteps. Why Frannie? Turns out she has the rare power to Sway others. And Frannie wavered between the upper and nether reaches, her faith undermined by guilt over her brother Matt's untimely death.

As Original Sin opens, Frannie's love has Swayed Luc into human form, tagged for Heaven - he's no longer indestructible and Lucifer's minions (led by the ambivalent Rhenorian) are tasked with bringing him back to face his master's wrath. Since Luc now needs to sleep occasionally and Frannie still needs protection, Gabe (who's afraid that if he does it himself, he will lose control) has arranged for an inexperienced Guardian Angel (Frannie's dead brother Matt) to watch over her.

Things get complicated fast when Matt falls hard for the seemingly shy and scared Lili, who moves in next door to Luc and appears to be interested in him (arousing Matt's jealousy and causing him to plot with Rhenorian against the ex-demon). While all this develops, Frannie tries to explore her power to Sway, with little success. And Frannie's friend Taylor gets much too close to demonkind, risking her chance for Heaven.

Soon an angel loses wings, a demon humanity, and a human a soul. Frannie learns more about her own family, and gets up close and personal with Lucifer himself. She feels cursed and that everyone she cares about gets hurt. What will she do? Guess we'll have to wait for the next episode to find out, but I expect there'll be plenty of angst to go around as Frannie continues to deal with her eternal love triangle.

If you haven't found this series yet, it's great fun and one of the more original of recent YA paranormal offerings. Looking forward to more!

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews