Book Review for Betting on the Devil by Emma Mohr
Betting on the Devil, by Emma Mohr, is a paranormal romance about standing up for your family, even if that means gambling away your humanity.
Sophia has the unique ability to see demons, alongside an uncanny gift for gambling. She was sold to Shan Chu Chao Li by her father, who is more interested in keeping her as a slave. In order to keep her sister safe, she must keep winning her gambles and paying Chao Li, all the while trying to live her own life. However, she soon catches the attention of yet another demonic lord, one that can change her life forever. And it begins with whether or not she decides to bet on the Devil himself.
Sophia was interesting, to say the least. She has a no-nonsense attitude and a vicious temper, especially if her siblings are in danger. She cares about them, so much so she’s willing to put herself at risk for their safety. Still, despite these wonderful qualities she does have issues with her past; the abuse her father dealt her and her siblings, as well as him selling her to Chao Li, would be enough to make her wary of anyone. She also realizes that her position as Lucifer’s “favorite”, and that she has to be careful. She was looking for safety, and she got it, despite knowing what it might entail. I felt she brought more to the table than other paranormal romance heroines. She was prepared to kill her former owner for humiliating her, as well as take the Throne of Hell for her own. But in the end, she couldn’t let go of her humanity. She couldn’t, because that wasn’t who she was. Her siblings were wonderfully written as well; they each carry their own lives, but would still do anything for each other.
Mohr also ties the theme of standing up for your family. Both Olivia and Brendon did reckless things in the book, but they did it for their sister. Lucifer was willing to kill off his subordinates if he had the slightest suspicion that they were going to attack Sophia. It shows just how much they care for her, despite everything that’s happened in their lives, and it was touching.
Nevertheless, the book did have one major detraction. The devil was disappointing. This could be just from my experience with horror novels in general, or the fact that I’m still freaked out from watching Annabelle: The Creation, but the Devil isn’t the sexy, submissive guy I saw in this book. I wished both Sophia’s and Lucifer’s relationship was more fleshed out; after all, nothing comes for free, and with their deal I would’ve run. Lucifer’s history was also something I would’ve wished to see.
Still, Mohr creates a good story where the Devil saves the woman he loves from falling, as he did before. While I wanted to explore his character more in the book, the humans surrounding him make up for it. I have to admit that Hell and its demons were a bit anti-climactic, but the plot was good nonetheless. Thus, I would give this book a rating of a 3.4 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to those who love Death Cab for Cutie’s I’ll follow you to Dark.
