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The First Sacrament
Hell is empty and all the devils are in Stone Chapel
Beatrice Todd's life sucks. She's failing out of high school (again), her best friend is dying of an incurable illness, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to make ends meet. Desperate for cash, she decides to do the one thing she knows she really shouldn't do: Demon hunting.
What starts as a simple get-rich-quick scheme rapidly spirals into an infernal game of cat and mouse as Beatrice realizes not all is what it seems in her gloomy hometown of Stone Chapel, Maine. Bodies are piling up with mysterious symbols branded onto their stomachs. Strange crows appear on every street corner, watching and waiting. At the heart of it all is the city's famous church.
When the battle for Stone Chapel's soul arises, will Beatrice be able to save it? Or has it been damned from the start?
Beatrice Todd's life sucks. She's failing out of high school (again), her best friend is dying of an incurable illness, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to make ends meet. Desperate for cash, she decides to do the one thing she knows she really shouldn't do: Demon hunting.
What starts as a simple get-rich-quick scheme rapidly spirals into an infernal game of cat and mouse as Beatrice realizes not all is what it seems in her gloomy hometown of Stone Chapel, Maine. Bodies are piling up with mysterious symbols branded onto their stomachs. Strange crows appear on every street corner, watching and waiting. At the heart of it all is the city's famous church.
When the battle for Stone Chapel's soul arises, will Beatrice be able to save it? Or has it been damned from the start?
418 pages, Paperback
Published May 24, 2016
1 person is currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 5, 2016
Well, I wrote it, so I think it's pretty great.
August 24, 2016
I love this book a lot.
The characters all have their own personalities, speech patters, quirks, and roles in the story. All the characters have backgrounds and histories and live on the pages; Beatrice can be a little petulant and angry, but her anger is justified. Her anger suits the atmospheric story that's equal parts noir and high-budget horror movie, and it manages to pull it all off without being hammy or cheesy.
It's nice to watch Beatrice grow; she never loses her jagged edges because she's a product of the world she's in, but she learns how to idk retract her spikes around people and gets the support that she never got from other people in her life; Dante is precious and is doing his best, but he's also a giant goober. There's not a character in this book I don't like (or appreciate at least, in the case of the villains)
The mystery is engaging, and plot goes at a steady pace -- not too fast that you can't catch a breath and the emotional connection is impossible to form, and not too slow that you can't engage with it; there's downtime to show the characters' lives and the city so you can grow to care what happens to them on a personal level and to showcase the love the author put into crafting them, and there's plenty of action and clue collecting and speculation to keep things moving along without getting bogged down in nothing but characters hanging out and existing
There's some things that could have used a little more finesse; Aralia's job in the group goes from mysterious to defined to a little mysterious again.
Some of the mysteries don't feel completely solved or explained, even when they're laid out; the motivations were a little unclear, but I know there's room to explore them in the next books. Same with Max and Sadie; their relationship comes out of nowhere, which I think will also get explored more later, but it's also a way to show that the other characters have their own lives. Max doesn't exist just in stasis when B isn't there to observe him like some kind of Schrödinger's cat of anime-loving nerds, which is something the author did well.
Despite the few nitpicks I had about the book, it's a really cool premise written with a lot of passion and love, and it shows in how successful the story is
The characters all have their own personalities, speech patters, quirks, and roles in the story. All the characters have backgrounds and histories and live on the pages; Beatrice can be a little petulant and angry, but her anger is justified. Her anger suits the atmospheric story that's equal parts noir and high-budget horror movie, and it manages to pull it all off without being hammy or cheesy.
It's nice to watch Beatrice grow; she never loses her jagged edges because she's a product of the world she's in, but she learns how to idk retract her spikes around people and gets the support that she never got from other people in her life; Dante is precious and is doing his best, but he's also a giant goober. There's not a character in this book I don't like (or appreciate at least, in the case of the villains)
The mystery is engaging, and plot goes at a steady pace -- not too fast that you can't catch a breath and the emotional connection is impossible to form, and not too slow that you can't engage with it; there's downtime to show the characters' lives and the city so you can grow to care what happens to them on a personal level and to showcase the love the author put into crafting them, and there's plenty of action and clue collecting and speculation to keep things moving along without getting bogged down in nothing but characters hanging out and existing
There's some things that could have used a little more finesse; Aralia's job in the group goes from mysterious to defined to a little mysterious again.
Some of the mysteries don't feel completely solved or explained, even when they're laid out; the motivations were a little unclear, but I know there's room to explore them in the next books. Same with Max and Sadie; their relationship comes out of nowhere, which I think will also get explored more later, but it's also a way to show that the other characters have their own lives. Max doesn't exist just in stasis when B isn't there to observe him like some kind of Schrödinger's cat of anime-loving nerds, which is something the author did well.
Despite the few nitpicks I had about the book, it's a really cool premise written with a lot of passion and love, and it shows in how successful the story is
January 9, 2016
What a great book! I pre-ordered this at a friend of the author's recommendation and I'm so glad I did. The protagonist, Beatrice, is wonderful and she really represents what a lot of kids her age struggle with--complete with illness, lack of family, struggles bonding, defiance, attitude, and more. While sometimes I felt that her attitude felt a bit "forced" in the writing itself during the first chunk of the book (particularly in her "I'm so angry" moments) it seems to "smooth out" and come more naturally the further into the book you progress.
The rest of the cast is equally likable and easy to attach to. There is no "shove-it-down-your-throat" romance, no weird relationship triangles, petty female "spats," or anything so cliche. It feels very authentic, and the bonding between them flows and grows very naturally.
Plot-wise: gosh, how engaging! The atmosphere the book generates has a dark flair without being anything overwhelming or uncomfortable. It was almost bizarre how easily the book slid you into a town used to the presence of demons, but not a bad sort or bizarre--it was very neat and unexpected. No dramatic, candles-in-the-dark, "oh, but there were DEMONS!" moment. There's a great chunk of action, mystery bordering on frustration (the "WHO DID IT THOUGH" kind), and heartfelt moments both warm and sad.
My favorite thing about this book is how there isn't an overwhelming presence of typical cliches in most "dark" YA novels. I can't wait for the next addition to the series--that ENDING, man. That ending.
The rest of the cast is equally likable and easy to attach to. There is no "shove-it-down-your-throat" romance, no weird relationship triangles, petty female "spats," or anything so cliche. It feels very authentic, and the bonding between them flows and grows very naturally.
Plot-wise: gosh, how engaging! The atmosphere the book generates has a dark flair without being anything overwhelming or uncomfortable. It was almost bizarre how easily the book slid you into a town used to the presence of demons, but not a bad sort or bizarre--it was very neat and unexpected. No dramatic, candles-in-the-dark, "oh, but there were DEMONS!" moment. There's a great chunk of action, mystery bordering on frustration (the "WHO DID IT THOUGH" kind), and heartfelt moments both warm and sad.
My favorite thing about this book is how there isn't an overwhelming presence of typical cliches in most "dark" YA novels. I can't wait for the next addition to the series--that ENDING, man. That ending.
January 10, 2016
This book was a delightful adventure from start to finish. It's rare to find a story that never leaves you bored. The protagonist, Beatrice, has an engaging voice and is extraordinarily relatable. Her passion and her character development made her great to follow at every turn.
The characters in particular were strong and lovable. Hardly a character crossed the page that I didn't fall in love with almost immediately. I can't even list my favorites. They all seemed real, full of odd habits and unique emotional patterns. Even the smallest roles improved the book as a whole. It doesn't take long to get too invested to put it down.
The plot kept a steady pace. That does mean that it very rarely slowed down to breathe, but the moments that it did were gems. Otherwise, it's a fast-paced supernatural action mystery. The gritty genre came through in the details--diners, broken laptops, the noise of a city. It was the sort of detail that brings you ever further into the story.
Overall this was a great lot of fun, and I can't wait for the second book!
The characters in particular were strong and lovable. Hardly a character crossed the page that I didn't fall in love with almost immediately. I can't even list my favorites. They all seemed real, full of odd habits and unique emotional patterns. Even the smallest roles improved the book as a whole. It doesn't take long to get too invested to put it down.
The plot kept a steady pace. That does mean that it very rarely slowed down to breathe, but the moments that it did were gems. Otherwise, it's a fast-paced supernatural action mystery. The gritty genre came through in the details--diners, broken laptops, the noise of a city. It was the sort of detail that brings you ever further into the story.
Overall this was a great lot of fun, and I can't wait for the second book!
January 7, 2016
Though I really enjoy the genre, I haven't read any fantasy novels in a while. Maybe it's because despite how promising all the novels start out, they often contain so many overused cliches and tropes that make them difficult to get through. This book, however, did not contain so many of those and was a really great read. The main character, Beatrice is tough and witty, and she's also real. I love the relationships between all the characters, their friendships were so important to me. I hope to see some more character development for some of them in the future, but I liked them all. The overall idea for this series is super cool and I really enjoyed reading it. Can't wait for the sequel. If you like books about demons, sacrifices and like being surprised at all the (actually) unpredictable plot twists, this is a good book for you!
March 18, 2018
This book grabbed me pretty much right away and didn't let me go until I finished it. It broke me out of a reading slump that had lasted months longer than any slump before it. The characters are fleshed-out and though they're not all likable, they are all very true. Beatrice is the salty, sarcastic film noir heroine of my dreams and I want to invite Aralia to hang out and have drinks. I don't want to say too much more and give anything away, but this was an excellent debut novel from someone who we will no doubt see more of.
January 8, 2016
An enjoyable read, but I found a few things frustrating. The lack of development of the friendship between Beatrice and Rosie, and later on with her new friend, the limited world building, and a really aggravating cliff hanger???? My biggest complaint was that it felt unfinished. A lot of interesting possibilities for future books though!
February 4, 2017
I FEEL PERSONALLY VICTIMIZED BY THIS CLIFFHANGER
January 10, 2016
A very atmospheric story set in a world where demons live among us. It was fast paced and read almost like a movie. Action packed and lots of world building. I only wish the ending wasn't such a cliffhanger, because I would like to know how the story resolves!
February 7, 2017
DNF'd at 46%. Definitely not my cup of tea.
I must have bought this on someone's recommendation ages ago but I didn't get along with it at all. The MC is too irritating for words.
I must have bought this on someone's recommendation ages ago but I didn't get along with it at all. The MC is too irritating for words.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews