Review: The Devil's Triangle by Toni De Palma

The Devil's Triangle

Author: Toni De Palma
Series: The Devil's Triangle, #1
Published: February 15, 2013
Goodreads

When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.

While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend who can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.

While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping him and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined.

*a copy was provided by Christine Marie Book Publicity & Publishing for review purposes*

First and foremost I have to comment on how refreshing it was to read in the male perspective. You don't see that often in young adult and being inside the mind of Cooper was a wonderful experience. The story begins with a Cooper in the afterlife. He as a misfit has been offered a chance into Heaven, but he must succeed in finding a girl named Grace--just what he is supposed to do once he finds her is unclear. He goes from being in the afterlife to suddenly sitting inside a classroom with no clue as to who the people around him are, even though some appear to be this Coopers friends, and he finds the girl he's looking for--but she isn't at all what he had in mind. He has no rules to follow or guidelines from Lucy; he just goes into this blind to everything and most of what he does gets him odd looks from those around him. From there the story progresses with Cooper completely confused as to what is going on while the people in his life keep looking at him like he's crazy and the one girl that could save him from an eternity in Hell wants nothing to do with him.

The Devil's Triangle is full of suspense as we follow Cooper along this path of redemption and confusion as everything spirals out of control and strange things begin to happen. He's always searching for guidance from the person who thrust him into this life, but she's never around to help. Cooper has to figure everything out on his own and it takes a good portion of the book before the biggest realization he could imagine finally hits him.

The characters around him are very interesting. Grace has a huge secret she's keeping from everyone--a secret that has entirely ruined her life but one that she deemed necessary at the time. It's clear that something happened between her and Cooper before Cooper entered into that life, but he is unsure why there is so much tension between them with no insight into the old Cooper's past. Some of the characters were incredibly shady and you didn't know whether or not they could be trusted. Everything is finally shown to us in the end and it's a bit surprising. It's a simple explanation, but still a very interesting one. I'm very anxious to read more about Cooper and his journey to save his soul, and hopefully another in the process. And of course I have to know what's in store for Cooper and Grace.

I rate this book:

AUTHOR

About Toni De Palma

Who am I? Well, let's start with who I am NOT. I am Not tall. I am Not a genius. And though a lot of people have assumed I was, I was never, ever a cheerleader in high school. Actually, I was a klutz, a nerd and kind of quiet when I was in high school. I am still a klutz, a much better listener than I am a talker (though my husband would probably disagree with that) and still a nerd (and very proud of that thank you!)

I grew up in Brooklyn, New York and when I was a kid I loved to wander the streets with my best friend John. We'd disappear for the whole day, returning conveniently when it was time for dinner. During the summer, I'd dance in the spray of the johnny pump (the fire hydrant). Some summers I'd spend in Ischia, the Italian island where my dad was from.

I have always loved to travel and wander. My most valued possession is my passport. I love to write stories that take me and my readers places and of course I love traveling places to do the research for my books (can you say write offs!). I write Middle Grade and YA both contemporary and paranormal romance but I like to read everything and discover new and unusual books.

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