Logic of Demons: Review

Synopsis: What would you do if the love of your life was murdered by a deranged killer? Would you become a vigilante and seek retribution? And would this revenge affect those you care for in the afterlife? LOGIC OF DEMONS The Quest for Nadine's Soul takes you on a journey inside the psyches of men and women forced to deal with the spiritual consequences of their decisions. Through the lives of a demon, two Angels, and a mysterious teenage girl, a plethora of politically and socially relevant issues ranging from the roots of genocide and sex trafficking to child conscription and religious fundamentalism are addressed in this fantasy thriller. Life as well as the afterlife converge in this novel to explain certain peculiarities of the human condition. Whether you are God fearing individual or an atheist, LOGIC OF DEMONS The Quest for Nadine's Soul addresses moral and theological issues of interest for people of all backgrounds.

Details: Logic of Demons by H. A. Goodman, 272 pages, 3.50 stars on Goodreads


Why I Picked This Up: I received this one for review from the author. It seemed like it could be an interesting read, although I worried it might be too preachy.


Characters: Devin was an interesting character. He was flawed, which made him believable, but I didn't always understand the decisions he made. In the beginning of the book, for instance, he finds his wife's killer (who raped her before murdering her) and kills him. I could understand him doing this given how driven by rage he was, but what I didn't understand was when a "voice" appeared and started trying to convince him to go through with it, he didn't find that strange.    


Another thing that bothered me was when he was in the afterlife and wanted, more than anything, to reunite with his wife and unborn child. Yet despite how much he wants this, he continues to make impulsive decisions over and over again, not even thinking them through. I would have thought that he would be as careful as possible to ensure that he would end up with his wife and child again.


Plot: This book had one of the twistiest plots I've read in a long time! It had me constantly guessing who was lying, who was telling the truth, who are really the good guys, as I went through the pages. The ending in particular was something I definitely hadn't seen coming, but it was fantastic and worked perfectly with the story.


One thing I found was that the book addressed a great deal of issues and held a lot of meaning and things to think about. As I said earlier, I was a little wary of this one because I worried it might come across too preachy or the religious undertones too strong for me, an atheist. However, this was definitely not the case! No matter what you believe, this book can still make you ponder the situations it presents, and this makes Logic of Demons a very interesting read.


What I didn't like as much about this book was the fact that the dialogue and thoughts of the characters sometimes felt stilted or forced, and that some things are explained that really don't need to. Each time this happened, it jarred me out of the story for a second.


Cover: The fire in the background is neat and the fonts work together, but I don't like the man on the front. He looks more like something from Sims 3 than an actual person, and his face seems depressed, tired, and drawn. Other than that, this is an eye-catching cover.


First Line: He couldn't stop staring at the ultrasound image.

Overall: Devin was a believable character, but frustrated me at times with his impulsive and sometimes not-so-believable decisions. However, the plot was jammed with twists and turns, as well as intriguing moral and religious issues. At times it felt like there were too many issues stuffed in one book, but they still gave something to think about. The writing could have been a little more polished. I would say this is more of an adult book than a YA, although both readers of those genres might enjoy this.

Plot - 4/5
Characters - 2/5
Impact - 3/5
Writing - 2/5
Inability to put it down - 2/5


Total - 52% = C

Note: I received this book for review from the author. This in no way affected the review I wrote.