Down in Flames

Gr 4–6—Hell has never been so appealing. This engaging sequel catches up with Donny Taylor (mere teenage mortal) and Angela Obscura (archdemon of the underworld) as they slay beasts, fight fantastic creatures, and order takeout. Catanese reprises the memorably dry, witty tone from Donny's Inferno. Riffing on the classic mythos of hell handed down by Dante, the first book revealed reforms of hell that, among other things, extinguished the infamous "Pit of Fire." In this follow-up, souls are instead damned to contemplate their wrongs for all eternity. Now called Sulphur, this new underworld incorporates the expected (gargantuan stone pillars, a river remarkably like Acheron, and imps) and the surprising (basic cell phone service, who knew?). Once, Angela (whose ability to shape-shift allows her to take human form as a white, freckled redheaded teen) saved Donny from certain death, and he must now serve as her assistant. As they are assigned increasingly lethal missions that could kill Donny but will leave Angela unscathed, he begins to question why she insists he put himself in danger when she has no need of mortal help. Angela continues to dodge this all-important question, downplaying Donny's terror at every turn, as they embark on their latest task: tracking a mysterious beast and discovering why souls are mysteriously disappearing from Sulphur.