Repossessed by A.M. JenkinsFrom Harper Collins:
Don't call me a demon. I prefer the term Fallen Angel.
Everybody deserves a vacation, right? Especially if you have a pointless job like tormenting the damned. So who could blame me for blowing off my duties and taking a small, unauthorized break?
Besides, I've always wanted to see what physical existence is like. That's why I "borrowed" the slightly used body of a slacker teen. Believe me, he wasn't going to be using it anymore anyway.
I have never understood why humans do the things they do. Like sin—if it's so terrible, why do they keep doing it?
I'm going to have a lot of fun finding out!
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Really, more of a 3.5, than a 3. But I wanted more from this book. It sounded so cute, like such a neat idea, but it fell a little flat to me. Repossessed is the story of Kiriel, a fallen angel who possesses the body of Shaun, a slacker teen who wasn't doing much with it anyway, as Kiriel quips. Kiriel tries to experience life as Shaun, luxuriating in the senses humans possess and the activities he's seen humans do but never been able to do himself. He is at first rather sex-obsessed (fitting, as he inhabits a teenage boy), but as the story progresses he begins to truly experience life and develop attachments, in essence becoming more human.
He goes through his brief stolen "life" trying to figure out why humans do what they do, and why they don't do what looks irresistible to him. He begins to question the things he's always known, and he tries his hand at the seven deadly sins, and as he says, "Knowing doesn't hold a candle to doing." But as he experiments with humanity, he begins to see just what being human means. And that maybe he could use his time as a human to do something lasting.
So, sounds great. And it was cute, and there were some great humorous parts, both through Kiriel's narration and through his blundering his way through a human life. But it was always only so-so, and even though there was nothing I hated about it, I felt myself constantly checking the page number to see how much was left. I had waited a while for it and was excited, and by the time I got into it, I was just ready for it to end. I would try another Jenkins book, it was good enough for that, but if another left me feeling dissatisfied and underwhelmed, I don't think I'd give him a third chance.
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Bonus Material:
Repossessed got a lot of good buzz. I may just be (probably am) picky. I saw potential, but I wanted more.
Repossessed was named a Best Book for Young Adults for 2008 by YALSA, the Youth Adult Library Services Association (part of the ALA). See the full list
Here's a nifty little Reader's Guide from Harper Collins. So if you want some discussion questions on horny demons...
Catch up with author A.M. Jenkins on his blog, or read an interview with him done by fellow YA author Cynthia Leitich Smith on her blog (Tantalize, Eternal)
Browse inside Repossessed at Harper Collins' website.
I love your reviews. They are always so fun.
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis book does sound cute! I guess whether the book is "so-so" or not will be down to each individual person, so that part of your review hasn't put me off. The only thing that puts me of getting it right now is that it doesn't sound all that exciting. I can do cute, but there are other books I am excited to read, and this would just sit on my shelf for a while. I'll probably wait for it, but it does sound pretty good! Cheers for the review, Misty!
ReplyDeleteI read this book, it was cute, but almost boring at times
ReplyDelete