The Devil's Poetry

The Devil's Poetry by Louise Cole

Published by Kindle Press

June 2017

Callie’s world will be lost to war – unless she can unlock the magic of an ancient manuscript. She and her friends are being drafted and many of them won’t come back. When a secret order tells her she can bring peace just by reading from a book, it seems an easy solution – too easy. But how do you make the right decision when no one will tell you the truth? Callie soon finds herself hunted, trapped between desperate allies and diabolical enemies. There are only two people Callie can trust – her best friend and her ex-Marine bodyguard. And they are on different sides. Callie alone must decide: dare she read this book? What’s the price – and who will pay?

The Devil's Poetry is a YA dystopian novel set on the brink of World War III.  Our central character is Callie, a teenage girl who has a fairly ordinary life with her father in Yorkshire.  However as the reader quickly learns, whilst some things remain the same in the future, there are many things that are now very different.  One evening in a nightclub with her friends Gavin and Amber, trouble breaks out and Callie meets a handsome man who gives her a book with the message "do not read this" as he squirrels her away to safety.  Of course, Callie, who adores books, reads the book that has been given to her!

The mysterious stranger (Jace) returns again at school, as a new TA and Callie can't help but think there is something suspicious about this.  On her way home with Amber they are confronted by some creatures (who we find out are the Cadaveri) and Amber fights to save Callie's life as they are attacked.  Callie finds herself saying some mysterious words out loud in order to fight off the Cadaveri, and it turns out she is actually recalling the text of the book that Jace had given to her.  It turns out that Jace is in fact her bodyguard and is meant to be protecting her from these demon-like creatures.  Callie, unbeknown to her, is actually the next Reader, and only she can save the future of the world.

As the book progresses, we learn more of Callie's family background, such as what happened to her mother, who died when Callie was much younger, of her distant relationship with her father, and of the growing bond between her and Jace as they spend more and more time together.  The tension builds throughout the book, and you wonder if Callie will make it to read from the book by the end of the novel and if she does, will the result be what is expected or will it just add more confusion to a world already broken with fighting.

I did enjoy this book, which is the first in a series.  It has a fast-moving plot and the tension does build throughout and actually it isn't hard to imagine the world like this in a not-so-distant future..  The only negative I have is that the book contains a synopsis of the second title in the series and within that there is a huge spoiler for what is coming up next.  So if you do go and read this, and you want to read book two, don't be tempted to read this bit please.

Happy Reading

Miss Chapters x