Book Review: Not My Apocalypse

Not My Apocalypse by Devon Harnois

At first, you might think that this book is a lot like Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  Like Percy, Alex Holden is a demigod, the child of a god and a human.  Like Percy, Alex has anger management issues, and hangs out with a bunch of other demigods.  But that is where the similarities end.  

Although written as YA Fantasy, I'd be careful which young adults I recommended this to.  In addition to his temper problem, Alex also drops the f bomb a lot.  Granted, in the situations he finds himself in, it fits, but if that word offends you, skip this book.  One of the funniest parts of the book is when he is hanging out with Jesus (who goes by Joshua) and has to keep rephrasing his sentences to eliminate the swearing.  

Alex has a hard life, which is quite understandable considering the fact that he lives with his Satanist mother and stepfather, and Lucifer, his father, drops by occasionally to beat him.  Alex knows that he is the Antichrist and he understands the role he must play according to the prophecies, but he wants nothing of it.  In fact,  he and his demi-god friends save the world 3 times, twice preventing Ragnarok, and finally stopping Satan from destroying the world.  

One of the fascinating things about this book is the way the author pulls in the gods and legends of many different cultures.  You get a little bit of Norse mythology, the Greeks, the Egyptians, and the Christians.  Excalibur even makes an appearance, and when that sword has to be returned Japanese spirits make Alex a new sword of his own.  The gods cannot interfere with the workings of the other pantheons, but these rules do not apply to their demi-god children who use whatever tools then can acquire to save the world.  

I read this book because I know the author.  I've read chapters of her other works in the writer's group that I used to attend.  Although her work is a little more edgy that what I usually read, it is also wickedly funny in places and very interesting.  I love seeing little bits of her personality coming through in the writing.  Most importantly, I want to read the next book in the trilogy.  (As you know, my two big criteria for judging a book are 1.  Does it keep me interested? and 2.  Do I want to read more about these characters?)