Not Today, Satan

Gr 10 Up–In this fast-paced retelling of Dante’s Inferno, Joyce creates a fearless Princess of Hell and a boy who cracks jokes even at the edge of death. Devica, Princess of Hell, is set to take the throne on her 18th birthday, but she doesn’t really want to. On one of her shifts at the Welcome Hall, she meets human Nathan Reynolds, who is possibly wrongfully sentenced to Hell. Together, Devica and Nate must journey out of Hell and back to Earth. With the ruse of saving Nate, Dev frees him from his lot, and they help each other escape death. Devica struggles with the fact that she is a demon and has to punish human sinners, but her human side relates too much for her comfort with Nate. The beginning has a clear map of Hell that’s easy to understand. This fast-paced emotional roller-coaster filled with twists and turns is funny and light, but also gory and pulls at the heartstrings. Trigger warnings included. Race of the characters is not mentioned.