Testimony of the Damned (Emissary of the Devil Book 1) by K.G. Reuss

              

The conflict of Constantine intertwined with a 

Romeo and Juliet style love!

Abraxas Shepherd, Brax, is a suicide who serves the devil and is one soul away from becoming a crown prince of the Lower Kingdom (Hell).  The devil charges him with collecting the soul of Maggie Westbrook, the sacrificial lamb that can open the seals beginning the Apocalypse.  The devil wants eight souls, the lamb and her seven trumpeters. But none more so than the purest soul, the lamb, Maggie.  Maggie has an abusive step dad.  Most Nephilim emanate feelings of calm and peace, but Maggie emanates feelings of fear, sadness and despair.  This throws Brax off and makes him more curious and eventually concerned for her.

Brax struggles with his need to complete his duty and take Maggie back to the Lower Kingdom and his want to protect her keeping her for himself.  Brax teams up with Lance, a Nephilim, to protect Maggie from Corbin Black, Brax’s brother.  Brax walks a thin line between completing his demonic duties and protecting the girl he loves, Maggie. 

Told from Brax’s point of view, Reuss develops a romance between the sides of good and evil.  Both Brax and Maggie struggle with their inner desires.  They bend the rules for the salvation of each other’s souls. 

The Good:

I loved that the story is told through a demon’s point of view.  Reuss was able to descriptively show the inner struggle that Brax faced when confronted with his feelings for Maggie.  The plot was easy to follow and enjoyable to read.  My favorite quote from the novel is:

“She was a fever burning like hellfire within my scorned heart,

 and yet, I had no desire to extinguish the flame that threatened 

to turn me to ash.”

The Bad:

I had issues with high school aged characters living a college style life.  Going to clubs and drinking are not something most high school aged people do where I grew up, a one-horse-buggy style town.  So, this I had a hard time believing, although I guess it is more prevalent in large cities where entertainment options are more widely available.

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