Original Sin by Allison Brennan

Published 2010.

Haunted by chilling memories of demonic possession and murder, Moira O'Donnell has spent seven years hunting down her mother, Fiona, whose command of black magic has granted her unprecedented control of the underworld. Now Moira's global search has led her to a small California town that's about to become hell on earth.

Tormented by his own terrifying past and driven by powers he can't explain, ex-seminarian Rafe Cooper joins Moira's dangerous quest. But Fiona is one devilish step ahead. Hungry for greater power, eternal youth, and stunning beauty, the sorceress is unleashing upon the mortal world the living incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Together with a demonologist, a tough female sheriff, and a true-crime writer chasing the ultimate story, Moira and Rafe are humanity's last best chance to snatch salvation from the howling jaws of damnation. (book back blurb)

I read a review of this book where the reviewer said that it was too religious for her so she had a hard time getting into it. O_o Uh, duh. With a title like Original Sin, part of the Seven Deadly Sins series, it certainly wasn't going to be nondenominational, now was it?

Anyway, have you ever read a book where it feels like you're reading forever and when you go to stop and put the bookmark in, you look at the top of the book to see how much more you have to go before the end and it looks like the bookmark hasn't moved at all? That's what this book was like for me. I had a hard time getting into it and staying interested.

It's not that it was bad. There were some parts I enjoyed. One was the execution of the Seven Deadly Sins (not as in their deaths but in how they were used in the story). These are sneaky little bastards that don't need to actually possess a body but they can infect them with their sin of choice with a brush, or even a presence. The sin overwhelms a person, like they lose self control and start acting purely on their id. They feel like they're not acting like themselves but it doesn't feel like a separate entity's invaded their body. I just really like that concept and I really liked how it was played out in the story.

The rest of it . . . meh. I felt the action was cyclical and redundant at times. A lot of the time I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over because it felt like the same action was being replayed, as were the same emotions and the same circumstances. It got old quick and kept me from wanting to read on.

The demon thing overall was just a little too campy for me. It read like something out of a cheesy B horror movie made in the 90s or something. Moira's snarky lines when she was faced with one didn't come off as working but as something contrived. Yeah, because when I'm faced with a demon, I'm going to crack jokes, right? I think it was meant to portray her personality but I didn't think it worked.

I didn't feel any growth for any of the characters at all in the book. Moira, Anthony, even Skye, I felt all stayed the same from beginning to end. I didn't see any of them reaching beyond their character. They all stuck firmly to their roles and didn't branch out. Despite all the demon stuff, it kept the story kind of boring.

I'm also not a fan of the "all magic, black or white, is evil" notion either. Maybe it fits into the plot the story dictates, but it's not something that sits well with me, especially witches actually preferring to be called magicians. Pardon the pun, but not a snowball's chance in hell.

The gratuitous sex scene was interesting. Rather random and unnecessary but there you go. It was a way to wedge the word 'cock' into the manuscript. The story wouldn't have been any less lively without it.

The ending irked me, especially Fiona's too-easy hand-over of the situation. It was like, "You've won this time, but the battle's just begun." Very cliche and the situation was wrapped up way too easily for my liking. I felt Fiona as a whole was just a very cliche villain. Basically she's out for world domination and eternal beauty and youth. Just not very original to me and I didn't find her a very compelling antagonist because of that.

I mean, it's not a bad book. The writing's okay but the overall story really isn't for me. I like a certain kind of cheese but this isn't it. I think it might be just a little too much for me. But it's supernatural and it does have some interesting takes on the ways of demons. I think it'd make a decent beach read but it'd be a one time thing and then just pass on the book or donate it to the library or something.