The basic plot is very familiar YA territory: an awkward seventeen-year-old girl, Theia Alderson, moves to a northern California town. Her home life is cool and strict: mother died giving birth to her, her father is a constantly busy barrister (English lawyer) who has pots of money but not too much affection. At school, Theia has a couple of quirky girlfriends who don’t like the “sneetches” the popular cheerleaders/jocks. Donny is way into boys and independent; Amelia is into all things metaphysical.

And into this nominally typical teenaged world falls an absolutely gorgeous guy, Haden Black. The kind of guy, whose looks make him a perfect match for a sneetch, but who, after meeting Theia under unusual circumstances, finds himself very attracted to the violin-playing introvert.

Of course, he is not all he appears to be. And lest you think this is a feeble rip off of “Twilight,” it isn’t. A character even comments that one of Haden’s peculiarities better not be that he’s ‘a vampire with glittery skin.’

No. He is a half-human, half-demon teenage boy from Under (a euphemism for the Underworld). His father was human and his mother is Mara—demon queen of Under and the source of all human nightmares.

Haden is struggling to find balance between two worlds. (Yes—just like Edward Cullen but less confident. Haden is actually a lot older than Edward—he’s 170 years old.).

Theia gradually becomes aware of Haden’s true nature because he just can’t keep his distance. And the two of them fall in love. But Haden doesn’t want to touch Theia afraid if he does he will eat her soul and drag her to Under to be the human bride his mother wants him to have. Because Hell needs an heir and Haden must produce one with a human.

So the struggle of these two to keep the other at arm’s length though burning to be together obviously adds a great deal of tension to the story.

There is no sex—but tons of angst because Haden doesn’t want Theia to be a pawn of his mother (or his demon nature) and Theia though desperately attracted to Haden, doesn’t want Haden to be punished by the manipulative Mara.

And of course—all hell does break loose.

But the tale has a very satisfying ending…for a book which is likely to be just one of several about these two star-crossed lovers. All of the novel’s characters are enough off- center to be engaging.

I look forward to more. ~~ Sue Martin