Book Review: Red Devil by Kyell Gold

I wrote an earlier post about my re-reading of Green Fairy after nearly a decade since listening to its audiobook. My reason for the re-read? Azure City, the newest and fourth release in this series, came out in April of this year. Because it had been so long since I completed the initial trilogy, I wanted to re-read them to get fully immersed in this universe again.

The first sentence on the back of the book reads:

When Alexei seeks the help of a ghost to deal with a swaggering bully, he gets the strength and confidence he hopes for.

From that, we understand we're back in a world that's a combination of a coming of age story and an exploration into the supernatural. In a similar vein to Green Fairy, I'd consider these solidly YA-friendly novels, with no gruesome scenes or explicit sexual content. I'd flag content warnings for rape and suicide; much like Green Fairy, however.

The book itself is an easy read; I found myself easily able to engage with it and read it over probably only 5 or 6 short reading sessions. The characters are unique, captivating, and irritating enough to seem like real people you want to both embrace and shout at.

The first book in the series focused on Sol; with Meg and Alexei being his friends on his own journey. That book ended with Sol, Meg, and Alexei planning where their lives would go next. This book answers that question, opening with them living together in serviceable, but notably inexpensive, living accommodations.

Because past this point I'll be discussing spoilers, I'll give you a few more details before we get there. First off, I'm publishing this post in October, which is Furry Book Month. You can get this book (and, in fact, all the books in this series) in paperback from Furplanet or the DRM-free ebook from Bad Dog Books and use code FBM2026 for 15% or 10% off, respectively.

SPOILERS START BELOW THE BOOK COVER

SPOILERS STARTING NOW!

This book left me feeling emotionally more hit-in-the-chest than Green Fairy did. I think because in Green Fairy, a lot of the general experience seemed much more predictable. You have the conservative family, the over-eager internet boyfriend, and the desperation in the main plot; then the all-too-inevitable outcome in the subplot.

In this novel, though, Cat's death hits a lot harder because it feels like the expected resolution is that she will escape to be with her brother. When she doesn't, it feels like the novel froze in my hands, and I had to step away for a bit. I had listened to the audiobook before, but had forgotten just how hard her death hit me.

This is, honestly, a frustrating book to read; but the characters, problems, and situations feel so real that the book earns the frustration. As someone who considers themselves a tiger (or at least a half-tiger), I was also happy to see that the messaging wasn't "tigers are bad" but those tigers were bad, and the situation was complicated.

Overall, it's worth a read. Grab it while it's on sale if you don't have it in your library! I give this, like the Green Fairy, an 8.5/10.