Books4Tomorrow: REVIEW: "FIRST PLANE" (Hayle Coven, #10)

Title: “First Plane”

Series: (Hayle Coven, #10)

Author: Patti Larsen

Publisher: Self-published

Publication Date: November 27, 2012

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz

Source: Received for review from author

Ellen’s star rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

Welcome to Demonicon

“I am Pagomaris, first aide to Ruler. I’m thrilled to have you both here. It’s my responsibility to ensure you are presentable for the parade.”

Presentable? Parade?

“Everyone is so excited to meet you.” She turned and clapped, a pair of young female demons dressed more simply than her scurrying forward with armloads of what appeared to be cosmetics, jewelry and the most elaborate clothing I’d ever seen. “Shall we begin?”

Something about the woman’s attitude ramped me up to dig in my heels so hard I expected the stone floor to split under me.

“No,” I said.

Syd is home for a well-deserved Christmas break and the whole family has gathered for a happy holiday. But when Harry shows up to tell his daughters their paternal grandmother wants to meet them, Syd and Meira eagerly leave for the demon plane with a mix of excitement and nerves. Their long-delayed family reunion is really a disguise for political games that put both of their lives at risk, forcing the Hayle sisters to fight for the status they’ve been granted by the woman who Rules everything, and wants what she can’t have—Syd.

REVIEW

As is usual with the Hayle Coven novels, First Plane was another sit-down-and-devour-immediately experience. Syd is looking forward to a relaxing Christmas holiday with her family and friends when the summons to meet her father's family in Demonicon comes. Are Syd and Meira in for a surprise! With her demon grandmother as ruler of all Demonicon, hundreds of extremely nasty, jealous demon family members and a status that she has to defend and did not want in the first place, this visit turns out to be a nightmare. Add to that two half human/half demon kids who are being used as pawns in a political struggle, and Syd is in for a dangerous, scary experience.

In this book Syd's character shows all the growth it had been going through in the previous few books. She is far more self-confident, and her snarky, smart-mouthed personality is firmly in place. When she, Meira and Sassafras seem to be trapped on Demonicon for an indefinite period, she takes it with remarkable stoicism and, boy, does she kick butt in fights! Sassafras - silver Persian demon cat extraordinaire - who knows the demon setup, is of invaluable help with his advice and interference at crucial points in the story. He also serves as fighting coach for the two girls, as well as a shoulder to cry on when things look grim.

I was thoroughly impressed with the way Patti Larsen described Demonicon. No blazing hell fires or some dreary world, but rather a place with colorful cities, beautiful natural scenery and some really unique, cool transport. It even has several suns and moons and nobody had to get in a spaceship to get there. The down side of this realm however; fighting. Fights for status happen all the time. Political intrigue is a permanent under-current, and rioting and rebellion are almost everyday occurrences.

First Plane is full of excitement and suspense, some absolutely hilarious moments and a few incidents where I definitely had to get the Kleenex out. With the author's marvelous ability to create a brand new idea for every book, I can promise you a very enjoyable, rewarding read with never a dull moment. A five-star rating is really too low for this book and its gifted author and I wish I was allowed to give it more. Thumbs up to First Plane and Patti Larsen!