THE AFTERLIFE OF THE PARTY

Life at a new school can be hell, especially when you’re in Hell.

After accidentally trapping themselves on Earth and battling the escaped soul of evil Salem witch trial judge Samuel Parris in Grounded for All Eternity (2022), fallen angels Malachi (the group’s leader), Lilith (the intelligence officer and potential love interest), Crowley (the suave magic user), and Aleister (the muscle) are back in Hell and ready to take on a new challenge: being separated into different schools for the first time. They’re coping with it as best they can, but when odd things start happening in Hell—odd enough to get even Lucifer’s attention—the foursome work alongside friends old and new, discovering that the primordial force of Chaos is on the rise, threatening all the dimensions. Fans of the first book will be thrilled to catch up with these fallen angels, but the story unfortunately drags, continually hinting that something bad is coming but meandering aimlessly as the characters try to find it. Finally, three-quarters of the way through the book, the pacing picks up. Readers who make it this far may discover the spark of the fun that made the first book enjoyable, but it’s a long trek to get there and for little reward. It’s a shame because the premise is interesting.

Sadly unfocused.