The Devil's Triangle (The Devil's Triangle, #1) by Toni de Palma
Series: The Devil's Triangle #1
Also in this series: The Devil's Temptation
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Publication Date: February 10th 2013
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 216
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When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.
While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend that can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.
While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping he and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined.
We start off the story in Heaven. Cooper is in front of a panel of judges, more or less, which includes St. Peter, a guy who likes to nod off constantly and Cooper can’t figure out who he is, and Lucy – the devil’s sister who has switched sides.
Cooper was in foster homes and was pretty much a juvenile delinquent. He ends up killing himself when he’s setting a school on fire and now he’s in heaven. Before judgment is made Lucy talks St. Peter into sending Cooper back to see if he can redeem himself. Lucy sends him to Grace in New Jersey saying that he has a month. A month to what? He’s not sure but he plays along cuz he doesn’t want to end up in hell.
What he finds when he gets there is Grace, who is a punked out girl with pink hair and lots of piercings who is dating Cooper’s best friend, Blake. Cooper’s pretty amazed that Lucy has set this whole life up for him and he’s in awe of the things he’s accomplished. He’s trying really hard to fit in and not let on that he’s not the “real” Cooper but it’s difficult. Grace will hardly talk to him even though by his family’s photo albums it shows that Cooper and Grace were best friends up until a few years before.
What Cooper discovers is that he’s part of a devil’s triangle. Lucy had saved Cooper’s life in a deal with the devil but that came with some pretty harsh agreements and punishments if not followed – for both Grace and Cooper. Blake is kind of the devil’s lackey and cruel and abusive to Grace. Cooper also discovers that because of the devil’s deal he has been leading two different lives. It’s crazy but it all come to make sense to him and he’s determined to break himself and Grace out of the deal.
When the book first started and Cooper was in front of St. Peter and Lucy I have to admit to rolling my eyes. IDK, I saw every teeny bopper movie that my fifteen year old has watched flash before my eyes. I carried on though because I wanted to see what happened. I’m SO glad I did.
This story is so touching and heartfelt and intricate that I don’t think I can say enough about it. It caught me by surprise with the emotions I felt for Cooper and his struggle with his new reality. He was so confused and didn’t know what to do and being a lost soul in his previous life didn’t help much. He had anger issues before his death but when the story goes on and you find out what happened it’s almost understandable (not his actions, just his feelings).
Cooper’s desire to be with Grace was the motivation behind all of Cooper’s actions. He figured out what was happening and did his best to right the situation that had gone terribly wrong. While we didn’t get ALL the answers in this book we got a great story and a wonderful introduction to Cooper’s world.
The book was compelling in a way I almost can’t describe. I was completely invested in the story even though there was a time or two when things got confusing. I have to say that this is a great start to a great series and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place.
This book is available from Crescent Moon Press. You can buy it here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.
Thanks for spending time in my world. Glad you enjoyed the book!
The premise sounds just crazy yet fun enough to work for a good book. Thanks for the review and recommendation 🙂