Thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Book of Sam is set to release August 15, 2020.
The Book of Sam is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride through a uniquely fantastical Hell. This is not the religious underworld you think it is. A cross-section between multiple worlds, Shapiro’s Hell delivers a complex kingdom filled with diverse creatures of every moral shade. The vivid descriptions give the world a sense of realness while still being blanketed in obscure images like red-tinged skies and ash-covered streets.
Compared to this dark, exciting world, our “hero” Sam is a bit underwhelming, albeit purposefully so. Described numerous times as a failure who is “not really good at stuff”, this book becomes a journey of both courage and heart. The classic hope-conquers-fear mantra is alive and well here. Aided by an unruly (far more interesting) cast of characters, Sam manages to completely botch several “missions” needing near constant rescue himself. The secondary characters are so intriguing and well developed that I often wished one of them were the protagonist, but Sam won me over by the end of the book.
The pacing of this book is brisk to say the least, which can be very exciting particularly in YA. Unfortunately, this book reads a bit like a road trip full of little pit-stop adventures. I would have liked to see more depth and detail to tease out the story and make it fuller. Additionally, for a book this short, there are a lot of named characters. Many of these characters exist for only a page or two and could simply have been “a beggar” or “her daughter”. The blunt writing here lends itself more to Middle Grade fiction and I think this could have been much more successful (with a younger protagonist) in that level.
Fair warning: this book has a cliffhanger ending. I was not aware that this is a planned series upon my initial request of this book. However, I am intrigued enough by the world building and characters to read the next book.