Official Review: Graves Pact by Matthew C Stinson

[BookWorm07]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Graves Pact" by Matthew C Stinson.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Graves Pact is a début novel by Matthew C Stinson. It is the first installment in this urban fantasy series, which follows the story of Landon Graves, an FBI Agent, who is handed a case due to his knowledge of occult beliefs and rituals. The FBI, however, does not know that Landon isn’t just a Special Agent. He is also a man who sold his soul in a deal with the devil. He is a warlock who wants nothing to do with the supernatural world. This detachment from magic also means his knowledge of it is very limited. Yet, Landon has to embrace his darker side if he is to solve this case in time to stop a ritual that could trigger an 'apocalypse' from being completed.

It took me quite longer to finish this book than I expected and I wish it was because of my exceptionally busy social life. Unfortunately, that’s not true. The book starts off as phlegmatic. It takes a few chapters into the book to get really hooked. However, despite the initial pace, the story turned out to be brilliant. The climax, especially, had me on the edge of my metaphorical seat.

The premise of the book is that humans can interact with demons and devils. When a person signs a contract with a devil, his or her soul is promised to that particular devil, who in return grants them a few wishes. Admittedly, the demons go to people in their lowest moment, when they are at their most vulnerable, so they do not realize what they have signed away until much later.

The characters in the book are quite an interesting mix. There is Landon himself, whose sarcastic commentary on everything that happens around him provides a great comic relief. His interactions with his patron demon, Alastor, are exceptionally funny. Alastor is pompous, arrogant, sly yet, he is also unquestionably smart. Though he is just a low-level demon (yes, there is a hierarchy even in Hell), Landon believes he is ambitious and is aiming to climb up the ladder.

I liked the moral ambiguity in the characters. This is another book with characters who fall in the gray area as they are neither completely good nor completely bad. Though Landon had sold his soul to the devil, he hasn’t lost his morality entirely. It had just been a desperate act by a desperate man with no thoughts of the consequences of his actions. Then there is Detective Mendoza, who happens to be a Chosen, i.e. on the side of the Angels. Though Angels are against the Demons, they have abstruse morals themselves. Even they do not clearly understand exactly what qualities the Creator deems as ‘good’.

Altogether, I rate this book as a 3 out of 4 stars. I had to take off the one star for the writing style being more telling than showing and for the few typographical errors. Nevertheless, pick up this book if you are a fan of urban fantasy/supernatural thrillers, or if you are looking for a light, fun read.

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Graves Pact
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Like BookWorm07's review? Post a comment saying so!

[matthewcstinson]

Thank you so much for such an in-depth and thoughtful review. I'll take your constructive criticism to heart and employ better proofreaders in the future.

[ALynnPowers]

This book sounds awesome. I am really into demons here recently. And the main character sounds like ME in real life. Thanks for the great review!

[BookWorm07]

Thank you so much for such an in-depth and thoughtful review. I'll take your constructive criticism to heart and employ better proofreaders in the future.

Sorry for such a late reply but thanks for leaving a comment. Looking forward to reading the sequel.

-- 02 Jun 2015, 00:12 --

This book sounds awesome. I am really into demons here recently. And the main character sounds like ME in real life. Thanks for the great review!

Thanks for the lovely comment and if you are like Landon, then I'd love to get to know you.