I really struggled with this book. Normally I can read a 200-400 page book in as little as two days. This one was started on the 6th of August and was finally finished early morning on the 13th. That's almost a full week of forcing myself to read this one.
I had to push through all the boring "I'm stuck in the apartment studying" "This isn't fair" chapters to really get to the last 50 or so pages. Then it got really good. Once Mia was actually allowed to participate in the exorcisms instead of just standing on the sidelines watching, I felt like the book really picked up. No more endless pages of meditation, studying, and complaining. I felt that there were a few things in the story that just didn't make sense to me, and the ending was kind of rushed and left questions.
The point of the story is, Mia was possessed in the beginning of the book and her relatives from Italy end up getting the Demon to leave her body, then convince her parents to let her go to Italy with them so they can teach her and protect her. She does more studying and complaining than anything for most of the book and there are a few scenes thrown in to break up the boring stuff, but it all goes right back to Mia whining about not getting to do anything. The demon apparently possessed more in the family than just Mia before, and they are wanting to train Mia in the Demon Catcher arts but are afraid that she will be possessed again and then the demon will know all of their tricks and what not.
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This was different from what I expected. Part of it I think is because most YA Paranormal I read tends to have romance as well and usually as a strong part of the storyline. This didn't. This was definitely more interested in exploring Mia's new surroundings, her family and the world she was now thrust in as a Demon Catcher.

I felt most enthralled in this book when Mia would go into lengthy descriptions or discussions about Milan and the history therein. Beyer's attention to detail whether discussing the everyday mannerisms of the Della Torre family or the horrors that Italian Jews faced during World War II had the same dedicated feeling. Beyer obviously felt deeply for her subject matter and that shines throughout her writing.

Of less interest to me was the actual demon hunting. When I hear 'demon hunting' I immediately think of either Buffy or the Winchester brothers--butt kicking heroes who attacked the vicious citizens of the Underworld with sword, fire and crossbow. I did not think bells. Or candles. The demon hunting part was anti-climatic and not quite as tense as I think Beyer wanted. Interesting at first, but anti-climatic.

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16 year old Mia is suddenly swept away from her homework into a terrifying demonic possession she is not expected to survive. Enter the mysterious, long-lost, demon-catching family members from Milan, there to save her and try to find a way to contain the demon.

They bring shy, awkward Mia with them on their return, and this book is as much about falling in love with a new language and food culture as it is about the riveting paranormal plotline. Fast-paced adventure with a interesting story to tell.

I like Mia, and I like seeing her grow throughout the story -- in confidence in herself (in a very believable way) and in love with her family, tradition and food. Is she is 16-year-old worried about fashion and boys? Yes, but she's also a thinker who is willing to work hard to find a way to survive, and that is a compelling portrait for any young woman to see. ( )

Mia's ordinary life is disrupted in the most horrifying way possible when she is possessed by a hungry and powerful demon--and only saved by the arrival of relatives from Italy, the country her grandfather fled many decades ago. Now her cousins Emilio and Giuliano say the only way to keep her safe is for her to come back with them to Milan, to live, to learn Italian, to fall in and out of love, and to master the family trade: fighting all demons with the lore of bell, book, and candle. Milan is not what Mia expected, but it will change her forever, in this stunningly well-written novel about an American girl who, fleeing an ancient evil, finds her only salvation in her ancestral home ( )

I really struggled with this book. Normally I can read a 200-400 page book in as little as two days. This one was started on the 6th of August and was finally finished early morning on the 13th. That's almost a full week of forcing myself to read this one.
I had to push through all the boring "I'm stuck in the apartment studying" "This isn't fair" chapters to really get to the last 50 or so pages. Then it got really good. Once Mia was actually allowed to participate in the exorcisms instead of just standing on the sidelines watching, I felt like the book really picked up. No more endless pages of meditation, studying, and complaining. I felt that there were a few things in the story that just didn't make sense to me, and the ending was kind of rushed and left questions.
The point of the story is, Mia was possessed in the beginning of the book and her relatives from Italy end up getting the Demon to leave her body, then convince her parents to let her go to Italy with them so they can teach her and protect her. She does more studying and complaining than anything for most of the book and there are a few scenes thrown in to break up the boring stuff, but it all goes right back to Mia whining about not getting to do anything. The demon apparently possessed more in the family than just Mia before, and they are wanting to train Mia in the Demon Catcher arts but are afraid that she will be possessed again and then the demon will know all of their tricks and what not.
( )