Books Magazine
The Good Inside Meby Barbara RussellGenre: YA Paranormal Romance Dragons, short-tempered archdemons, and hysterical damned souls—Shax is used
to dealing with all that. He’s a young fire demon and lives in
Hell, after all. What he’s not used to is being possessed by a
human. A very good human and a pretty girl at that: sixteen-year-old
Tolis. Despite still having control of his body most of the time,
Shax can hear Tolis’s voice inside his head and feels what she
feels constantly. Shax’s mentor claims that Tolis hides an ancient, powerful grimoire, a book
of spells, and proposes a deal: if Shax finds it, he’ll help Shax
get work as a dragon keeper—Shax’s dream job. Tolis swears she
doesn’t have the grimoire and asks Shax to help her father, whose
soul is turning evil by the minute. Unless Tolis does something, her
dad’s soul will end in Hell. Hoping to convince her to give him the
grimoire, and not because Shax cares about the man’s soul, he
agrees to help.Goodness is overrated. Since Shax decided to help Tolis, his life has turned
into a hurdle race. Thugs chase him, the scientists in Hell want to
prod and examine the first possessed demon in history, and he can’t
find the darn grimoire.And the worst part? Due to the unavoidable presence of Tolis, who keeps
intruding into his evil thoughts, Shax discovers an almost decent
side of himself. In no time at all, he catches himself doing actual
good deeds. Is he becoming—yuck—good?Goodreads * Amazon
The students’ chatter and click-clack of lockers being closed and opened echoed off the walls. At the end of the hallway, in a quiet corner, two men stood, dressed in blinding white suits. The shorter one, Jilhael, fussed with his snowy cravat and pulled back his long blond hair.Shax waved at his friend. Looking at Jilhael’s sapphire eyes and sensing the goodness in him, no one would ever guess he was half fire demon, half air angel. Jilhael’s mentor, Nithael, surveyed the crowd of kids with his sharp gaze, like a German shepherd watching a flock of sheep, his ebony skin a stark contrast with his white suit. Shax squinted at the circle of blue light on the floor; it marked one of the celestial portals that led to Heaven.Astharot and Nithael exchanged a curt nod.Shax playfully shoved Jilhael. “Hey, Jay, ready?”Jilhael loosened his shirt’s collar. “You were right. This white suit is a tad uncomfortable.”“Told ya.” Shax tugged at his hoodie and twitched his nose. His clothes smelled of sulfur and French fries. “Hell: less rules, more fun.”Jilhael raised a golden brow. “This is work. It’s not supposed to be fun.”Astharot toyed with his dagger—the athame—scrutinizing the oblivious human kids. “Have you already chosen Jilhael’s subject? Who should Jilhael possess?”Nithael straightened and golden sparks flew about him. They fell on two girls passing by, who laughed. “Sure.” He flourished a hand. A white book appeared in his palm, and he skimmed the pages. “Jilhael has already possessed three young humans with excellent results, despite his lack of control.” He gave Jilhael a piercing look.Astharot snorted, but Nithael ignored him.“Jilhael’s subject today will be…Chad McKee, sixteen, prone to anger and envy. He harassed a few girls in the past weeks, and he’s that boy over there.” Nithael pointed to a broad guy with short brown hair and hazel eyes, standing in front of an open locker. A large duffel bag dangled from his shoulder.Shax poked Jilhael in the ribs. “Looks like a tough guy. I don’t envy you.”“No pun intended, right?” Jilhael chuckled.“What about Shax?” Nithael closed the book and made it disappear with a casual gesture.Astharot scratched his unshaven chin with his blade. “Don’t know…not sure yet….”“I need to know who Shax is going to possess, Astharot.” Nithael’s hands twitched. “It’s our right to have the chance to repair the damage you and your apprentice are going to—”“Shut up. I’m no rookie. Let me think,” Astharot scoffed. “You promised to be ready this time,” Nithael hissed, blue sparks shooting from his body.Shax stifled a chuckle. Had Nithael believed Astharot would be ready? “Don’t get your wings in a knot.” Astharot held out a hand. “Give me a minute, and I’ll find Shax’s next target.”Jilhael leaned closer to Shax. “What creature is next on your list? Or are you still working with objects?”“I’ve finished with appliances.” Shax gestured to a fly zooming by. “An insect? Or a small animal maybe.” He rubbed his hands. “This is the first time I’ll possess a living thing. I can’t wait.”“It’s a lot of work.” Jilhael brushed his white jacket. “But I love searching for the good inside a living being and helping it grow.”“There!” Astharot pointed his athame toward Chad’s left.Shax squinted. A huge black spider crawled on top of the lockers, but Chad and a pretty blonde girl next to him ignored it.A spider. Cool. Being a spider for a few days would have to be fun.The girl shifted sideways, her pink lips and rosy skin, her long wavy hair— Nope. He had to focus. On the spider. Astharot mumbled something Shax didn’t catch—probably the usual list of dos and don’ts. As if he didn’t know that taking a life was a big no-no. Inside a spider, he could scare girls, build cobwebs, sneak into the girls’ changing room. Finally, Astharot had given him an awesome test.
I’m an entomologist and a soil biologist, which is a fancy way to say
that I dig in the dirt, looking for bugs. Nature and books have
always been my passion. I was a kid when I read The Lord Of The Ring
and fell in love with fantasy novels. When I discovered cozy mystery and crime novels, I fell in love with
Hercules Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Then I grew up and . . . Nah,
I’m joking. I didn’t grow up. Don’t grow up, folks! It’s a trap. PS I hate gardening. There, I said it. Sorry fellow Kiwis.Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * GoodreadsFollow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
💖💖More content & Giveaways on my Facebook page💖💖
Likes, shares & comments are REALLYappreciated!!