Fashionably Dead Down Under

In the end of the first book, Astrid is taken to Hell against her will and now we learn that most of her family actually resides there and that the notions of Hell and Heaven have nothing to do with what we have been told in literature. At least uncle Satan and cousin Dixie seem like nice relatives, which cannot be said of the other seven cousins who happen to be the seven deadly sins.

This book is original and in my opinion it could be much better if it were shorter. There's too many "WTF" moments followed by Astrid pointing out her options and outcomes that we already know. Or Astrid describing how beautiful the same characters are over and over again. The good moments are very good, they make you laugh and are entertaining but the way the story is written can also be very annoying. I liked the vegetarian clue that linked General to Satan, but why does Satan look worried when he learns Ethan was kept captive by Lust when he is the one taking Astrid there?

Heads-up: the story in this book does not finish in this volume, it should say part one.

Astrid was raised by her recently deceased grandmother as her mother never cared for her. After the funeral she decides to quit smoking with the help of a hypnotist. It works, she quits smoking after one session but mostly because she no longer breathes as she was turned into a vampire. When she wakes up, she discovers she has a guardian angel that looks like Oprah Winfrey and a personal trainer that looks like Schwarzenegger but is a fairy. And there is a lot more weirdness headed her way.

This book was fun to read/listen to. There is a lot of swearing, which is funny some times and annoying at others mostly because it is very repetitive. I cannot say I was fully engaged and could not stop reading, but it is very entertaining and it made my daily commute feel like it took only 5 minutes. I'm looking forward to know the rest of the story, it feels fresh within the genre.