Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Demon or Angel
SERIES: Age of Exilum #1
AUTHOR: Lynn Michaels
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 219 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2019
BLURB:
WAR IS COMING… the angels of Osestra and the demons of Exilum are preparing for the final battle to be played out in Manna, the human realm, and one young man is caught in the middle.
Vern Swain may be the key to everything.Vern is a country boy dreaming of seeing his name up in lights. He runs away to become a star. His journey is just beginning, but it takes him in unusual directions…right in the path of his guardian demon.
Teague, son of Xaphan is a demon of Exilum charged with ruining Vern’s life, but he just can’t do it. He’s confronted by his family, and forced to choose sides.
War is coming, but who’s fighting for Manna?
REVIEW:
One. hell. Of. a. Book. damn. Having grown up in a church, I have always been fascinated by the whole ‘good vs. evil’ thing. I love seeing what others interpretation of it is. Even if it is fiction. It’s just a whole mind trip. Whether you believe in it or not, it’s still makes for some amazing reading, if done right. And this was. The push and pull of the characters, the manipulations, the choices. Hell, the characters themselves. This was so well written. And it makes you think.
Vern’s life has been hell from day one. Bullies at school never give a rest. And when he comes home, he can’t even relax. His father being a drunk and violent, Vern just knew one day he was going to end up dead. Nothing he did was ever right. The only reason he was still alive so far, was because his mother ran interference as much as she could. And as much as he appreciated it, he couldn’t help but be resentful of her for not getting them out of there away from him. When she died in an accident, he knew he was dead. His father almost killed him. He could hear him coming back for him as he slipped out the window. He had one friend in his life. Kind of. Sean. Sean was the only one who seemed to care. But he knew he couldn’t stay there either. He had to run. Little did he know all this time, someone was watching.
Teague wanted to step in so many times with Vern. He really didn’t know why, but Vern called to him. He was supposed to wreak havoc and cause problems, seeing as he was a demon, but he couldn’t harm Vern or cause him trouble. No matter what his nature may be. His twin had no remorse, though, and caused trouble at every turn. Teague had to stay with Vern, even if just to watch over him, no matter how much trouble he got in. But as Vern ran, he discovered Teague one night. A passionate exchange left Teague and Vern, both, wanting more, but Teague knew he had caused enough trouble just by being seen. But as time goes on, the more things start happening. To a point, Teague had no choice but to step in. And it changed everything. Now they not only have to figure out how to save Manna (Earth), but save themselves as well. And time is running out.
If there is ever a character a lot of us can relate to, it’s Vern. If anything bad can happen, it seems to. He can’t catch a break and doesn’t understand why everyone seems to be out to get him. All except Sean. But even he and Sean aren’t super close. They have being gay in common, and the church in the area, but with their home lives, they don’t associate much unless it’s at school. And the one person that kept him from being killed, is now dead. He had no choice but to run. And that is scary as hell. Imagine being from a super small town and hitchhiking to Miami. Yeah, scary as hell. But it was better than staying home and knowing for sure he would soon be dead. Gah, I cried for this boy. The sad part is, this is very true in many homes today. He did all he could to be brave. Thankfully, while traveling, he finally seemed to catch a break and ran into people who wanted to help. Especially one being in particular.
Teague has never been so torn in all his years. He has never felt so compelled to help someone as he did with Vern. He was a demon, for crying out loud. So many times, he wanted to step in and help Vern. Free him from all that was happening to him. Never more so, than when he heard Vern’s tears. But he couldn’t. He wasn’t supposed to interfere. Things were supposed to fall as they did. He never meant to be seen while Vern was running away, but the night Vern saw him, he knew things would be changed. And boy, did they ever.
No one saw what was coming. Definitely not Vern and Teague. Hell, even Sean ended up in this with his new boyfriend, Tucker. It was mind blowing and shocking for them. But all they knew is, they couldn’t not help. They couldn’t not get involved. The fate of the world and themselves were at stake and they had to do all the could to survive.
Book 2 needs to hurry up. Lol. wow. Such a great book. I know who I’m rooting for!
RATING: 
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