HELLHOLE Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the HELLHOLE blog tour! Today I have my review of the book to share with you - and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway! To follow along with the rest of the tour, check out the schedule at the bottom of the post.

The awesome people at Audible.com have given me a clip of the audiobook of Hellhole to share with you! Check it out and let me know what you think: https://soundcloud.com/audible/hellhole

Hellhole

Author: Gina Damico

Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal/Humor

Release Date: January 6, 2015

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook

Pages: 368

Description:

There was a time when geeky, squeaky-clean Max Kilgore would never lie or steal or even think about murder. Then he accidentally unearths a devil, and Max’s choices are no longer his own. The big red guy has a penchant for couch surfing and junk food—and you should never underestimate evil on a sugar high.

With the help of Lore, a former goth girl who knows a thing or two about the dark side, Max is racing against the clock to get rid of the houseguest from hell before time, and all the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos this side of the fiery abyss, run out. 

Hellhole is a paranormal novel full of action, adventure, and lots of laughs. The story follows our main character Max Kilgore - a pretty nerdy guy who loves dinosaurs, works at the local gas station/convenience store, and takes care of his sick mom. One night when Max goes digging to try and find unique fossils on the big hill by his house, he accidentally opens a large hole in the ground - which then releases a devil. This devil isn't quite what he expected - he's red, has a scraggly beard, a beer belly, hates to wear pants, and loves to eat junk food. The devil tells Max that he's on vacation from hell - and since Max released him, it's up to him to provide Burg (the devil) with a home or there will be big problems. Max enlists the help of an ex-Goth girl at his school named Lore - and together they have to figure out a way to find Burg a house before his time is up and if he wants the contract they made to be fulfilled.

Although the thought of hell and demons on Earth evoke images of fear and all things terrifying, this book goes in the completely opposite direction - humor. I think this book is a perfect fit for younger YA readers, or even older MG readers. I felt it was geared more towards this audience than the older YA readers, due to the writing style, dialogue, and overall story. Max is a great main character for the book. He's smart, polite, always follows the rules, is a huge nerd, and is a devoted and loving son who takes care of his sick mom. He's also determined to do the right thing - mainly by getting the devil out of his basement - but he manages to make a new bargain with Burg (the devil)  that will heal his mom completely if he does what is asked. The plot was full of action and lots of humor that comes in several forms - from Max's inner dialogue to the devil's character and their interactions. It's a lighthearted book despite the serious topic behind the plot - if you strip it of the humor, it would be more like a horror story instead. The writing style is great - detailed imagery and descriptions help to suck the reader into the world the author created - and the pace is quick but natural. I highly recommend this book to fans of the paranormal and/or fantasy along with stories full of humor and silliness in general. Again, I would recommend this novel to younger readers - older middle grade and younger teens. It's definitely a fun and original story that readers will love to get lost in.

Gina Damico is the author of Croak, Scorch, and Rogue, the grim-reapers-gone-wild books of the Croak trilogy. She has also dabbled as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker and breadmonger. A native of Syracuse, New York, she now lives outside Boston with her husband, two cats, and one dog, and while she has never visited hell in person, she has spent countless waking hours at the Albany Regional Bus Terminal, which is pretty darn close. Visit her website at www.ginadami.co. 

Author Links:
Website: http://ginadami.co/#about 
Tumblr: http://ginadamico.tumblr.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginadamico 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginadamicobooks 
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ginathedamico 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ginadamicoful 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4983109.Gina_Damico 

Buy Links:
Amazon 
Barnes and Noble 
Book Depository 

Hardcover copy of HELLHOLE to TWO WINNERS

Giveaway is open to anywhere The Book Depository ships.

Giveaway ends on January 21st at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter Gina's giveaway too!!

Hey there book fans! I'm running a Follow Frenzy giveaway over the course of this blog tour, and the prize is pretty neato: a signed copy of HELLHOLE wherein each chapter will have a little bit of trivia and/or a doodle handwritten by yours truly. (Gina) (Damico) To enter, all you have to do is follow me on one or more of my various social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube), then fill out this adorable little form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MbfSsZCiALw_I_C7WpI0d71hPNe0b94Ot89sxFesUzM/viewform. That's it! The more things you follow, the more chances you will earn to win. Good luck! 


The Tour Schedule

Week One

Jan. 5 - Xpresso Reads - Guest Post
Jan. 5 - Fiction Fare - Spotlight
Jan. 6 - Paranormal Book Club - Guest Post
Jan. 6 - Two Chicks on Books - Spotlight
Jan. 7 - A Dream Within A Dream - Review
Jan. 7 - Book Jems - Guest Post
Jan. 8 - BookHounds YA - Interview
Jan. 8 - YA Midnight Reads - Dual Review
Jan. 9 - Novel Novice - Guest Post
Jan. 9 - Consuming Worlds - Interview

Week Two

Jan. 12 - Once Upon a Twilight - Review
Jan. 12 - Book Sniffers Anonymous - Interview
Jan. 13 - No BS Book Reviews - Interview
Jan. 13 - The Best Books Ever - Review
Jan. 14 - Teen Readers' Diary - Guest Post
Jan. 14 - The Book Bratz - Review
Jan. 15 - Sweet Southern Home - Review
Jan. 15 - Eli to the nth - Review
Jan. 16 - Bad Bird Reads - Guest Post
Jan. 16 - Crossroad Reviews - Review