The Second Circle of Heck: Rapacia

In Dale E. Basye's second book in the otherworldly series. Summary:When Milton escapes from Heck in a soul balloon made of old clothes, Marlo is the only Fauster child left to take the blame. Bea “Elsa” Bubb, the Principal of Darkness, sends her straight to Rapacia, the circle where greedy kids are tormented by glimpses of a just-out-of-reach, glittering shopper’s paradise called Mallvana. Marlo soon falls under the sway of Rapacia’s assistant principal, a grinning metal rabbit known as the Grabbit that seems to have plans of its own.

Meanwhile, back on the Surface, Milton has his own problems. He is determined to get in touch with Marlo and help her find a way out of Heck. But it’s hard to concentrate when his body and soul don’t seem to hold together the way they used to. Will Milton ever reach Marlo? And if he does, will they both end up as pawns in the Grabbit’s mysterious game?

This book was good, but not as good as the first. I thought the first one was a whole lot funnier, the first book really made me laugh out loud while this one only made be do a small chuckle. The writing style was not as good as the first and this book's plot suffered, it was still good but had some major gapes and didn't make sense in some parts. This book still had lots of good play on words which were rather funny. I liked this book, it was pretty good. This book was a funny, fast-paced and fun. It's not anything special but still worth reading.

4/5

Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go

Like I said in my last "In My Mailbox," this book was recommended to me by my friend who also told me to read the Fablehaven books so I value his opinion. Dale E. Bayse tackles the question we have all be asking, Is there h**l for children? Summary: When Milton and Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow-bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton is—or was—a model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to Bea “Elsa” Bubb, the Principal of Darkness. She doesn’t make mistakes. She personally sees to it that Heck—whether it be home ec class with Lizzie Borden, ethics with Richard Nixon, or gym with Blackbeard the pirate—is especially, well, heckish for the Fausters. Will Milton and Marlo find a way to escape? Or are they stuck here for all eternity, or until they turn eighteen, whichever comes first?.

Okay it is hard to sum this book up in just one review, but I'll give it a shot. As Publishers Weekly said “The author’s umpteen clever allusions . . . make this book truly sparkle.” The characters were all developed and portrayed very well. I think this book is sort of a cross between The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice in Wonderland, except this one was [maybe] even better. Dale E. Basye crafts a fun, unique book.

4/5