Reviewed by Tasha for TeensReadToo.com

Bug Smoot has had a rough life. First her mom died when she was a little girl, then she moved in with her grandfather and auntie. Then her auntie died and soon after her Papa C died, too, leaving her his most prized possession, a 1958 Cadillac Biarritz. The thing with that car, though, is Papa C used Bug's soul as collateral - yes, that's right, her soul.

Now, five years later, Bug is still having to deal with everything her Papa C left behind. She's dropped out of school, stopped playing basketball (which is what she used to live for), and working as a pizza delivery girl. Life really can't get much worse until the day her landlord comes looking for the way past overdue rent. On top of having to find the money, Bug finds her car has been egged and absolutely reeks. Inside of her car she finds Beals, a demon that has come to collect her soul.

Being the rough and stubborn girl that she is, Bug refuses to let anything happen to her or the car. Her only problem is getting rid of Beals. In order to do this, she has to find some loopholes in the contract, or risk giving herself up. With the help of a pretty hot guy (who just happens to like her) and a special attorney, Bug sets out on a non-stop adventure to secure her soul and her Cadillac.

This book would truly have to be one of the best books I've read this year, hands down. It is jam-packed with enough humor, sarcasm, and adventure to satisfy anyone's reading needs, and it is certainly well-written.

Bug's character was absolutely wonderful. While she isn't your idyllic character (she's rude, snarky, and doesn't have the best grammar), she is completely lovable. Her courage and determination to stand up for herself is respectable, even in a fictional character. A great thing that the author did with Bug's character is made her into a real person. She talked like a real girl, not with perfect sentence structure and words, but just like a teenager would.

Beals, the demon, was also a great character. He reminded me of one of those evil butlers you see in old movies! I was able to picture him absolutely perfectly as I was reading, and found myself getting really aggravated (in a good way!) with his character when he was doing some of his dastardly deeds.

The plot of the story was also very unique and interesting. The whole idea that you would make a deal with the devil in order to get a car and then use a person's soul as collateral is absolutely priceless. The story was able to hold my attention all the way to the very last word, and I just couldn't put the book down. I also loved how complex the story was. All the little elements of the book fit together like a puzzle and really came together to create one heck of a book.

I recommend SOUL ENCHILADA to both boys and girls alike, as it is just superb! This is a brilliant debut novel from David Macinnis Gill and I absolutely cannot wait for more from this very promising author. Whenever you get the chance, I strongly urge you to run out and get a copy (when it's released in April 2009). You'll have a good laugh and the story will make you reflect on what you have. ( )

This is one of those books that screams to you from the title and the cover. The full title is "Soul Enchilada: The Devil is in the Details" with little pitchforks and a neat demon font and flames. Hard to resist (I know, I'm an odd woman). Thankfully, the contents did not let me down- this is a unique piece of urban fantasy fiction without a lot of the nastier grit that sometimes comes with the genre.

Eunice "Bug" Smoot is down on her luck. She can't pay the rent on her bottom of the line apartment and her pizza delivery job just canned her. All she has going for her is her dead grandfather's 1958 Cadillac Biarritz- and now someone's trying to repossess it! It seems that her grandfather was only able to finance the car at the cost of his soul, and now he's found a way to skip out on the bill. Mr. Beals (better known as Beelzebub) is the repossession agent chained to the car. With some help from her crush Pesto (who conveniently turns out to be an agent for the Supernatural Immigration Service) they get Beals out of the car- and things get a whole lot worse from there. It turns out that Bug's grandfather made a shady deal involving her own well being, and Beals is also much worse free than he was chained down! Will Bug be able to make her own deal with the devil and win her freedom?

Yeah, it's far fetched, but it's a fantasy book. And it's seriously refreshing to read an urban lit fantasy that doesn't just conform to the standard formula. There is some rougher language centering around ethnicity (Bug is half Tejana and half African American and neither community accepts her) but a serious lack of bad language overall. Bug is bold and out there, a kind of female protagonist not frequently seen in any YA genre (brave and gutsy and totally able to handle her own problems but not bitter, closed off, or needing to be taught what love is). Gill writes the narratives of his characters so well- they never blend together and have distinct voices in the readers' minds. Basically, this is a great read for teens who like fantasy without the very typical fairy/vampire/fantasy lala land vibe. I'd pitch it to grades 7 on up. ( )

The author does an excellent job of capturing the voice of a young Hispanic woman. Despite her often abrasive character and unusual situation, there is something about Bug that makes you want to be on her side. ( )

Soul Enchilada: The Devil is in the Details is a riotous, rip roaring ride in a 1958 Cadillac Biarritz about to be repossessed by Mr. Beals, otherwise known as Beelzebub. The current owner is Bugs, a struggling young teen, who can barely make rent, and barely make it to work. She has title to the car, because she co:signed for her grandfather, who without her knowledge, had made a side deal with the devil before his demise that included giving him his soul if he could just have this beautiful Cadillac.

The problem now is that sitting on her passenger seat is Mr Beals, invisible to all but her, and he wants payment. Papa C, her grandfather, skipped out on his last payment, his soul of course. When Bugs finds out that when she co-signed the loan she was next in line to pay up, the joy ride begins.

The setting is El Paso, Texas and Eunice “Bug” Smoot is thirteen. She is the fastest pizza delivery person in El Paso, but not fast enough to keep her job and so this story will deliver a plethora of comedic scenes and dialog that will have you rolling along with Bugs. You just can’t imagine the trouble she encounters trying to run from the devil.

David Macinnis Gill is a brilliant conversationalist accurately synthesizing the natural flowing cultural dialect, speech patterns and slang of the streets. Believable, humorous and age appropriate make the dialogue just right.
Hilarious moments as the story unfolds will grab you with chuckles, belly laughing and outright hysteria from beginning to end.

I enjoyed this book so much, I can’t wait for another adventure by this debut author. This is a must have on library shelves and will be enjoyed by all readers in high school. ( )

Irreverent and charming, with likable, no-nonsense hero. ( )