This book was one of the first I read by Holly Lisle, and which led me to read almost everything else she has published. Her lighthearted treatment of this book reminds me very much of the the Keeper series by Dianna Wynne Jones. The premise is that a nurse becomes fed up with the endless suffering around her and petitions God to allow the denizens of Hell to repent. God agrees, and Satan releases some handpicked denizens on Charlotte, NC, including one of his archdemons, whose is sent to oversee and to take the soul of the nurse. Silliness and hijinks ensue. ( )

This is a relatively short book, and a very quick read. The plot of the book, though simple and very predictable throughout made me want to keep coming back and read it. There is almost no character development of the main characters at all. The plot could be guessed by practically 15% of the way through the book. The story makes the concept of heaven and hell/satan and God/damnation almost laughable, and I'm not convinced that all of the book was intended to be that hilarious, despite some attempts at making it a light read. ( )

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In which a nurse appeals to God for all the damned souls in Hell to have a second chance at redemption. When God grants the wish, thousands of Hellspawn emerge, and of course, the Devil has a plan to turn the opportunity to his own advantage.

It's tongue in cheek as much of Lisle's work is, but also has a serious side. A good light read for an afternoon, but be warned -- the close of the book isn't the end of the story. ( )

A well-written story that is both fluffy and serious. Most startlingly, the protagonist's utterly devout Christianity is a major part of the story without being preachy. (Rather than being for proselytizing with plot-relevance being secondary, it is first a plot point and any evangelism is by sheer accident.)

The characters are rendered carefully and believably—they're real people, not plot puppets.

The prose and plot aren't staggering and won't be showing up on any literary-nomination lists, but it tells a compelling story and is thoroughly enjoyable. ( )