Amie Rose Rotruck (Children's Literature)
It is not every day that one acquires a new tattoo, especially one that moves! But once this happens to Charlie, his life and the life of his best mate, Jack, will never be the same. The tattoo that Charlie bears came from a demon known as the Scourge, who wants to use Charlie toward his own ends. Charlie and Jack join forces with Esme, a girl trained to fight demons, in order to stop the Scourge. After Esme’s father is killed, she, Jack, and Charlie follow the Scourge straight into hell. Once there, Charlie falls deeper under the Scourge’s spell, while Esme and Jack try to find a way to defeat the Scourge. While this 500-page fantasy could use some editing at times, and the most interesting character, Esme, does not get the same amount of page time as her male counterparts, it is an entertaining read. Enthoven’s vision of Hell and the entities there is very captivating and will keep readers turning pages. 2006, Penguin, $19.99. Ages 10 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 18))
How typical: Jack's having a really bad day. When a strange little man approaches Jack and his best friend Charlie to recruit them into an ancient Brotherhood of demon fighters, Charlie says yes. It's soon clear that Charlie's been possessed by the demonic Scourge, who drags him into Hell. Jack follows, for though he's always been a follower, he's determined to rescue his friend. But in Hell, he's a prisoner in a chaotic world, fighting in a demonic gladiator pit, eating (delicious) demon-vomit to survive and unable to get close to Charlie. Slim hope appears when Jack falls in with the demon God (short for Godfrey), who created the earthly dimension out of boredom. With the dubious help of Godfrey and the fighting power of gorgeous warrior-girl Esme, Jack must save both his friend and the universe. While Jack's story lacks coherence, the action-packed world keeps the tension high, and Jack's development from spineless follower to everyday guy willing to save the world is satisfying. 2006, Razorbill/Penguin, 512p, $19.99. Category: Fantasy. Ages 12 to 15. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paula Rohrlick (KLIATT Review, November 2006 (Vol. 40, No. 6))
What’s it like when your best mate suddenly becomes a superhero? A demon named the Scourge has escaped confinement and plans to destroy the universe. An ancient brotherhood needs help to foil the Scourge’s scheme, and recruits 14-year-old Jack and Charlie. Charlie soon becomes the new leader of the brotherhood and discovers he has all kinds of incredible powers. However, the Scourge takes possession of Charlie, and Jack must enter Hell to rescue his friend, with the help of Esme, another teenage member of the brotherhood. In Hell, Jack finds he and Esme are gladiators, expected to fight for their lives for the entertainment of the Emperor of Hell and its horrible and bizarre denizens: lots of rather gory martial arts action ensues. This imaginative tale is clearly meant to be first in a series. Fantasy fans will undoubtedly appreciate all the detailed descriptions of the creatures in Hell, and there’s plenty of action--and some humor, too--to keep readers turning the pages. For larger fantasy collections. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2006, Penguin, Razorbill, 512p., $19.99. Ages 12 to 18.

Tena Natale Litherland (Library Media Connection, April 2007)
Action aplenty fills this fantasy novel in its classic struggle of good versus evil. But its lackluster plot, flat characters, and clichT ridden writing style leave readers thinking-who cares. Three London teens find themselves pitted against the ageless evil demon, Scourge, in its relentless goal to bring total annihilation of both earth and hell. When 14-year-old Charlie, becomes host to Scourge in the form of a black tattoo, his best friend, Jack, and, Esme, a girl with superpowers, join forces to save Charlie. Unlikely coincidences, unremitting scenes of martial arts and swordplay, and campy humor fill the pages of this exceedingly long novel, which hints at a sequel. Additional Selection. 2006, Razorbill (Young Penguin Readers Group), 528pp., $19.99 hc. Ages 11 up.

April Spisak (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2006 (Vol. 60, No. 3))
The everyday cruelties and agonies of Hell, orchestrated by a jaded emperor who thinks he has seen it all, are shaken up by the arrival of an ages-old demon, the Scourge. This demon, during his millennia of entrapment by the Brotherhood of Sleep (a secret human organization created specifically to stop the Scourge), has planned out every detail that will lead to the end of the universe, and Hell is the entryway to his goals. The key ingredient the Scourge lacks is an able-bodied human host upon whom he can literally tattoo his shadowy self, and this is where fourteen-year-old Charlie, disillusioned with his life, feeling alone in spite of his supportive best friend, Jack, and aching for power and adventure, comes in. Through flattery, coercion, and threats, the Scourge uses Charlie to get himself closer to the sleeping dragon whose awakening will end the universe. The admittedly complex and over-the-top plot (by the way, the expanse of Hell is but a tiny growth on the dragon, and, bored with the Earth and its inhabitants, God has taken a position as Hell’s librarian and archivist), works to a surprising degree: the exploited and beleaguered creatures of Hell are as well developed and intriguing as the equally tortured humans, including Jack and the surviving members of the Brotherhood, who join forces to save Charlie. Enthoven establishes a breakneck pace: readers are introduced to the Scourge immediately, with the first death following soon after, and on the last page emigrants from Hell appear, complicating Jack and Charlie’s lives before they really get a chance to be ordinary again. Fantasy and horror fans alike will find this consuming and substantial novel well worth the time investment. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2006, Razorbill, 512p.; Reviewed from galleys, $19.99. Grades 8-12.

Brenna Shanks (VOYA, October 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 4))
Jack knows that his best friend Charlie is going through a rough patch with his parent's imminent divorce, but when Charlie decides to follow a strange man to a mysterious test, Jack has misgivings. His reservations prove grounded when Charlie passes the test and is declared the leader of a Brotherhood bent on keeping a demon called the Scourge from escaping back to Hell. Jack and Charlie begin training with Raymond and his daughter, Esme, who has been raised to battle the Scourge and assumed she would one day lead the Brotherhood. But all is not well with Charlie, despite his newfound superpowers, and Jack begins to realize that whatever gifts were passed to Charlie come at a price. His new black tattoo seems strangely sentient and mobile. Also Charlie has increasing trouble controlling his anger, and now he has the power to back it up. Meanwhile they must discover who has betrayed the Brotherhood to the Scourge and who can still be trusted to help imprison it again. An ambitious and action-packed adventure, the novel will appeal to those who like martial arts movies as well as epic fantasy tales. Sixteen-year-olds Jack, Charlie, and Esme make an interesting trio, and readers will sympathize with each for different reason as they try to navigate the path between good and evil. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, Razorbill/Penguin Putnam, 512p., $19.99. Ages 11 to 18.