Dark Hope: The Devil's Assistant

First Thought

Lauren Fortgang is the narrator? Heck yeah sign me up!

What I liked

Dark Hope started out as a kind of light UF story that turned into a complex story that had me wondering where the roller coaster was going to stop. I liked the fact that I couldn't easily figure the plot out by chapter 5 like other books I've read. Dark Hope is an audio you need to listen carefully to because you can find yourself lost if you check out from time to time. A lot of plot twists happen.
What Didn’t Quite Work For Me

I actually took a break with only 2 hours left in the audio because I was as lost and pissed as Claire and just wanted to know what the heck was going on. After I took a break and came back to Dark Hope I was glad I did.
Will I continue the series?

Yes. I enjoyed the plot and Claire enough to give a second book a go. Especially if it's on audio and narrated by Lauren Fortgang. Plus I NEED to know who was taking Claire home at the end. H.D. Smith you left me hanging. LOL

Why I listened

Lauren. Freaking. Fortgang. Seriously if I see her name as the narrator I'm going to give it a try. I could listen to Lauren read the phone book. Lauren nailed Dark Hope's 1st person POV through Claire.

Ok, I think I might be in the minority with this book. I struggled to finish listening to this because the main character just GOT ON MY NERVES. She was so whiny and seemed to accept the abuse that all the factions: Boss, Druids, Pagans, etc wanted to heap on her. Maybe this is me just preferring more strong characters that are a little more snarky and who attempt to fight back against the bad guys. Her character is probably more realistic (if you were in that situation), but for some reason I didn't sympathize with her like I have with other "underdog" characters.

If you are into YA books you will probably like this as their is a lot of angt for boyfriend that she discusses (way too much) throughout the book that plays really no part in the storyline. If this is meant for an adult audience then I think the main character needs to grow up a little more (which, to be fair, she did appear to do in the last couple paragraphs of the book).

The way the story unfolds and the unexpected twists

There are too many to list

She did a really great job with all the voices and making each different

It took a couple of chapters for me to get into this book, but once I did I didn't want to stop listening!!! I finished it in 2 days.

This is the only book by this author on Audible and I really hoping there will be more to this series soon. The story really draws you in and has so many turns. When I first bought this book I thought it would be a light probably funny read, but it's not that. You really feel for the main character and all she goes through in this book.

I loved reading Dark hope and was thrilled when the audio book was released. I have listened to it twice now and it will definitely listen again!

I love a book that pulls the reader in instantly and Dark Hope does. H.D. Smith has created a fantasy world that overlays the real world in a cohesive believable way. The protagonist, Claire, is both smart and strong but she has been dealt a raw deal. I love the way she kept her head and solved problems, learning to use her emerging powers. I felt her hurt and betrayal; my heart ached for her each time she learned a new truth. The action never slows or stops. The ending was fantastic--everything was tied up perfectly. I think it would be a spectacular movie!

Dark Hope is told in the first person from Claire's point of view and Lauren Fortgang captured her personality perfectly in my opinion. She performs each character in a unique, believable way.

H.D. Smith has woven a compelling urban fantasy and Lauren Fortgang brings it to life beautifully. Don't miss this one!

The story was interesting and different...fairly unpredictable, too.

She's one of my favorite narrators, so I would have to say her contribution certainly was a benefit to the story.

A really different adventure! Well written and narrated. Magic meets mystery. I highly recommend this book!

I normally love books with a good bit of romance, but I was surprisingly IN LOVE with this book even with the very small amount of romance! There were innuendos for days about a relationship though! It was pretty awesome to not have a full romance to cloud everything else going on in the book!
The story was GREAT, and kept me completely interested! The characters were fun and pretty amazing. Claire was bada$$! At first I thought she may be a character I would hate, but she turned it around as the book progressed and took charge!! 💪🏼👏🏼
I highly recommend this book!

Can't wait to listen to the rest of the series! Enjoyed the narrator. Love the story!

It's written in a way that everything is revealed and explained as you go. Usually an ok style to read, but we really needed a bit more of a base, a background. It was frustrating to not understand how she got where she was, why, and how the world around her worked. But, it was still very interesting and I did enjoy it. I just purchased the second book, we'll see how that one pans out.

The premise seemed interesting and unique. It was well written and I like the narrator. I just found it kinda depressing and dark. Couldn't get through it.