An email came into my inbox one day asking if I would like to review a novel. I always jump at the opportunity when people reach out to review anything (shameless promotion — we take requests!), but wasn’t sure what to expect when told this story was a religious one. I myself am wholly un-religious, if anything, anti-religious, but Shawn Brink, the author of both the proposed book and this email, assured that it wasn’t preachy and would offer an interesting angle for people like me. I love a challenge, so I took the bait; and man, I’m so glad I did. Enter Pets for Legion.
The small Iowa town of Getreide has a problem. First, a child was victim of an attempted murder on school grounds, then a house burnt down and newly-divorced teacher Sasha James finds herself running for her life from a pair of would-be assassins. What’s worse is Sasha and these other deadly events are all connected, and those would-be assassins are being helped by one of the most powerful groups of demons known to man: Legion. Sasha must find faith — in herself and others — to escape her newfound Hell on Earth.
Action. Suspense. Readability. Pets for Legion has everything you’d want from a book. There weren’t very many (if any) parts that I would have wanted to skip, and every flashback, every character that thought to themselves made sense. No filler to be seen, Pets gets to the point without rushing over anything. Not only that, but picturing each scene in my head was a total given. Vivid imagery came easily as Pets for Legion wasn’t bogged down by frivolous word usage or confusing dialog. I’d would say it’s on par with a lot of teen and young adult literature in terms of writing.
Really, the only hump I had to get over was the religious part. Thankfully, it was more of a molehill than a mountain, a little less than the average Exorcism movie. Pets gave me just enough Christian background and imagery without being preachy, and that’s not easy! In fact, the religious portions fit into Sasha and Legion’s stories so well that I didn’t mind it one bit.
I took my time reading this, not because I needed to, but because I wanted to. I could have finished Pets for Legion in a few days — it’s very easy to read — but I enjoyed stretching it out and pretending every chapter was another cinematic installment with cliffhanger and all. When a hooded assailant tackles a schoolboy. When demons attack in a secret tunnel. When Sasha enters the home of her abusive ex-husband (a true thrill!). And that ending — all of it is exciting and addicting. Pets for Legion packs a punch in just under 300 pages.
I never thought I’d say this, but there’s something to this genre of “Christian horror” that I had missed before. Pets for Legion is extremely readable and very memorable, and I look at religious horror a lot differently because of it. Highly recommend!
If you’d like to know more about Shawn Brink and his work, check him out on his personal site, Facebook, and Twitter.
I enjoyed Pets for Legion, too. Good review!
Thank you!