Out of Body: Straight to Hall by Christopher John Chater | Book Review
Chater is at it again! A solid sequel to his first book in this series, I was happy to read this one!
Synopsis
When paraplegic Harley Baker astral projects to track down a mysterious girl who haunts his dreams, Satan hijacks his body and takes over his life. Trapped outside his own body, Harley must outsmart the Prince of Darkness to reclaim his life and save the girl of his dreams before both are lost forever.
My Review
Harley Baker is back, and I am so happy to see him again. An interesting foray into his past, we see how he transformed from a vivid dreaming twelve-year-old to the young adult set on saving the world, and more importantly, the girl he's had a crush on for years.
Mr. Chater does a great job setting up a fast and engaging read.
The characters feel realistic, from the conceit of Satan to Harley's anger over adults who didn't take him seriously to Stephanie's personal struggles. There's no pretense or pandering. Instead, the story believes the reader is smart while drawing them into this world of astral projection and demon possession.
I also love the way mental health meds are portrayed in the earlier chapters. As someone with mental health issues, it was refreshing to see how neurotypical people--his parents and therapist--work so hard to normalize overmedicating Harley, when all he needed was a little respect and acknowledgement that his dreams were real and not dangerous to him.
Their disregard leads to tragedy, leaving Harley in a wheelchair, while they continued to pretend that his medicated state was his true self before their own character arcs with a few surprises of their own.
I really liked how he kept moving forward on his mission to find (and save) the girl of his dreams. Again, refreshing! Besides mental health issues, I'm disabled, and Mr. Chater did a fantastic job illustrating the frustration of the body's betrayal and the joy of finding ways to have a life anyway.
Every chapter built the tension, and I needed to keep reading to see what happened next. And I'm so glad I did! The fast-paced action had me rooting for Harley and Stephanie as they both worked through their circumstances. Even when Satan took over his body and pretended to be him to further his sinister plans. The twists and turns, not to mention Harley's ultimate understanding of the whole of his existence, ends in a way that makes me want more.
If you enjoy a solid, fast-paced paranormal read, Out of Body: Straight to Hell is a great choice. (I do recommend reading the preceding book, too!) Definitely recommended, and if you've read my reviews, you know how rarely I say that.
Great job, Mr. Chater. I look forward to your next book.
Originally posted on Reedsy Discovery.
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