Scan barcode
nietzschesghost's review
4.0
Hell Chose Me, Angel Luis Colón's debut novella, is a thoroughly enjoyable, interesting and unique read. The main character, hitman Bryan Walsh, is fascinating and despite his unsavoury job description you can't help but root for him; he's a killer with a conscience if you will. A lot of attention is paid to developing him layer by layer, and it's exquisitely done. The minor characters such as Bryan's family and his victims are also complex and well drawn. Not only is Walsh multilayered, the plot is too, and you can't help but be intrigued as the different threads come together in surprising ways.
The paranormal aspect of the plot is very original; Bryan continually being haunted by the souls of those he's killed and adds an extra dimension to the story. It's well written and really easy to immerse yourself in amongst the words. The author has a sound understanding of how to create characters that are intricately crafted with many different personality traits but still full of humanity. This is a solid debut, and I look forward to reading more of Colón's work in the future.
Many thanks to Down & Out Books for an ARC.
You can also find my reviews posted here on my blog.
The paranormal aspect of the plot is very original; Bryan continually being haunted by the souls of those he's killed and adds an extra dimension to the story. It's well written and really easy to immerse yourself in amongst the words. The author has a sound understanding of how to create characters that are intricately crafted with many different personality traits but still full of humanity. This is a solid debut, and I look forward to reading more of Colón's work in the future.
Many thanks to Down & Out Books for an ARC.
You can also find my reviews posted here on my blog.
tracyreads's review
5.0
“We all suffer, fight, and scratch for our last moments in any existence to be an echo” (8).
“You’ll end up in a place where you have a choice and the best one isn’t always the right one” (33).
This book is something else. While about 90% of my reads are within the horror genre, I find myself looking for a great crime/noir read every so often. I saw a few other bookish friends who also enjoy a great noir mention this one and I decided to give it a ago. Man, am I glad I did.
HELL CHOSE ME is a gritty, brutal story that follows hitman Bryan Walsh as he navigates this world he has always been at odds with. The author has really done his homework and we find ourselves following two timelines that organically converge as the pages turn. One is modern day Bryan, and the other is his journey to this point - through his Irish background, a brutal uncle and grandfather in the IRA, and a story about a pig that ties it all together.
Another thing I loved? Ayah is a kick-ass female character that does NOT fall into any kind of “ooh hot female” character tropes. She is amazing and honestly, I’d love to read more about just her.
Revenge, redemption, and brutality are merged with a story about family and sacrifice. I’ll definitely be reading more from Colón.
“You’ll end up in a place where you have a choice and the best one isn’t always the right one” (33).
This book is something else. While about 90% of my reads are within the horror genre, I find myself looking for a great crime/noir read every so often. I saw a few other bookish friends who also enjoy a great noir mention this one and I decided to give it a ago. Man, am I glad I did.
HELL CHOSE ME is a gritty, brutal story that follows hitman Bryan Walsh as he navigates this world he has always been at odds with. The author has really done his homework and we find ourselves following two timelines that organically converge as the pages turn. One is modern day Bryan, and the other is his journey to this point - through his Irish background, a brutal uncle and grandfather in the IRA, and a story about a pig that ties it all together.
Another thing I loved? Ayah is a kick-ass female character that does NOT fall into any kind of “ooh hot female” character tropes. She is amazing and honestly, I’d love to read more about just her.
Revenge, redemption, and brutality are merged with a story about family and sacrifice. I’ll definitely be reading more from Colón.
More...