Love this author and loved this twisty read. A good book for fans of dark and gruesome futuristic tales. The horror and thriller aspect is high. Definitely one to read if you like to be creeped out.

I felt there were a few inconsistencies with how the engine works and the reason people make a deal with it. BUT I will also say that the writing itself is pretty good. There’s a lot of action and I think getting the picture across can be tricky but it was written to where I could picture what was happening. I’m not sure if I will continue the series but it is a possibility.

Sixteen-year-old Marlow Green is the epitome of a troubled teen. He has asthma, an alcoholic mother who he's always disappointing (primarily because he's not his dead older brother), and he's been kicked out of all the area high schools. He's still reeling from this last time when he ends up in the middle of something that should be completely impossible. A battle straight out of the movies is happening right in front of him, and a pretty girl is facing down death. He jumps in to save her, not realizing he's just put himself in a position to join a team of secret soldiers whose job is to save the world from being taken over by hell and its demons.

Just how do humans have a chance at fighting this war? An ancient machine run by the devil gives them special powers, but there's a price to pay. In order to receive the powers, they must sell their soul to the devil. When their time is up, their soul is collected by some pretty terrifying demons unless the lawyers (genius hackers) can break the machine's contract in time.

That's pretty much the premise of Hellraisers, the first book in The Devil's Engine trilogy by Alexander Gordon Smith. It's told in viewpoints that alternate between Marlow and Pan, the girl he saved. She's pretty impressive, and I wish she'd have served more of a purpose than just being the girl that Marlow fawns over. In all honesty, though, neither one of them were very likable, which was my first issue ... I just didn't care a whole lot about the characters.

My second issue was that, while the premise was a great one with tons of action scenes to carry it along, I wasn't quite sure where exactly it was being carried to for the longest time. There was battle after battle, but somehow the storyline just wasn't as interesting as it seemed it should be. Then, when we finally get to see the Devil's Engine in all its glory, I get to my biggest problem. This engine is literally the force driving this book, so it should be completely fleshed out (you know ... in the way a machine can be), but it feels more like an outline of an amazing project that wasn't completed. Maybe there will be more explanation in the other installments, but I'm not sure about that and I'm not likely to find out since I won't be searching them out. Even with the cliffhanger of an ending, I was too disappointed by then to want to continue the series.

One thing I want to be sure to note is that if you aren't a fan of gore, you might want to steer clear of this book anyway. Alexander Gordon Smith does not shy away from it, and he's very good at conveying it to the point of making the reader able to visualize things that shouldn't even be introduced to their brains.

I haven't read them myself, but I've read a lot of really great reviews of this author's Escape From Furnace series. Maybe check that one out instead.

An ARC of this book was made available to me, and I have chosen to give this objective review.

This book was action-packed and fast paced, with pages full of chase sequences and wild scenes. Despite this, I felt like the plot was slow to build to the point and therefore left me wanting more out of the story. While the fighting was exciting, I wanted the plot to move faster. The two main characters are interesting to read about, but Marlow was especially memorable. His past and present circumstances make it easy to root for him. Smith did a good job at creating his character and I think this is what really drove me to finish this one.

Superb beginning to a unputdownable trilogy by Alexander Gordon Smith. So much action and story was packed into this the first third. Having been a fan of his Furnace series, I wondered if he could come with something as good if not better. Wonder no more but dang if I don't have to go buy books 2 and 3 now! Highly recommended.

https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/75929

The book was very interesting as far as content goes. As far as for a young adult book I would definitely not recommend unless the reader is comfortable with the content and is a higher level reader.

Cleaning my netgalley of the ones I don't have downloaded. Sorry I never got to this one.

The devil's engine: hellraiser by Alexander Gordon Smith is a horror and teens ya read.
When a sixteen-year-old troublemaker named Marlow Green is trapped in a surreal firefight against nightmarish creatures in the middle of his New York City neighborhood, he unwittingly finds himself amid a squad of secret soldiers dedicated to battling the legions of the devil himself. Powering this army of young misfits is an ancient machine from the darkest parts of history. Known as the devil's engine, it can make any wish come true-as long as you are willing to put your life on the line. Promised powers beyond belief, and facing monstrous apparitions straight out of the netherworld, Marlow must decide if he's going to submit to a demonic deal with the infernal machine that will enable him to join the crusade-if it doesn't kill him first.
From the author of the Escape from Furnace series, here is the opening salvo in an explosive new horror trilogy about an ordinary American kid caught up in an invisible war against the very worst enemy imaginable.
I really enjoyed this book. It had everything. Machine moving monsters things blowing up. Demons too. I do hope there is more to come. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.