ladyladyloveme's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bibliofiendlm's review against another edition
3.0
This was good but didn't quite meet my expectations since it was on ALA's list of great books. It was humorous but the stylizing of the book w/ pitchforks and such was actually better than the writing. Some of the humor felt forced and Bug the protagonist wasn't all that likable. The cursing was overly dramatic and may be cause for some challenging the title for YA readers. The bilingual aspect of the text and issues of racism and multiculturalism will appeal to all types of readers.
lindacbugg's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of fun & heroine with lots of spunk and attitude who fights instead of laying down and giving up. What more could you want?
cottonquilts's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve read so many positive reviews on this book that I was looking forward to reading it. It has an very creative story line with Bug trying to keep her car and her soul from going to the devil. She’s a stereotypical hot tempered Latina who has little tolerance for people who try to shortcut things by making deals with the devil but she never manages to realize how much of her own soul she gives away with her attitude. She’s so beat down by life that it’s easy to sympathize with her although she is clearly her own worst enemy. While she’s proud of her mixed heritage, she takes every opportunity to point out that she doesn’t speak Spanish. The language and grammar feel authentic, too authentic as the confusing misuse of English bleeds into the narration. If you don’t read a lot into it and just go along for the ride, this can be a fun summer read.
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
All Bug wants to do is earn enough money to pay the rent and be left alone, but that's not happening. Bug is suddenly hounded by "Mr. Beels" (Beezelbub), a demon who's trying to repossess her beloved 1958 Cadillac, inherited from her grandpa, and if she can't come up with her grandfather's soul before the deadline, her soul will belong to the demon. Bug is a great character, of mixed race--her mamacita was Hispanic and died when Bug was 6, and her African-American soldier father took off before she was born--with a stubborn streak and a mouth to match. She's been taking care of herself for years, and "won't let nobody" boss her around. But this might be beyond her capability to handle by herself, so it's a good thing there's her friend Pesto to help: Pesto, "dude," car wash manager by day, secret demon catcher by night! Together, will they be able to save Bug's soul and beat Ol' Scratch? Fast-paced and full of humor, sprinkled with Spanish phrases and a little romance, like a well-seasoned enchilada. (Some swear words and language.)
bookalchemist's review against another edition
2.0
The story's premise was wacky and sounded fun. The reality was way over the top, and as someone who has spent time in El Paso, didn't feel genuine. Sure, the author got the statistics and layout correct, so he clearly at least Googled the city to get info, but the character interactions and the slang used doesn't feel quite right. I also wanted to like Bug, but if felt like she was just never sitting still-I couldn't get a good bead on her feelings, attitudes, her self as a character, because we were constantly being inundated with contradictory and rapidly changing input about her.
There were some really random references, as with Castor and Pollux, and I wasn't sure if the author was trying to pull from myths and folklore about deals with the devil or what, since the word djinn kept getting thrown around, making it kind of seem like the idea was that all spirits are one type of being, then sub-classified within that 'djinn' descriptor. But then the word nephilim also got tossed in, and I never could quite figure out what the author wanted to mean with that, considering he wasn't using the classical definition.
Overall, the book felt like a poorly made magazine collage-pieces here and there just glued next to each other, but the ragged seams are still visible and it doesn't come together into a cohesive whole.
There were some really random references, as with Castor and Pollux, and I wasn't sure if the author was trying to pull from myths and folklore about deals with the devil or what, since the word djinn kept getting thrown around, making it kind of seem like the idea was that all spirits are one type of being, then sub-classified within that 'djinn' descriptor. But then the word nephilim also got tossed in, and I never could quite figure out what the author wanted to mean with that, considering he wasn't using the classical definition.
Overall, the book felt like a poorly made magazine collage-pieces here and there just glued next to each other, but the ragged seams are still visible and it doesn't come together into a cohesive whole.
awall14's review against another edition
3.0
An easy read. Funny at times, not ridiculously funny though. I loved Bug. Her voice was clear and she was very awesome.
Perfect book to read while going through tests etc. Doesn't take a lot of thinking, and it makes you smile.
Simple :)
Perfect book to read while going through tests etc. Doesn't take a lot of thinking, and it makes you smile.
Simple :)