This was a fun, humorous opening volley in a new YA urban fantasy series. Teenager Ivy once made a very costly mistake and now any kid who can access the internet can raise the dead. Ivy feels its up to her to correct the situation. Honestly that’s all you need to know going in. This was whip smart, light, engaging and very enjoyable. Ivy is sassy and relatable. This will definitely scratch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer itch for older readers of YA and provides something of an introduction to the girl versus apocalypse trope for newcomers. Highly recommend.

We meet Ivy Mann as a kickass school security guard, along with her trusty machete, Matilda. She might be barely out of high school herself, but she's got direct experience with the minions of Hell being called into the world, so she's there protecting the kids from any magical mumbo jumbo and gigantic soul sucking hell hounds. That's because there's a rift in London which means magic and demons are real - but only controllable by teenagers, as the magic fizzles out in adults.

This is a fast-paced romp, taking place over a single day as Ivy gets drawn into a much larger conspiracy and the stakes are raised. But Raising Hell isn't all action, it's got some depth to it too; abandonment, grief, guilt and love.

A little bit darker and more gruesome than a lot of YA I've read, the action escalates to a fever pitch and it all becomes a little gruesome when people start coming back from the dead, as zombies. Can Ivy (along with her gran, trapped in the body of a cat) save her friends, and what about the bigger picture, is it possible she could even save the world?

Well you'll have to read it to find out. A very compelling one-sitting read.

This was a fun palate cleanser after a run of complex stories. A Buffy-esque tale of a young woman trying to compensate for her role in unleashing dark forces on the world by working school security.

At the London school where Ivy works the security guards aren’t looking for knives or even guns. Disaffected teens don’t turn to drugs to solve their problems, they turn to ancient occult texts instead. Norah Ortega is no different, but by the time Ivy spots something suspicious Norah had already unleashed hell hounds on her unsuspecting classmates. Ivy is able to get the situation under control, but is then fired because Norah’s powerful family blame Ivy for what happened.

No sooner has Ivy returned home and confessed all to Gran - her grandmother’s spirit trapped in the body of a cat - than Norah turns up begging for Ivy’s help to escape the hell hound which has now turned its attention to Norah.

Cue a darkly funny tale of zombies, hell hounds and atonement as Ivy, Norah, Norah’s brother Nicholas and Gran try to stop hell and raise Ivy’s teen boyfriend from the grave while they’re at it.

The heroine of this book reminds me of the mila jolivich character in the resident evil films because she seriously kicks ass and takes no prisoners 😳 magic, horror and mystery …. I’m in 😀

This book reminds of being a kid and being told to not mess with an ouiji board. Magic isn't real surely? But when a group of kids try to bring back their friend they accidentally open a portal that allows those under 20 to do magic.

Some want to weaponise it, and some just enjoy it but for some it's about stopping it altogether.

The Backstory of the cast comes through slowly in this fast paced book. We get to know just enough about the characters, but not really enough to care if they make it.

This is a rather fun book about a girl (Ivy) who is on a one woman mission to save England from a rift into Hell. The twist is that this is a tear in reality that she accidentally opened with her friends when they tried to bring their best friend back to life with necromancy (specifically the book, Necromonican). Unfortunately their attempt at magic failed and she came back as a flesh eating zombie and murdered Ivy’s boyfriend.

Even worse (?), now all the teenagers can do magic, something that they test with glee, and various nasties are on the loose. When the book begins, Ivy is working as a security guard at a school and in the process of defending students from a hell hound, accidentally injures one of them causing her to lose her job.

Unfortunately the hell hound is not going to give up easily and so begins her attempt to keep folk safe and to close the rift.

There are definite parallels with Buffy and I feel there are definitely students at my school who will enjoy this book.

Full disclosure, I didn't get anywhere near this book - my teen son grabbed it off me and read it over two days. It's been a while since I've seen him this engrossed in a book. I'm looking forward to reading it too but he kept stopping to tell me what was happening every few chapters so I feel like I already know what is going to happen!! Son has given it five stars.

Raising Hell is a wild adventure that is not for the faint-hearted. Pearce weaves a dramatic web of horror and magic from the first page, enveloping us in a story of magic, friendship, and what the pain of loss can drive us to do.

Ivy is an unapologetically hardened protagonist, left in her teens to deal with the unimaginable, forcing herself to pay penance for the horrible accident that kickstarted these events. We follow her as she burdens herself with more responsibility, more pain, and more blame, all the while battling the hounds of hell and the monsters men make of themselves without the help of magic.

Since 2011 Bryony Pearce has written a number of dark fiction titles for both children and adults and when it comes to YA horror is probably best known for the excellent Savage Island (2019) which is on the Red Eye brand and which promises a sequel Cruel Castle later this year. The latest effort Raising Hell was a highly entertaining and very fast paced hoot which could be read in a couple of sittings, with the frenetic action taking place over a very short period of time. Although detailed characterisation was side-lined in favour of pace the central character of Ivy Elisabeth Mann was more than enough to carry the book. Ivy was far your stereotypical heroine and I found myself warming to her as the book progressed.

Raising Hell had a terrific opening with nineteen-year-old Ivy working as a security guard in the school she attended not long before as a pupil. Why do Birmingham schools need security guards you might ask? A good question. A few years earlier there was a weird supernatural occurrence (which Ivy was involved in) which resulted in black matter being released into the world and as a result, teenagers can cast spells. Her job is to ensure nobody brings magic spells or books into the school, but in the opening stages somebody calls a hell dog and soon things quickly spiral as there are more dogs and a potential zombie apocalypse which Ivy is sucked into. Along the way characters are raised from the dead, Ivy’s grandmother possesses her cat, and she even loses her job. However, this girl is a real fighter and even though she is partially responsible for the pending apocalypse she is easy to get behind. The dynamics behind how the magic was really cool and it was a perfect read for Buffy The Vampire Slayer everywhere. AGE 13+.

Phew, what a fast-paced roller coaster of a book this one was!

Nineteen year old Ivy works security detail in her old school, standing by the metal detectors, searching bags... But she's not on the lookout for guns or knives - she's looking for spells. A few years before, a magical rift opened which gives teenagers the ability to cast spells and raise demons. Since then high schools have become, quite literally, a hellscape. After a particularly gnarly encounter with a hellhound, Ivy begins to suspect there's a pattern to these seemingly-random attacks.

I didn't massively love the love story in this one but Ivy is such a brilliant hard-boiled character full of cynicism and one-liners, the action is non-stop and the world-building is great. Extra points, too, because there's a talking cat, and I love a talking cat.

This book gave me distinct Buffy vibes, in a good way. The protagonist is a tough as nails young woman who battles against demons, zombies and witches and seems to be able to take a punch like a champ.

I feel this book was aimed at the younger side of the YA demographic so unfortunately I can’t say I loved it. That’s not to say it isn’t a good book, merely that it didn’t line up to my personal tastes.

In my opinion the protagonist gets her ass kicked a lot more than she kicks ass which is a shame. I do love an underdog but there’s a wonderful feeling you get when someone is knocked down over and over but then becomes a force few can stand against. Maybe she will become so in future books but here she seems to barely scrape by and mostly because of her companions. But there’s a lot to be said for a person who can keep taking hits and carries on despite the odds. I will definitely read any sequels to see if she blooms to the badass I know she can be.

"It's nothing personal, but you're going back to hell."

Zombies, hellhounds, magic, enemies to lovers, a girl with a machete and a talking cat. What more could you want in a funny, ya fantasy short novel?

Ivy Mann is a likeable protagonist straight from the beginning of Raising Hell. She is not perfect, she makes mistakes such as her and friends opening a whole rift as teenagers and now there are hellhounds and zombies roaming around London— but her being a messy protagonist worked and maade her so much more interesting.

What I liked the most about Raising Hell? I liked that the world building of the magic system was easy enough to follow along with, that all of the characters were developed as the story went on even just as side characters, but the biggest highlight? Gran.

The enemies to lovers trope of this story did not feel lacking to me either, despite this novel only having 240 pages. I thought it was beautifully written and developed well at the same time as all of this action and gore.

If you like magic, if you like stories that have stuff kicking off right from the first chapter, and if you like the idea of Gran's soul being stuck in a cat and there to give advice and be funny — Raising Hell by Bryony Pearce is the perfect short story for you.

Thank you so much to the publishing team and to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this delightful short tale of Ivy Mann.

Whilst I enjoyed the book in and of itself, it wasn't one that was overly memorable for me. It was an interesting premise with the opening of a rift that meant teens and young adults were able to use spells and magic rituals but it just seemed very rushed with very little world building to prop up the story and the romance was a little forced for me.

May read the next one to see if it gets any better as I did like the overall story.

When Ivy and her friends decide to try and bring back their friend Violet from the dead, they didn’t expect it to actually work. Ivy and Danny thought it would just help Elena, Violets girlfriend say her goodbyes. But it did work, but not in the way they hoped leaving Danny dead, Elena running for the hills and Ivy sticking around to answer all the questions.

Four years later, Ivy stands in the school keeping a close eye on the students entering. Any one of them could be doing magic and it was up to her to keep them safe. After all, it was her and her friends who’d started it, it was only fair she finished it!

To say this is a book aimed at young adults I really enjoyed it. It was a bit cheesy and gory but a fab read. The characters were great and the storyline moved quickly keeping you drawn in and turning the page. I think my 16 year old daughter would really enjoy it and I see it doing really well with the younger demographic.

A great book for lovers of zombies and magic.

Raising Hell by Bryony Pearce
ARC REVIEW 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Due for release 3rd June 2021

I was allowed to read an arc copy of Raising Hell by @bryonypearce and @uclan_publishing for NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Raising Hell is a story of survival in a world where hell is literally trying to break through to earth. Ivy and her friends made a drunken attempt to raise her best friend from the dead that changed their world forever.

For some reason the younger generation now have an affinity for magic, and their desires are made real. Feeling responsible Ivy has made a promise to protect them.

Living in the UK 🇬🇧 its also great to see an English author talking about the country, areas we know and live near are referenced. Its refreshing 😌

There are amazing characters, including "nan" the talking cat. The story is well written, witty and exciting. I honestly can't wait to read more. I hope Bryony develops this into a series.

Ivy is a smart mouthed badass and with Matilda I think she can take on anything. Zombies, hell hounds and the BRP. Great job!!!

Ivy Mann, along with 2 friends, has broken the UK, literally created a chasm where hell hounds and the like can be raised. Unintentionally obviously, but one friend died and another ran off, leaving Ivy to take the blame. Now it seems as though teenagers are being encouraged to do magic, regardless of the consequences and Ivy feels guilty, so it’s her problem to solve.

This is full of dark magic, teenage angst and zombies, along with a talking cat. It’s a bleak tale in parts, but very readable, the characters you meet are typical teenagers and adults, at odds most of the time but pulling together as in the best of traditions. It went along nicely but picked up a cracking pace towards the end. A couple of tear jerking parts, that were unexpected and more poignant for that as well as a turn of comedy and one liners. Any lovers of YA magical horror with humour will love this book, and I’m sure there’ll be a follow up to this, which I hope will carry on Ivys tale.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was flagged up via a Netgalley email and really glad that it came my way. I love Urban fantasy and this is a fresh addition to the genre. For a start it is set in the UK and with a female lead character - although female MCs are common in this genre, the combination of location and MC is not - however this may reflect the authors I read!

Set in London, Ivy and her friends Elena and Danny are mourning the death of their friend Vi, In a move to provide some closure for Elena in particular they perform a rite to raise the dead, however all does not go as planned. Although they did raise Vi she returns as a ravening zombie who kills Danny, they also created a rift to a dark source which allows those under 20 to perform magic. This causes chaos across the UK ,so Ivy seeking to make amends protects those affected by the wave of monsters which emerge and looks to close the rift.

A tale of one woman, her trusty machete Matilda, her Gran (soul in tabby cat - don't ask) and some new compatriats go forth to save the day, kill the zombies and close the rift. Go Ivy!
My thanks to the publisher and net

Been in abit of reading slump lately and this book managed to pull me straight out.
Action kicks off straight away so no waiting around reading long paragraphs of mindless info which I loved.
Book really picked up around the 70% mark with non stop "oh my god" moments and alot of hand covering up my gasps.
Really excited that it seems to have finished with a small promise of a second book.

Well, this was a whole lot of fun.

Several years ago Ivy and her friends did something very silly and the world changed for ever. A rift was opened and now magic is in the world. Ivy had to take all the blame and now the only job she can get is school security, checking the pupils for hexes, spells and charms.

When things go wrong at the school she ends up losing her job - but that could be just what's needed to save the world . . .

Okay, there was a lot to like here. It is, I'm guessing, aimed at a YA audience and when the (kind of obvious) future potential hunky love interest appears and they are (obviously) 'enemies' I did wince a little but that soon picked up and wasn't soppy so that worked out ok.

Our lead, Ivy, was a likeable character who felt very much like a Buffy The Vampire Slayer type but with zombies (so, Ivy the Zombie Slayer I guess) and the magic was believable (as much as these things can be). There were enough twists and surprises to keep me happy and I came away hoping there will be more stories of Ivy and co.

I hadn’t read any other titles by Bryony Pearce, so started with an open mind. The novel goes straight into the action and doesn’t really stop. This will appeal to teen readers who will enjoy not just the action, but the characters who take us on this rollercoaster. Full of blood and gore which will appeal to horror fans, featuring not only magic, but zombies too.

I shall buy this for the school library where it will fill a gap in compelling horror, action novels and the minor romance element means it will appeal to both boys and girls. With many reluctant readers in school, novels which are pacy are a welcome addition.