What a great ending to this duo-logy! Great characters, a unique plot and satisfying ending left my kids and I with big smiles at the end.

This is one of those books that I realized that I'm not the best audience for this book and I ended up putting it aside around the 30% mark. I did go and buy it for my nephews and godkids who all loved it to pieces!

Prosper Redding The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken was interesting enough while I was reading but ultimately mostly forgettable and I skim read most of it. I do want to give this book another try when I'm not in a reading slump though.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered by opinion of the book.

This was such an adventure! I really loved how much Alexandra Bracken’s writing has changed from the first to the second book in this duology. Not only did this book pick up where we left off in the first book, but it expanded on the world and explained a lot when it came to the questions I had at the end of book one. If you enjoyed the first one then I can’t recommend enough that you go read the second one. It is a lovely sequel and companion.

Venturing into The Downstairs was such an interesting time and going down there really showed us a lot more about Alastor’s personality and where he comes from. This being said, we didn’t loose the development of the other characters, most specifically Prosper. Prosper is still a pre-teen in this book and he really develops as he is thrown into a world that he really should have no experience with. I also thought it was so interesting that this book also showed us the past. It explained how Alastor ended up in the situation he was in with the Redding family. I loved that aspect of the story and I think it was a very important and unique look into how Alastor’s opinion of humans has changed and why it changed so much.

Before I give away any spoilers, I’m going to stop. This book was so well done and I can’t wait to read more from Alexandra Bracken. This middle grade story was so well done and as I think more on it, it really talks a lot about humanity in a way that only a middle grade book can do. This book got a 4.5/5 from me.

Don't Start Here

This is the second book in the Prosper/Alastor series. It follows right after the first book. Between the prologue and the first chapters it's easy enough to pick up the thread of the story and the new plot. But, the book assumes familiarity with the main characters, and some affection on the reader's part for those characters. Without having read the first book the reader just starts out with a bunch of clever but not particularly well developed characters and has to hang in there and keep reading in the hope that the characters will come alive.

I enjoyed the buddy comedy between Prosper and Alastor, but both characters were very similar to other such characters in other such books. Lots of clever, witty, and edgy demons out there and Alastor isn't necessarily my favorite. The same was true for Prosper. As noted, my reaction probably would have been different and more favorable if I had read Book One.

That said, this had a number of funny and clever bits and moved along at a decent pace.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

i enjoyed this book, but it has been a long while since i have read this, and i do very much apologize for that. but this one just wasn't that enjoyable for me, even though i did somewhat enjoy it.

This title is Book 2 of a 3-book series. Happily, I had both Book 1 and 2 on hand as the ending to book 1 begged continuation. There is a bit of recapping in the early pages of the book, but I didn't mind the review. The story takes Prosper Redding to Hell and back and while this book is darker than the 1st, it's still populated with witty repartee between our hero and the demon within. I haven't read Book 3 yet, but intend to.

God, I’m not emotional, you’re emotional. This was so good. I can’t believe an ancient demon and a disaster of a kid and a cat with bat wings gave me enough feelings to wish I could go off and make a contract to take my heart away from me?? I don’t want it?? I cannot believe the audacity.

So simply put—you know, in case it wasn’t blatantly obvious in anything—I loved this book.

Picking up directly after the events of the first book, The Last Life of Prince Alastor takes us to the Downstairs to rescue Prue which is a literal goblin market, I swear to God. Sneaking around creepy creatures, exploring strange demonic carnivals that may or may not be dabbling in some black market implications, and climbing towers in the most twisted kind of fairy tale way, Prosper, Alastor, and Nell have to go sibling vs. sibling to face Alastor’s own sister, Pyra, to save Prosper’s sister.

Sometimes I forgot this was a middle grade book because everything about it was so wild. So wild, nothing hurt, it was a blast.

I loved the character development in this book so, so much. Where Prosper and Alastor still spend most of their free (and even occupied as in this-is-an-extremely-inconvenient-time-to-be-duking-it-out) time antagonizing each other, they also spend the duration of this book figuring each other out and learning how to coexist to face Pyra, save Prue, and break the Redding curse—you know, with the token squinting in Alastor’s direction because there is a tiny part of you that wants to trust him but then he does or says something particularly questionable. You would have thought I needed glasses handling him throughout this, honestly.

Bracken also did a fantastic job exploring a whole new fantasy realm without losing focus or info dumping. I am not of the middle-grade age and even I get bored and sigh my breath out when authors drag things out so at least I can say I more than likely have the attention span of a sixth grader if that has any weight! The back-and-forth banter is always going to be a favorite of mine. The ending was also surprisingly wholesome and heartwarming. As mentioned before, it gave me emotions and I hated it. I don’t like being reminded I have a heart??

Anyway. This book is witty, hilarious, creative, and downright spooky at times. It’s a fantastic read for the Halloween season—which I am not posting this review during (because I, uh, read this book in October 2018 when I had the ARC and then promptly forgot to post the review when the book was published a few months later and now have been reminded by Netgalley that I never posted it) but I did actually read both books in October! So take my word for it! I swear I know what I’m talking about!!

So yes! Absolutely! I would highly recommend this in a heartbeat! Not even just for kids, but it’s such a unique and fun duology. I am probably fated to read these books every October for the rest of my life now.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Loved reading this! I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book is so much more than I first thought! So good!

I loved the first book in this series and was greatly looking forward to this second installment. I love the concept of having someone to communicate with in your head. I honestly did not like this boom as well as the first and I can’t quite figure out why. It wasn’t drawing me in as much and I think I was just used to it. The ending picked up for me and I was very pleased with how it ended.

The Last Life of Prince Alastor was a fantastic middle grade read. Picking up right from the ending of The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding, we spend most of the book exploring the Downstairs (demon world). Both Alastor and Prosper grow and learn a lot in this book and I loved reading it!

A beautiful conclusion to a delightful and deliciously wicked tale!

This is an epic adventure through a dark and dangerous world. We learn so much more in this book about Alastor, his original deal with Prosper's ancestor, Honor, and the world of the Fiends. We also meet new characters and get introduced to new and complex forms of magic.

Bracken's signature descriptive style is on full display throughout this story. I was absolutely transported to this world. It was DARK and I loved every moment of it! There were a few areas in the beginning that I felt the pace dragged a little bit but by the mid-point, all traces of that were gone.

As with the first book, there is a light humor to this dark tale, and I did laugh out loud numerous times at Alastor and his musings. There are also some important lessons woven throughout this story that were nicely incorporated into this Middle Grade storyline.

I loved the overall feeling of this book touching on topics such as: striving to do the 'right thing' regardless of obstacles or an easier way out; the value of strong friendships and familial connections; the idea that it is okay to fail at something as long as you learn and grow from it, and that traditions should not stand if the roots of them are not worth upholding.

I won't lie. The end of this brought tears to my eyes. I have grown so attached to Prosper and Alastor over the course of these two books. Watching them both grow and evolve has been such a great thing to take part in. Although that isn't a very eloquent way to describe it, I am at a loss for words to describe how much feeling I got out of this story. What seems like such a fun and uncomplicated story of a demon inhabiting a boy is really so much more than that.

If you haven't yet picked up this story, I highly recommend it. They are short and quick to get through and an absolutely delightful reading experience. Two thumbs way up!!! Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney-Hyperion, for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and had a wonderful time finishing this up.

I read about half of this book in one sitting. I think I may have enjoyed it just a smidge more than the first book. It was interesting to see how Prosper coped with the change of circumstances, and with Alastor's growing presence. Alastor's snarky presence was also fun to read, and his character development was engaging.

I did think some of the characters we met near the end were...unexpected, but I still enjoyed it.

I will admit that I was a little taken aback by the introduction of the elves as ancients who could basically create worlds and beings, but I took from it the warning that messing with the core of what humans are only ends in bad things happening.

I found this second book in the series to be marginally better than the first. There were times when I thought the author was trying too hard to be clever and cute and it all just got a bit too over-the-top for me. About a fourth of the way in, I was ready to give up. But, I stuck it out and the book did improve. I do think, however, middle schoolers might enjoy it.

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

I went ahead and reread the first book before starting this book since I loved it so much and it had been a while since I first read it. In that time, I forgot exactly how much I loved this series! Book #1 was just as good the second time as it was reading it the first time, and book #2 was AH-MAY-ZING!!!

I 💓💓💓 the fiends! They are my favorite! I know Alastor is supposed to be the bad guy, but I love him too! Plus, in this book, Prosper travels Downstairs, so we get to meet a bunch of other fiends!

Just like the first book, this book CRACKED ME UP! I love the author's sense of humor and how she has the fiends doing funny/silly things with such seriousness.

I absolutely LOVE this book and have nothing bad to say about it!

However, the author set the ending up where there will likely be another book added to the series, but there is no book #3 listed on GoodReads yet. That usually means that it will be a while until the next book is released. I sure hope she puts out another book soon!

I received a copy of this book from the publishers after I wished for it on NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I like that this book left the setting of the first book and took the reader on an entirely new adventure in Downstairs. It was fun being able to visualize and read about what the fiends' home looked like. I was touched by the ending, and the change was believable.

I was a little frustrated that Prosper didn't use the information he had to keep everyone safe. I understand that he didn't want to force anyone to do something against their will, but only the black and white areas were addressed. But there were plenty of gray areas that could've kept everyone safe and secure. Also, a lot of the humor and quips between Prosper and Alastor from the first book were missing from this one. It definitely struck a different chord. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different.

I loveddddddddd this book. It was so good. While it was not as great as the first, which set the world and characters up, it did go into a whole new world. I loved the characters and story! I highly recommend this book not just for middle grade but for adults and teens too!

This is the fun and whimsical sequel to The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding, which I adored. This book was a little too whimsical and slow paced for my tastes. It is still fun and has all of the great characters from the first book. I would still highly recommend it to the middle grade crowd.

The plot picks up with Prosper and Alastor heading Downstairs to save Prosper's sister Prue from Alastor's sister Pyra. You would think they would go on some amazing adventure, and they do, it just takes a long time for for the action to develop. This is where the pacing was off for me. The boy and the fiend just kind of wander around dealing with different kinds of fiends and accomplish nothing for about half the book before anything exciting happens. I had so much fun reading the first book, but this one just didn't have the same feel. I think because this takes place in the realm of the fiends, there were many scenes that were just kind of silly that I think middle grade readers will LOVE, I'm going to recommend this series to my 10 year old for sure. This is where the book was just a bit too much on the whimsical side for me.

There is a ton of character development in this book. I was excited that Nell came along for the adventure and we get to know her more and see her develop as a witch. Prosper also develops a ton as a character as he is faced with many tough decisions on his journey to save his sister. We also get to know Alastor better both in the present and in the past as we get quite a bit of his back story when he dealt with Honor Redding and made his original bargain. There are quite a few twists when it comes to the characters in the book that I really liked.

That being said the 2nd half of the book picks up was fairly exciting and a lot happens. There is magic, there are some really interesting fantasy creatures who are really well described, the fiend world of Downstairs is well developed, and I think as far as the story goes it wrapped up nicely.
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I want to say that I loved this book a lot even though the first book for me was just average. I can't wait to read more books from Alexandra Bracken.