Oracle of Philadelphia

Carrie is an oracle who has already lived thousands of years and she knows that her immortality comes at the price of the suffering of other innocent souls. She’s been working in a diner in Philadelphia now in the current time while she councils whoever comes to seek her advice whether that is humans or angels.

The latest person to seek Carrie’s help is a man named Sebastian who is a good soul who traded his soul to heal his sister who was dying of cancer. Carrie knows it’s her duty to stop this deal whether that means she’ll have to actually travel to hell herself to save Sebastian.

Oracle of Philadelphia is the first book in the Earthbound Angels series. During this story there are flashbacks all throughout time as Carrie remembers things she had been a part of including counseling Mary and Joseph after the birth of her baby so it certainly made for interesting reading having a fictional tale spun around real life events.

However, I did find myself sometimes getting a tad bit bored and feeling like I wished this one would pick up the pace a bit. The story overall was really good but I sometimes just found myself feeling like there were too many info dumps as new characters or situations became involved or that the story would just slow here and there.

Overall, certainly an interesting story in the end but just a bit slow keeping my attention at times.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Oracle of Philadelphia, a creative, well-written, and thoroughly enjoyable read, presents a unique take on the angel and demon storyline. Loving it!

Loved Carrie! I tend to read anything with angels and demons and this was such a great story. Corrigan's voice was unique and really spoke to me (pardon the pun). I loved the way she incorporated Carrie's backstory and the Oracle's history. Thanks for the opportunity to read Oracle of Philadelphia, now I need to track down a copy of Raising Chaos.

Oracle of Philadelphia is a fun story with a dark undercurrent: is a soul worth saving if it has condemned itself, even if it did so by acts of love? Which, for a relatively short story, is a heavy theme to address.

Carrie can read people’s thoughts. She was born with the power, but paid the price when her village elders did a deal with Lucifer which resulted in people dead and Carrie immortal. Throughout her life, Carrie has come into contact with angels and demons alike.

Carrie is a likeable-enough character. She is determined to do the right thing, even if that means facing various types of hell to save just one soul. But despite the fact she has walked the earth practically since the beginning of time and is best friends with an ultra-cool demon, her character lacked something. It needed a spark, a flare that made me truly empathise with her, and I couldn’t find that connection.

Bedlam, on the other hand, had me cracking up from the beginning. His character is so refreshing; he says what he thinks and he doesn’t apologise for who he is. In a story that features a lot about God and archangels and souls, he was needed to keep the story light and fun. He was the anchor that Carrie needed to stop her powers from overwhelming her.

Both Gabriel and Sebastian have a strong impact on Carrie: they are a burst of sunshine for her, soothing her in a way she can’t explain. Considering that impact, you would expect them to be strong characters. But neither did a lot and appeared to be there just to make Carrie want to do the right thing, regardless of the cost.

There was a little too much of God in the story for me, as the all-loving figure with a plan for everyone. I completely respect everyone has their own belief, but the themes the story was addressing made it appear that the demons were stronger – it was Lucifer who ultimately saved Carrie from hell, not any of the angels. Michael declares Carrie is unfit to enter Heaven, despite her having no say in what happened to her as a child.

I’d be interested to see how those with strong beliefs feel about this book.

The narration switches between present day and Carrie’s past encounters with the archdemons she meets again in hell. The pace works for the book – knowing her past means the present interactions have more weight behind them.

I enjoyed this book – it made me laugh out loud (thanks, Bedlam) and I got through it quite quickly. That being said, it does leave you thinking about whether every soul is worth being saved and if evil is always that straightforward. For a short book, that is a big impact to have on a reader.

That being said, the first part was far more enjoyable while the second half had a “here-we-go-again” feel to it. Still, it scores good entertainment points.

Carrie owns a diner in Philadelphia. She is immortal and can hear people thoughts. She was made immortal by Lucifer. She is friends with another demon and an angel. Into the diner walks Sebastian who has been slated to give up his life in a weeks time. He did it to save his sister. Carrie decides she needs to help him and save his soul.

I enjoyed the book. It has a very different look at demons and angels that I didn't expect. If you are religious you might not like this book. But I have an open mind and enjoy a good story which is what you get here.

I received this book free from the publisher for an honest opinion.