Review by Kelley Crawford

God Shows His Way to Vivi by Paving a Path of Demon-Fighting Escapades

Vivi is a woman who has decided to change her life. She quits her job, takes her savings, and is moving to Memphis. She’s not sure what compels her to head toward Memphis, but on the way there she meets CD—a not-so-unfamiliar stranger—and winds up landing in Benevolent (pun intended). While in Benevolent, she quickly learns that she (gasp) has supernatural powers, everyone in the town (gasp) knows who she is and has been waiting for her, and (gasp) she eventually reunites with the family she thought was gone forever. With a talking dog by her side and a mission from God, Vivi can now turn into the demon-fighting warrior she was born to be.

 If you thought the above parenthetical phrases were interruptive, they barely compare to the way the narrator interjects throughout The Eyes of the Heart. While I was reading this book, I felt like I was experiencing a Secret Circle/Charmed/Harry Potter mash-up. McGhie tried to bring the fantasy world to adult novels, but unlike the demon—Bane—in the book, this writing is too far gone to be saved.  

 Bottom line: Childish writing with adult characters

 Audience: If you liked The Sweet Far Thing (third novel in the A Great and Terrible Beauty series) by Libba Bray, then you might be interested in The Eyes of the Heart.