I Fail at the Afterlife

I Fail at the Afterlife is a charming young adult novel about a boy named David Garcia who dies at the age of seventeen and becomes an angel in the afterlife. I found the premise of this story to be so different from anything I have ever read. It is a wonderfully written book and although it has the theme of death throughout the book, never once did I think the book was morbid or inappropriate for a young audience. In fact, I Fail at the Afterlife may even give hope to its readers that an afterlife exists and may perhaps make death not so scary of a topic.

David is working at his uncle’s construction site and accidentally falls to his death. His mother, father, and siblings are heartbroken as David is a good boy who was very much loved by everyone. David finds himself in The Resting Place, a place where angels go to become guardian angels to their loved ones and to spread light. Angels also use their light to scare away demons that are performing evil tasks. David’s job at The Resting Place is at the front desk, where angels turn in reports. His best angel friend is Jake. Jake is a defender, meaning he fights off demons. When an old, powerful demon named Malum comes and terrorizes the angels, the angels decide to create a task force of demon hunters to put him back in his prison. David applies to be a demon hunter and gets into the group. From there, the story takes off as David disguises himself as a demon to gain intel for the group.

I really loved this story because it wasn’t complex at all. It was told in a way that the reader could easily visualize the characters and what was happening throughout the book. I also really liked the cast of characters. David is a very likable guy who is a good person and wants to help others. Jake is a funny Australian tough guy who likes to shorten all of his words to one or two syllables. The other demon hunters are all really fun, including two soldiers from the American Revolution who were on opposing sides. Those characters reminded me a bit of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure because they were from the past and so out of place.

I Fail at the Afterlife is the first book in the series, and I am really looking forward to reading more of these books. I think young adults and adults will find this book engaging and entertaining.