The Devil’s Intern

Mitchell’s life is Hell. Literally. He interns for a major demon in one of Satan’s main offices, trying to keep Hell running smoothly under the constant deluge of new souls and crushing budget problems. But when Mitchell and his friends — Viking warrior Alfarin, Victorian sweetheart Elinor, and contrary bestie Melissa, aka Medusa — plot to escape Hell and change the past to save themselves from damnation, they discover that it takes more than guts and magic to escape Hell’s reach… or Fate’s.

It’s hard to do new takes on Hell after so long, but The Devil’s Intern offers one that is both torturous and weirdly mundane, making for an utterly believable mix. A bureaucracy run amok, Hosie’s version of Hell is funny and very relatable, one where social awkwardness and romantic fumbles are just as prominent in the afterlife.

A novel about friendship, destiny, and the roles we both choose to play and are meant to play, The Devil’s Intern packs a lot of thoughtfulness into what initially appears to be comedic wish fulfillment. While I was a little unsatisfied with the ending, it remains true to Hosie’s vision, and I suspect others will appreciate it more than I did.