Red Devil (Dangerous Spirits #2) by Kyell Gold
- 4 minutes ago
- 5 min read
With Azure City coming out at the end of March, I thought it was high time I review the three books in Kyell Gold's Dangerous Spirits series. I find this to be one of Kyell Gold's most recognizable works alongside Out of Position, and it's easy to see why. It's has a unique concept, great structure, queer themes, and beautiful artwork by Rukis. A few weeks ago I reviewed Green Fairy, so, without further ado, it's time for Red Devil!
Genre: Magical Realism
Age Rating: PG-13 for some sexual situations
You might want to continue this series if you:
Want to know what was up with that Alexei guy at the end of Green Fairy
Are interested in the history of the Russian Revolution
Have siblings and can relate to supporting one another through tough times
Are curious about how the supernatural premise of the series could evolve
Are currently being annoyed by noise from a construction site
Red Devil picks up a few months after the events of Green Fairy, but you might be surprised to learn (unless you've read the synopsis) that this story isn't about Sol. Instead, it's about Alexei, the gay Siberian fox Sol talked with toward the end of Green Fairy. At the beginning of Red Devil, Sol, Meg, and Alexei have rented their own apartment and now live together, meaning Sol has finally escaped all that was overwhelming him in the first book. But as it turns out, Alexei has his own pile of problems to work on, and it's his turn to grapple with them (and, of course, to accidentally summon a dangerous spirit in the process.)
Alexei's biggest problem is that while he was able to escape to America, his sister Caterina is still stuck in Siberia with their abusive family. But closer to home, and seemingly of greater concern to him at first, Alexei is also dealing with a bully who keeps putting him down and getting in the way of the guy Alexei is interested in. It doesn't help that Alexei doesn't quite have the skills or the bravery to overcome his social awkwardness. So, he tries to take a shortcut by summoning the forces of the supernatural. Classic mistake.
See, unlike Meg, who has made it very clear that she doesn't believe a lick of what Sol says about ghosts, Alexei fully believes Sol summoned a ghost who helped him overcome his issues. Distraught by his own problems, Alexei gives in to envy and tries to summon Nikki to do the same for him (with the help of Meg, of course, who is still accidentally summoning ghosts with alcohol). But instead of Nikki, Alexei summons Konstantin--a Siberian soldier who served Nicholas II in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution. Konstantin is obsessed with loyalty and duty and sees Alexei's sexuality as an affront to both, so he refuses to leave and demands Alexei stop being gay... or there will be grave consequences.
You might have noticed that while Alexei has fewer problems than the barrage of struggles Sol was dealing with in Green Fairy, his problems are significantly more consequential. Alexei is dealing with real mortal peril for himself and his sister. Not to mention the ghost Alexei has summoned being far more active in his hauntings than Nikki. If Nikki was like a guardian angel who only intervenes in small, crucial ways, Konstantin is like a guardian demon who demands a soul in exchange for help. The premise of the series has thus evolved, and I was so happy to see these interesting supernatural elements play a more prominent role than they did in Green Fairy--a sentiment I'm sure other readers will share.
Because of the elevated stakes and increased influence a ghost can have on the world now, I personally found this book a lot more engaging than the first. I don't typically need high stakes to be interested in a story, of course, but I can't deny that I'm more interested when the bar is raised. Big danger and big consequences can drive a character into situations that show us to a more powerful degree who they really are. Kyell Gold, being an accomplished character-focused writer, manages that splendidly. Alexei may have fewer things going on than Sol did, but I arguably felt closer to him as a character because of how he reacts to his desperate situations.
The strange visions, memories, and dreams from the first book also make their return here, and they're better than ever. Instead of seeing much of Konstantin's history through the eyes of a journal written by another character, as we did Nikki, we instead see his history entirely through his own narration, and that gives the old soldier's character a lot more depth. This was a great choice, because Konstantin is a bigoted and obstructive force, and it is important to understand the blind loyalty and sense of duty that make him such a great antagonist.
I also enjoyed how Alexei's struggle to get Catarina to America plays into all of this. Throughout the story, Alexei and Catarina write letters back and forth, updating each other on their situations and upping the urgency of Catarina's intended escape. Despite only seeing her through letters and through Alexei's recollections for much of the book, I still came to care greatly for Catarina and her own personal struggles. The sibling relationship is touching, and it made me very invested in Catarina getting to safety.
This story is also spooky. Like, properly spooky this time. Alexei's visions are descriptive and more atmospheric than the visions in Green Fairy. Lots of swirling mist and darkness and such, with a great foreboding vibe and sense of danger. Alexei doesn't just wake up with a strip of cloth in his paw. He sees Konstantin haunting him from afar and is more evidently unnerved and scared of what's happening to him. I appreciated the ghost story leaning in to the supernatural horror a bit more this time around. And of course, the book is once again illustrated amazingly by Rukis, who continues to impress. She really brings to life in her artwork some of that spooky atmospheric description I mentioned, making for some really cool visualized scenes.
Red Devil serves as a great evolution of the series that will register greatly with those looking for higher stakes and more influence of the supernatural on the story. I'm also happy to say that it only continues to evolve from here, with Black Angel being my favorite book in the main trilogy. You can look forward to my review for that third entry before Azure City comes out at the end of March!