Hell to Pay coming July 28th, 2026 from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; 368 pages
Content Warning: Death of a sibling, gore, murder, profanity, violence
About the Author: “Lora Beth Johnson writes funny, heartfelt YA fantasy and sci-fi about ghosts, grief, and other things that won’t stay buried. A lifelong wanderer, she’s tried a little bit of everything—travel, languages, a parade of impulsive hobbies—and funnels it all into her fiction. Her work has been praised by The New York Times, School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews. She lives with her tiny, bossy Yorkie-poo, Colocataire” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Lora Beth Johnson on the following platforms:
Elle Fields wants nothing more than to resurrect her brother Dante, so when a stranger named Rook shows up at Elle’s door asking her to steal a soul from the Afterlife, Elle realizes it might be the perfect opportunity to bring Dante back. The problem is, after Dante died, Elle’s crew fell apart, and she can’t do this job without them. Even though she’s worried that her past actions may deter her former crew from trusting her again, Elle is determined to bring the group back together. Elle knows her skillset, and the skillset of her crew—CJ the telempath, Poppy the witch, and Tolliver the potions master—and with them, she knows she can get her brother back.
This was such a fun read! I’m a huge fan of fantasy reads with the found-family trope, and this book delivered everything I wanted. It was genuinely funny, like, laugh-out-loud-funny. I loved all of the characters, especially Elle. She was an incredible main character; she’s so layered and complex, I feel like we just scratched the surface of who she really is. I’m not sure if there will be more books set in this world, but I would read anything that Elle is in—I absolutely adored her. I had fun on the journey with her to get her crew back, and each of the members felt so distinct. Johnson did such a wonderful job with representation in this story, and I loved the inclusion of a nonbinary character and a disabled character. I thought CJ and their telempathy—telepathy powers combined with empathy—was such a great addition to the story, and I loved the (what seemed to be) on-again, off-again relationship they had with Poppy. Elle and Tolliver’s relationship was sweet, and I enjoyed learning about their history and seeing them deal with the aftermath of losing Dante. Ezra’s character felt so relatable because he had so many questions about the magic system, and I was learning right along with him. The magic system was confusing at first, but after a while (and Ezra’s helpful, constant questioning) things started to click, and I liked how unique the politics and fantastical elements were. The concept of stealing a soul from the Afterlife was so outrageous that I was glued to the book, and the character-driven elements made me feel so attached to the story. Honestly, I would trust Elle and her crew with my life.
Hell to Pay releases July 28th, 2026.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Emersen Cooper, Pine Reads Review Co-Assistant Director, Lead Editor, and Website Manager