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Original Sinner by Kait Ballenger | GSMC Book Review Podcast

·1 hr 10 min·4 clips

Kate compares the series to "Netflix's Lucifer meets Fifty Shades of Grey" in New York City.

1. GSMC Book Review Podcast talks with Kate Ballinger about Original Sinner, the first book in the Original Sinners series. 2. Host Sarah introduces Kate Ballinger as the author of paranormal romance and dark romantasy, and Ballinger says Original Sinner and Wicked Believer are already out. 3. The episode asks how a Hades-and-Persephone idea became a story about Lucifer, New York City, and fake dating the devil. 4. Ballinger says the idea began with reading several Hades-and-Persephone retellings and wanting "a different twist" instead of another Greek-myth version. 5. She explains that Lucifer became the Christian-myth equivalent of Hades and that the seven deadly sins grew outward from that choice. 6. Ballinger says placing the story in modern New York City let her build a world around luxury goods, media, and social commentary. 7. She describes the series as "Netflix's Lucifer meets Fifty Shades of Grey," which frames the tone and the romance setup. 8. Ballinger says Lucifer and the seven deadly sins live "topside" in New York City, and the heroine works for Lucifer before fake dating starts. 9. She says Charlotte is the daughter of a far-right evangelical minister and has been shaped by evangelical purity culture. 10. Charlotte moves to New York City hoping Lucifer's company will keep her father from finding her and her past from catching up. 11. Ballinger says Charlotte writes a scathing press release about Lucifer after he gets under her skin. 12. She says that unsent rant is leaked to the press and becomes the reason Charlotte is pushed into fake dating. 13. Ballinger says the hardest part of personifying the seven deadly sins was making them true to the concept while still making them likable. 14. She gives specific examples, including Lucifer as a billionaire with Apollyon Incorporated and Sloth as a figure tied to Netflix-style bingeing. 15. Ballinger says the line "the devil wears Versace" came from her attempt to turn "The devil wears Prada" into a joke that fit the book. 16. She says Lucifer has to be seductive, morally gray, and still recognizably the devil, not a standard contemporary romance hero. 17. Ballinger says the book's socio-political commentary grew naturally from Charlotte's point of view and from her own openly political outlook. 18. She says readers from evangelical or ex-evangelical backgrounds have told her the book made them feel seen. 19. The conversation is casual, joking, and interview-driven, with Sarah reacting to lines from the book and Ballinger expanding on her craft. 20. Fans of dark romantasy, fake dating, and paranormal romance with spice will likely enjoy it, while readers avoiding explicit romance or religious tension may skip it.

As heard by us

A candid author conversation about dual POV, creative reset, and keeping the messy parts in.

Kait Ballenger frames Original Sinner as both a narrative and a reset, with Charlotte and Lucifer each getting a point of view even if Charlotte leads the way.

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Why you'd press play

Hear how a passion project becomes a candid interview about Charlotte, Lucifer, and the author's political commentary.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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