The Demon Trappers Daughter by Jana Oliver

Published: February 2011

Publisher: St Martin's Griffin

Pages: 355

Copy:  From Library

Summary: Goodreads

Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.


But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?


This book was serious fun.  I loved it!  So much more than I expected and well worth reading.  Riley was a marvellously strong protagonist.  She wasn't afraid to admit that she didn't know everything, but at the same time wasn't going to let that stop her from kicking demon butt.  She was so cool.  She is a somewhat unique character in the story in that pretty much all other demon trappers are male, so she has everything stacked against her from the start.  But of course, it also means that there are some seriously hot guys running around.

Simon is the guy Riley is crushing on and he is a 'nice' guy.  He seems to have a heart of gold, and is training to kill demons for all the right reason -  but I have to tell you I'm not so sure about him.  There's just something about him that doesn't ring true for me - is it possible to be too nice?  The jury is still out on him as far as I'm concerned.  Beck is the one I fell for - ok, he's the good-looking 'bad' boy, who was trained by Riley's father and has known her for years, and of course broke her heart when she was too young to know better.   What can I say, I've always been a sucker for the bad boys!

"Riley fliped down the visor and stared into the cracked mirror.
"Omigod," she said.  He watched out of the corner of his eye as she ginergerly touched the green areas where the demon pee had dyed her skin.
"It'll be gone in a couple days," Beck said, trying to sound helpful.
"It has to be gone by tomorrow nigh.  I've got school."
"Just tell 'em yer a trapper.  That should impress 'em."
"Wrong!  The trick is to blend in, Beck, not glow like a radioactive frog."  (page 18)

There are some wonderful comedic interludes with the smaller grade 1 demons that had me laughing, but there is also some serious nasty stuff going on with the bigger demons.  Some of the other older demon trappers are also majorly creepy - take Harper for one -  along with the necromancers and the rather strange  'deaders' - these are re-animated corpses used as slaves, but they are not zombies.  I also enjoyed the rivalry between the trappers and the hunters - both after demons, but definitely not the same class of people. Lots of twists and turns throughout the story, and an intriguing mystery made for a compelling read that kept me going at a furious rate. 'Demon Trapper's Daughter' was clever and exciting and didn't let go of me until the very end. 

The follow-up, 'Soul Thief' is due out in the Fall this year and I absolutely cannot wait to read it. Jana Oliver has a wonderful site for demon trappers, you can find it HERE and there are lots of fun things to see and do on the site.

PS  I have to add here, that if you are fans of the tv show 'Supernatural', you are absolutely going to love this book. It has the same blend of humour/seriousness as the show and the characters are just as lovable.

Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

Borrowed from the Library

Synopsis from Goodreads

Mae Crawford's always thought of herself as in control, but in the last few weeks her life has changed. Her younger brother, Jamie, suddenly has magical powers, and she's even more unsettled when she realizes that Gerald, the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, is trying to persuade Jamie to join the magicians. Even worse? Jamie hasn't told Mae a thing about any of it. Mae turns to brothers Nick and Alan to help her rescue Jamie, but they are in danger from Gerald themselves because he wants to steal Nick's powers. Will Mae be able to find a way to save everyone she cares about from the power-hungry magician's carefully laid trap?


Review


Hi all, saw Christinabean's review for Demon's Lexicon and just had to add my two cents worth for the sequel. (By the way, she was right, I did guess the twist at the end - it was amazing!)


As much as I enjoyed Demon's Lexicon, and that was a whole lot, I enjoyed its follow-up, Demons' Covenant, even more. The characters of Mae, Jamie, Nick and Alan are fleshed out in this second book, and to be honest I couldn't make up my mind whether I loved some of them or hated them. I think that is often a sign of great writing. You become so invested in the characters that you get mad at them for doing stupid things and feel for them when bad things happen, even though you may not actually like them very much at the time. I just can't decide what to think about Nick - most of the time I really don't like him very much, then he does something unexpected and I have a change of heart.
By the way, if you're looking for the usual werewolves and vampires, you won't find them here, but there is lots of magic and mayhem, which is just as much fun, IMO.
This is one of those stories that you can't really say a lot about without giving away the story, and I don't want to spoil things for anyone who hasn't read the first one yet. My advice - put this book at the very top of your TBR pile and don't put off reading it, especially if you like a bit of darkness in your urban fantasy. I know for sure that I will be first on the waiting list for the as yet un-named third in the trilogy, as long as Christinabean doesn't get there before me!

Christinabean here...sounds like a great read.  I hope you returned it to the library Miss Curlypow 'cause I think I'm next on the list!  BTW, I had a nice little chat on Twitter with Ms. Rees Brennan.  She is a lovely lady...hoping to get a quick author interview from her in the future!  Look her up and follow her on Twitter if you get the chance!

Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Borrowed from the library

Synopsis from Goodreads

Synopsis:

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

This is the Demon's Lexicon.

Review:
Hey everyone, Christinabean here. I'm still new to reviewing so I'll try not to blather on as I normally might. When I first heard about this book, I really didn't know what to expect. There was some buzz on my favorite blogs and it looked interesting. When I saw the cover, my first reaction was - "How did they get Johnny Depp to pose for this?". Am I the only one who thinks that this cover could pass for Johnny Depp or even Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli) from Heroes?

So back to the review...I really enjoyed this book. I LOVED the way it twisted and turned and as the book started to pick up speed, I truly could not put it down. All the way through I kept thinking - Why does Nick have such a complex?  It's like he's emotionally inept!  I cannot wait to read the next book - Demon's Covenant.  As an introduction to the characters, you really start to identify with the brothers' relationship but I'm looking forward to how their relationship is strengthened through their adventure.  Surprise ending for me.  I think Curlypow guessed it but I didn't!  This is book one in a trilogy (who doesn't have a trilogy nowadays?). If you liked other supernatural reads such as - The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, you would probably enjoy this one.  Sarah Rees Brennan is also part of the Smart Chicks Kick it Tour so you might want to check her out along with a ton of other great authors.