Author: Derek Landy
Series: Demon Road #1
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal | Young Adult
Release Date: 28th August 2015
Publishers: HarperCollins
Source: Review Copy - HarperCollins
Rating:
Full of Landy's trademark wit, action and razor sharp dialogue, Demon Road kicks off with a shocking opener and never lets up the pace in an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America. Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers: they're all here. And the demons? Well, that's where Amber comes in.. Sixteen years old, smart and spirited, she's just a normal American teenager until the lies are torn away and the demons reveal themselves.
Forced to go on the run, she hurtles from one threat to another, revealing a tapestry of terror woven into the very fabric of her life. Her only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be..
If I were to describe Demon Road in a few words, they'd be; gritty, creepy, dark, hilarious, enticing and enthralling - an unusual mixture if you're not already acquainted with Derek Landy's work, which luckily for me, I am. Skulduggery Pleasant was without a doubt my favourite series of last year (and quite possibly of all time) so I had some pretty sky high expectations for Demon Road, which in almost all cases, where achieved, however, I was left the slightest feeling of indifference. That doesn't however take away from the absolute awesome that is this novel and it's in depth messages of tough love, inner beauty and strength and the twisted nature of human beings, and other beings too.
There is no denying that Demon Road is a novel that joins Landy's previous work in humour, character and action. There were few moments when I wasn't absorbed in the story of Amber and her road trip across America - an interesting premise already when you consider that a lot of UKYA authors stay in their home country where they're comfortable - and there wasn't a single page I didn't want to turn throughout. If the book ever started to feel a little too long, something exciting or gruesome or damn right creepy would sweep me off my feet and slam me back into this amazing supernatural world with witches, vampires, serial killer ghosts, man-eating cars, murderous children and totally psycho towns that I just fell in love with. (I also like to imagine that this world is the same as in Skulduggery - I'm about 70% sure there were ever so slight and small character references, but I might just be losing my marbles.. it's possible!) Sure, this novel did have moments when I thought 'I'm not sure what they're actually doing right now' but those moments were very few and rarely brought me out of the story, and if they ever did, Landy's characters and plot sucked me right back in.
I don't know about you, but I love characters that feel so tangible and realistic, characters who are flawed and have weakness, and yet they strive to be better people, physically, emotionally, mentally - they grow and they develop and they achieve things they never imagined and become characters worthy of your love and pride, and Demon Road is no different in this respect. Both Amber and Milo were characters who gained my respect the more I read about them. Their lessons they learnt, the trust, care and attention they gave each other was wonderful, and throughout, they both learnt about themselves and about each other, learnt to trust and respect one another, and leant on one another for support; it's characters like these that I love. Flawed and yet intense, their depth, their own demons, their development and growth together and apart was fabulous, and considering the age gap, I was impressed. I was also super impressed with how Landy handled Amber's personality and her inner battle with herself. I loved that he showed that beauty has it's weaknesses and how passion, love, dedication and confidence can make the difference in good and bad behaviour. I loved how he didn't perceive beauty in a completely positive light, and highlighted throughout how young girls struggle with bullying, their emotions and development through their teens, the struggle to socialise, the online environment in which they rely on, and how that shapes a person. Not only was his development of Amber wonderful to read about, but his portrayal of an average looking girl in a tough, strong world was so good, and it really enabled me to relate to Amber on a personal level.
I did have my issues with Demon Road though. There were days when I wouldn't pick the novel up - not because it wasn't a good novel, because it was, I just didn't feel the pull or temptation, something I struggled with both during The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves, and I also had issues with how Glen was portrayed when even secondary characters were treated much differently, and in my opinion, much better. Glen was, as you can probably guess, the comedy character, and with a name like Glen, what do you really expect? However, his character a) felt abused and picked on throughout Demon Road, he was a character with feelings and emotions and was extremely socially awkward, yet he was never treated with the respect and attentiveness he deserved - he was dubbed the dumb character, the one to be silly and crack the jokes when, deep down, he was just a lonely character on a lonely stretch of road, looking for a friend and he was never really taken seriously, something I think is a big shame. Also, b) Glen always felt like an important part the crew. Unlike Skulduggery Pleasant, Demon Road felt like it was complete with a trio, and with Glen's absence later in the novel, it felt as though it was missing something important and special, and I never really got that feeling back, no matter how great the rest of the novel was.. As petty as these issues seem, I grew quite attached to Glen, and felt as though he was severely mistreated which clearly affected my experience, if only slightly.
I confess to being a little worried over where the series is planning on going - the ending felt a little.. rushed and unclear, more 'check in next time' then 'you need the next novel, now' and that kind of sucked a little, but I am excited to continue the series none the less, and not just a little bit. I'm in love with the range of paranormal aspects Landy covered in Demon Road, and I just know that he has more up his sleeve. Having read his work before, I'm 100% sure he has bigger and better things planned for Amber and Milo and their journey through living hell, and I cannot wait to learn more about them both and see their friendship blossom into something even better. I would recommend you read everything this genius of a man writes, and really do not mind with what series you start, just make sure you make room on your TBR for them all - your life is not complete without Derek Landy in your life, characters, humor, world and more.
Tag :
4.5 Stars,
Book Review,
Demon Road,
Derek Landy,
Fantasy,
Paranormal,
Review Copy,
Young Adult
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