Review: Thrall by Jennifer Quintez

Thrall (Daughters of Lilith #1)
By Jennifer Quintez
Publisher: Secret Tree Press
Format: eBook
Source: Author

To Sum It Up: Braedyn Murphy has never thought of herself as anything but ordinary. As her sixteenth birthday approaches, however, everything Braedyn has ever believed about her life is going to be turned upside down. Demons are real and closer than she could have imagined possible, and they have a particular interest in Braedyn. A war is building, and she’s caught right in the middle of it.

Lee's Review: I seem to be stuck in a bit of an odd reading cycle lately, where I either absolutely love a book or have to push through to finish it. Unfortunately, Thrall falls into the latter category, another case of a solid premise that pulls up short in the execution. Although I really liked how the story of Lilith, Adam’s first wife according to some legends, was worked into the novel, that alone wasn’t enough to wholly invest my interest in the book.

I’d read some books featuring demons before, but none that focused on the succubus in particular. They’re called Lilitu here, and despite their breathtakingly beautiful appearance, underneath that surface lurks a potential destroyer of souls. There’s a Guard that fights to combat the havoc that the Lilitu wreak, and as far as good vs. evil battles go, I thought this one had a nice little twist to it. This book had some strong framework on which to build a rich story, but the slow pacing worked against it.

I often found it difficult to settle into long reading sessions with Thrall because it felt too drawn out. The exposition could have used some trimming, as could have the character descriptions. Whenever a new one is introduced, you’re given a mini biography of his/her life that starts sounding like a block of telling and which breaks up the flow of the narrative. I would have liked to have seen more showing, to have become acquainted with the characters through their dialogue and actions as opposed to what was said about them.

I had a few quibbles with the main character, Braedyn, mostly her lengthy reflections at the beginning of the novel on how unexceptional she was. Braedyn believes that she’s plainer than plain and then some, and the reiteration of this idea touched a nerve more than once. I could see how her self-perceived ordinariness figured into the part of the story where her Lilitu powers begin emerging and suddenly every guy at school now notices her. I suppose I just wasn’t keen on the transformation-into-a-swan angle. I also found Braedyn a little lacking in development as a heroine. Even in the later chapters, she’s still unsure of herself and looking to the Guard to save the day. Believing in Braedyn as a heroine proved challenging when she didn’t believe in herself.

Though they were up to no good, the Lilitu were interesting to read about and lent the novel some welcome edge. That’s what I think Braedyn needed—a touch of fire to her character to make her less of a cookie-cutter protagonist. Thrall delivered well on the paranormal side of things, but I can’t quite say the same about some of its other aspects.

All in All: While I liked the book’s take on demons, I wasn’t as enthused about Braedyn as a narrator/main character.

Ally's Review: Thrall sounded like a story I would really enjoy. Demons, angels, and demon hunters—what's not to like? What I wasn't expecting was all the stereotypical teenage angst and high school drama that took up most of the book.

Oh, the drama. I was slightly offended reading about Braedyn's high school life. Being in high school myself, I found the whole interpretation comical and highly inaccurate. You had the mean jocks, the bitchy cheerleaders, and the self-righteous outcasts. Braedyn and her friends obviously fall into the last category. The whole high school scene was very distracting. I felt like it tried so hard to be a part of the plot that it ended up taking over the whole book. Instead of reading about demons and hunters, I was reading about high school dances and bullies.

Braedyn, herself, wasn't a bad character. I actually though she was kind of all right. All the other characters were bringing her down. Her token best friends, who are terribly stereotypical, have so much book time but have nothing to contribute. Seriously, they are wasted. They pretty much do nothing to help Braedyn in her transition from teenage girl to demon. All they do is drive her to and from school. The man of the hour, Lucas, is the absolute worst. Of course it is love at first sight for Lucas and Braedyn. And of course their love is forbidden because Braedyn is a Lilitu—a soul sucking demon, and Lucas is a member of the Guard—a team of Lilitu hunters. But despite all of Lucas's training, he fails to see that his girlfriend isn't necessarily human. Lucas was so clueless that he quickly became my least favorite character. Braedyn is no better. She is told, time and time again, that she needs to stay away from Lucas for his safety. But does she care? No, she loves him but she'd rather be selfish and endanger him with her presence instead of keeping her distance. The whole romance is a mess from the start.

The coolest part of the book should have been the Guard. Somehow, the demon hunters turned out to be super lame, though. They are such a hindrance and spend almost the entire book running around like headless chickens. They have no idea what they're doing. The Guard is really judgy, too. Braedyn is treated like crap, although she's the one doing all the work.

The most redeeming aspect of the book is the bad guys. The Lilitu are cool. Not only are they practically all women, but they're also pretty powerful. I really enjoyed learning about the back history of Lilith and her daughters. I also liked how there was a dream realm involved. The demons were so interesting, and I wished they would have been focused on more.

The book was easy enough for me to get through because I found it somewhat entertaining. That being said, I didn't particularly look forward to sitting down and reading it. I have no attachment to the characters and I have nothing that motivates me to be intrigued to find out what's going to happen.

All in All: Thrall was disappointing in some ways and interesting in others. What I expected to like, I hated, and what I expected to dislike, I enjoyed. It's safe to say I have mixed feelings.

Review: The Deception Dance by Rita Stradling

The Deception Dance (The Deception Dance #1)
By Rita Stradling
Publisher: Self-Published

* A copy was provided by the author for review.

To Sum It Up:

Raven Smith is ecstatic to tour Europe for the summer with her favorite person in the world, her sister Linnie. Raven is not excited, however, when Linnie’s snobby roommate, Chauncey, decides to tag along. The only thing that Raven finds more annoying than Chauncey is the slew of European guys aiming for her attention. Raven is not looking for a relationship; she only wants to enjoy the traveling. Her steadfast opinion changes, though, once she encounters the dark and mysterious Andras. Raven feels like she already knows Andras, but with the charming Nicholas pulling her in the opposite direction, Raven doesn’t know whom to trust.

Review:

The Deception Dance was overflowing with intrigue and deceit, leaving my mind more than a little befuddled. It was pretty hard to figure out what exactly was going on until it hit you directly in the face. I was hooked from the very beginning, with the introduction of Raven’s mysterious childhood, and was hanging on until the very end.

My feelings for the characters are somewhat divided. All the female characters, including Raven, I found annoying, while all the male characters had me entranced. Raven was too “ordinarily perfect.” She wasn’t stunning like Chauncey or extremely talented in any specific area, but she was too nice, too independent, too self-confident, and too likeable. Raven was so likeable that I was looking for flaws to make her seem more relatable, and when I found flaws, they just seemed to enhance her character. That being said, the guys in the book had me gawking. Andras was just so intriguing. He gave off a creepy vibe but nobody really cared because they were too busy trying to figure the guy out. Nicholas was my favorite character until his brothers, Albert and Stephen, were introduced. I fell for the scarred Stephen almost instantly and was pleasantly surprised with all the character development he demonstrated.

The interpretation of demons and the setting of the book were completely brilliant. I’m tired of every other person in the world painting demons as some handsomely suave gentlemen. It was refreshing to read about demons in a grotesquely inhuman form, depicted as the creatures described in mythology. I was frightened when I read about the demons, and it made reading the book all the more exciting. I also found the location of all the action very enjoyable. I’ve always been fascinated with Europe, and seeing it ensconced in demonic light was really fun.

I spent practically the entire book trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Some of it was pretty obvious, mainly concerning the identity of Raven’s childhood friend, while other aspects of the story line left readers with no hints. What really blew my mind were the secrets of Raven’s past. I saw none of what happened coming. Never have I been more surprised with the outcome of a book.

All in All:

The Deception Dance is a mysterious book with twists at every turn. With all the secrets, demons, and handsome Europeans, this book makes for a very compelling read.

Review: Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Inferno (Chronicles of Nick #4)
By Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

To Sum It Up:

After finding out that his girlfriend is on a mission to kill him, Nick Gautier doesn’t know who he can trust anymore. His now ex-girlfriend Kody is the least of his worries, though. Someone else is working very hard to get Nick to embrace the part of him that’s a demon with the potential to destroy the world. Nick is trying equally hard to avoid this future, but it’s not easy when everyone seems to be plotting against him.

Review:

Since reading Infamous, the previous installment in the Chronicles of Nick series, I’ve read some of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s adult Dark-Hunter novels, from which Chronicles of Nick was spun off. I was amused to see that adult Nick is just as much of a wiseacre as teenage Nick is. In addition to becoming reacquainted with the wit of the younger version of Mr. Gautier, I was looking forward to reading Inferno to see which Dark-Hunter characters made appearances here.

Nick is now sixteen, and there’s a darker, more grown-up tone to Inferno. I’ve never been big on the subplots revolving around some kind of drama at Nick’s school, and I was glad to discover that there wasn’t one this time. Instead, Inferno focuses on a plot to get Nick to come into his full demon powers and ensure the apocalypse. Things have been slowly building to this point since the first book, Infinity, but with Nick well on his way to adulthood, there’s a greater urgency than ever to preventing him from going all evil.

The length of the book was somewhat of an issue for me. There are quite a few pages devoted to Nick’s self-doubts. Despite how far he’s come from eking out an existence, he fears that all the good others see in him won’t be enough to stop him from becoming a monster. I thought some of these internal monologues could have been trimmed. They felt repetitive after a while and slowed the flow of the story.

Something that I think Kenyon does very well is make you reconsider your initial opinion of a character, typically for the better. Just when you’re set to write someone off as a complete villain, she supplies you with that character’s utterly gut-wrenching backstory. I’ve always been wary of Caleb Malphas, a demon who serves, albeit reluctantly, Nick’s nefarious father, Adarian. Caleb poses as a human student at Nick’s school, and Nick, though he knows what Caleb really is, regards him as a friend. It turns out that Caleb has a rather tragic past; I felt quite sorry for him. Gaining some insight into his character in Inferno also convinced me that Caleb really does want to help Nick. Of course, there’s always the possibility that Kenyon will have the character make a turnaround, thus making me take back everything complimentary I’ve just said about Caleb.

While Inferno represents some steps forward in the series in terms of character development and sticking to the main plotline, the story does drag in some places. The humor that I love so much about these books is as funny as ever, though, so I was still very entertained by this. And there’s a scene in which my favorite zombie hunters, Bubba and Mark, have flamethrowers. Enough said.

All in All:

I really enjoy this series, but I think the story in Inferno could have been told in fewer chapters. Otherwise, this is another solid entry in the Chronicles of Nick series with an ending that I’m dying to see resolved in the next book. Seriously—I can’t wait to find out how the story picks up from here.

Review: The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

The Space Between
By Brenna Yovanoff
Publisher: Razorbill

To Sum It Up:

The daughter of Lilith and Lucifer, Daphne has never ventured outside of Pandemonium, a city in Hell. That changes when her brother, Obie, goes missing, and Daphne must go to Earth to find him. In a world that is new and strange to her, she seeks out Truman Flynn, a troubled mortal boy and the last person known to have seen Obie. Daphne may have set out on a mission to help her brother, but it may be two lives that she ends up saving.

Review:

First, I’d like to ooh and aah over the cover for a bit. The design is just beautiful, even more so when you see it in person, and it certainly caught my eye when Goodreads recommended The Space Between to me over a year ago. And the cover art is actually relevant to the book for a change. Daphne, the protagonist, is the half-demon/half-fallen angel daughter of Lilith and Lucifer and lives in Pandemonium, a city in Hell where everything is made of metal (Pandemonium does have its own furnace, after all.). I think that the cover is an imaginative, accurate visualization of Pandemonium.

This book seriously blew my mind, and in a good way. It’s such a creative take on angels and demons and heaven and hell (mostly the demons and hell parts). I loved how some of the conventional notions involved in this type of story were maintained, like Hell being hot, while others were completely reversed. Daphne doesn’t want to be like her numerous sisters, the Lilim, who go to Earth for “a fix;” they prey on human men and take their dreams and memories from them. Whereas half-demon Daphne demonstrates a conscience, Azrael, the Angel of Death whose duty is to destroy demons on Earth, is portrayed as quite merciless. He calls upon his vicious monster, Dark Dreadful, to dispense with the demons who dare invade his turf. Dark Dreadful is every bit as scary as she sounds.

This novel had some creepy moments and some bizarre moments in it, yet I was 100% sold on the world. When Daphne first arrives on Earth, she’s rather overwhelmed. Her knowledge is limited to what her brother, Obie, whose job entails spending most of his time there, has told her. Daphne is pretty naïve to the ways of the human world, like when she thinks the guy behind the deli counter has said “Salome” because she doesn’t know what “salami” is. But this scene and others like it totally work and don’t make Daphne look silly because Brenna Yovanoff has written them in such a way that you couldn’t expect anything else from a character who’s lived in Hell all of her life.

The characterizations in The Space Between are incredible. Here’s a statement that I don’t think I could have gotten away with during my thirteen years of Catholic school: I really liked Beelzebub! He heads up Hell’s Collections Department; i.e. he’s in charge of reaping souls. He’s just cool and is the person whom Daphne turns to for help and advice. I also liked Obie and how strong his sibling bond was with his sister. The two look out for one another and are very much alike in the compassion that they both have for others.

I loved Daphne. I loved how she strove to be better than the Lilim and how big her heart was despite her doubts that she’d ever know what it meant to love. I just wanted to tell her, “But you already know, Daphne! You already know!” Even though her search for Obie takes her to a place that is alien to her and she’s nearly mugged soon after setting foot on Earth, Daphne keeps her wits about her. As she begins running out of time to help her brother, some cracks start to show in her poise, but it’s then that she finds support from an unlikely source: Truman Flynn.

Daphne first sees Truman when he makes a brief appearance in Hell following a suicide attempt. He’s sent back to Earth with Obie, who’d been looking after him and whose job it is to help the Lost Ones, the half-human offspring of fallen angels. Truman is Daphne’s only clue to Obie’s whereabouts, and when she encounters Truman again, he’s in really bad shape, passed out on a bathroom floor from too much drinking. Since his mother’s death, he’s set himself on a path to self-destruction that is heartbreaking to behold. Daphne, who so wrongly believes that she’s incapable of human empathy, has felt exactly that for Truman from the moment she met him. Truman, who so wrongly believes that he has nothing to live for, very slowly comes around to helping Daphne with her task. The relationship that gradually builds between these two is exquisitely crafted. My shabby description of it can’t even begin to properly capture it.

I was all set to unequivocally give The Space Between five stars until the novel started winding down toward its conclusion. It’s not that I didn’t like the ending itself; I just didn’t like the way events leading up to the ending unfolded. In fact, I was like, “WTF?!” I think this is just a case of me being me, though. Every single other aspect of this stellar novel deserves five stars, and that’s what I’m rating the book overall.

All in All:

There’s so much to love here: the writing, the story, the characters, the world, the spin on demons and angels. I love paranormal reads that make the impossible seem plausible, and this one fully succeeds in doing so.

Review: The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Demon’s Lexicon (The Demon’s Lexicon #1)
By Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

To Sum It Up:

Killing demons and running from the magicians who summon them are just part of the daily routine for Nick Ryves and his older brother, Alan. Their mother once loved a powerful magician from whom she later fled, but not before stealing a charm that he’ll do anything to get back. The family’s lives are already chaotic when a pair of siblings comes to the brothers seeking help to remove a demon’s mark that will eventually result in death. Alan ends up getting marked, too, and as the Ryves brothers work to now remove two marks, Nick begins to realize that Alan, the lone person Nick has always relied on for the truth, is keeping secrets. Nick sets out on his own mission to find out what Alan is hiding, never thinking that his brother might have a very good reason for withholding information from him.

Review:

Despite its title, The Demon’s Lexicon is as much about magic as it is about demons. Sarah Rees Brennan vividly paints a world in which demons strike bargains with magicians who summon them into the mortal realm so that the demons can experience human senses by possessing human bodies. In exchange, the magicians are able to use the demons' powers. I thought this was an inventive take on both paranormal beings, and I really liked the imagery used to bring this world to life. There’s a Goblin Market where vendors hawk everything from charms to talismans, and there’s also dancing. It’s not your average type of dancing, though; this kind, if successful, summons a demon. Lines are drawn on the ground, and the dancer has to follow their intricate pattern. The descriptions of the dancing had a hypnotic feel to them, and I found myself mesmerized.

My favorite aspect of the novel was its study of Nick and Alan’s fraternal relationship. These two couldn’t be more different in temperament. Alan is kind and compassionate; if he discovered a litter of abandoned puppies on every street, he would rescue all of them. Nick is all snark, snarl, and sneer; he wounds not only with the sword that he’s extremely deft at handling, but with his words as well. When Nick wants to hurt someone, whether it’s physically or emotionally, he aims straight for the jugular. Even Alan is not safe from Nick’s wrath. And yet the brothers would do anything for each other. Their bond provides an interesting contrast to that of Jamie and Mae Crawford, the brother and sister who turn to Alan and Nick for aid after a demon marks Jamie. The Crawford siblings’ concern for each other is filled with more warmth and probably closer to what you would expect from siblings. With Alan and Nick, Alan is the one who is open with his affection; Nick’s way of showing you he might care is by saving your life or something like that. Although Nick is determined to find a way to save Alan after a demon marks him, too, he can’t grasp why Mae is sticking her neck out for Jamie, whom Nick doesn’t exactly deem save-worthy because he looks at just about everyone he meets with contempt.

I think the majority of your reaction to this book hinges on your opinion of Nick. He possesses a very, very smart mouth, which I didn’t mind because I love sarcastic fictional boys who don’t know when to keep their traps shut. The snarkier, the better! (Yeah, I’m weird like that.) What I didn’t like about Nick was his treatment of Alan, who basically raised him after their father was killed and who clearly loves Nick. When the Crawfords enter their lives, Nick is jealous of Alan’s sympathy for their situation, of Alan’s willingness to help them, and of how being around Mae seems to make Alan happy. I thought some of Nick’s actions were quite cruel, and my tolerance of him fluctuated with how odious his behavior was. The thing is, however, I can’t completely condemn Nick because there’s more to his callousness than simply being unable to muster empathy for anyone.

My main quibble with the book was that most of its secrets spilled out in one info cluster during the big showdown with the villain. I did appreciate Brennan poking a little fun at villain monologues with Nick’s quip to the bad guy about making sure that he revealed his weakness to Nick as he delivered his grand speech. I thought the twist that the story took at this point was clever, but I couldn’t help feeling that what was supposed to be a dramatic reveal came out in a bit of a rush. Still, this was a fascinating story, and by the end, I even wanted to read more about Nick. I’ll definitely be seeing this series through to the end of the trilogy.

All in All:

I loved Sarah Rees Brennan’s Unspoken, and while The Demon’s Lexicon didn’t quite measure up to that novel, this was a solid read. I will say that Nick isn’t the most lovable character, and there were times when I wanted to run him through with his sword. I will also say that I did derive some amusement from a fictional character irking me so much, so even as I was shaking my head over Nick’s latest offense, I was smiling a little, too.

Review: Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

Carnival of Souls
By Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperCollins

To Sum It Up:

Although she lives in the human world, away from a city inhabited by daimons, Mallory is still in danger. Daimons and witches are mortal enemies, and both want to use Mallory as a pawn in their war against each other. Kaleb is the daimon who’s been sent to find her. Back in The City, Kaleb is also a contestant in a fight-to-the-death tournament that could mean escape from his low-caste status if he wins. First, though, he’ll have to defeat fierce competitors like Aya, for whom the tournament represents the only way for her to obtain a voice in The City’s council. Both Aya and Kaleb desperately want to emerge victorious, but their connection goes beyond being rivals in the tournament. The two daimons are also connected by Mallory and the plots centered around her that both the witches and the daimons are planning in order to eliminate one another.

Review:

After finding Wicked Lovely, the first book in Melissa Marr’s fey series of the same name, on the underwhelming side, I was iffy about reading Carnival of Souls. Curiosity, prompted in large part by the dramatic cover, got the better of me, though, so I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sorry; Carnival of Souls turned out to be quite a compelling read about daimons locked in a battle against witches, and in one plotline, against each other.

The book focuses on three main characters: Aya, Kaleb, and Mallory. Their plotlines intertwine, and I was impressed with how Marr brought them together. I found Aya and Kaleb’s stories thoroughly absorbing. Kaleb is a low-caste daimon hoping that victory in the tournament held by the The City’s ruler, Marchosias, will elevate his social status. Aya was born into daimon nobility, but all a highborn female has to look forward to is marriage and children. She actually wants to improve life for her kind, and for her, winning the tournament is the only way to gain a seat on The City’s council and a say in its affairs. I really liked seeing things through the eyes of two characters from opposite backgrounds; it was very effective in conveying the determination that both characters shared despite how vastly different their castes were.

To me, the weakest storyline in the book was Mallory’s. I thought that she was the least developed of the three main characters, but it was mostly due to the circumstances surrounding her upbringing. Adam, her adoptive father and a witch, has only told Mallory enough about daimons so that she knows how to defend herself against them. For the most part, Mallory is ignorant of the world that her daimon mother fled and has been sheltered from the world in general by Adam. Mallory is rather naïve, and her personality contrasts quite a lot with that of the fiery Aya, but I don’t fault Mallory for that considering how she has been raised in such a protective bubble.

One area of the novel that I found lacking was the world-building. I had the same problem with Wicked Lovely, the feeling that I’d joined the story in progress. With both books, I wouldn’t have minded some additional exposition to give me a clearer picture of the worlds. I’m still puzzling over what exactly a Watcher is in Carnival of Souls and why some of the daimons in The City wear masks. Some sketchy details here and there didn’t lose me completely, but I couldn’t help but think that had they been filled in, they would have nudged this book’s rating up to a solid four stars.

On the whole, I’m glad that I took a chance on reading this. Aya and Kaleb really drew me into their stories, and I would definitely read a continuation of them.

All in All:

This was a pretty thrilling read, with a significant amount of conspiring and backdoor dealing going on, not to mention the vicious fighting taking place in the arena during the daimon tournament matches. While it occasionally seemed like the specifics of the world had been glossed over, the main story lines didn’t suffer because of it and were tightly focused.