Demon Road

Demon Road

by Derek Landry

4 out of 5

Synopsis
The mind-blowing new supernatural thriller from bestselling author DEREK LANDY, creator of international sensation Skulduggery Pleasant.

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…



Review
Amber discovers the demonic side of life when she turns 16, and suddenly she's on the run from the parents who want to eat her. Picking up strange companions along the way, only a road trip down Demon Road will save her life or her soul.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.
This was so much fun.

Amber has wondered her whole life why her perfect parents feel so distant, and her perfect life feels so detached. Instead of it being regular teenage issues, it terms out that actually, Ambers parents are demons. Even worse, they have been waiting until her 16th birthday, and for Amber to show signs of her own demonic powers, and then they're going to eat her.
That's definitely one way to break the parent-child bond!

This leads to her going on a road trip, to keep one step ahead of her parents and their friends; but also, as she tracks down the one person that could help her even the score.

This reminded me of Supernatural in a lot of ways. There are demons, witches and vampires. The setting is both dark and entertaining. Oh yeah, there's a lot of violence and blood.
The plot also feels like living three separate episodes, as Amber and her companions track one demonic location, discover the truth, fight to survive and then move onto the next stage. I guess you could say it was a little repetitive in nature, but I was reading this over several days, and it felt like I was just moving onto the next episode of my new supernatural treat.

The characters are all good. They are unapologetic for their nature, whether they are a child-eating demon, vampire lord, or a tree-witch that likes to make puppets out of sticks and dead people.
Amber is great, she's trying to learn the ropes of being a demon; trying to learn to control her demon-half and not to let her morals get too fuzzy.
I think my favourite character was Milo, the mystery guide with a cool car and knowledge of demons. I loved how you slowly learn the truth about him, and how even though he was brought into this by money, he's the one to rely on.
Glen was... annoying. He added a lightness to the book, and was very useful in some instances, but he is an idiot and very annoying. I can't work out if I like him or not. Have I mentioned he was annoying?

Oh yes, and before I forget - there is no romance!
That makes me very happy, that it doesn't dissolve all these lovely demons and dangers into googly eyes.

So, I enjoyed this and I will definitely be following the series!

Goodreads link
Amazon.co.uk