Title: The Demon Trapper’s Daughter
Series: Demon Trapper’s #1
Author: Jana Oliver - Author’s Website
Available: Now
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Description from 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?
My thoughts:
Riley is training to become a Demon Trapper just like her very skilled demon trapping father. Being young and a girl doesn’t earn her any cool points from fellow trappers. Some even make comments about her only being accepted because of her father’s status. As demon activity around the city increases, and their usual predictable behavior changes, Riley finds herself facing a devastating loss. The demons have also started referring to her by name. Not the norm, and Riley is growing more concerned with every encounter.
I need to start by saying how much I enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting. The author really brings a fresh idea into the world of Young Adult and Urban Fantasy. The whole demon trapping idea is uber-cool. With that said, I do have a couple of teeny tiny complaints. I found myself seriously jonesing for a better explanation as to why demons were running amuck in Atlanta. Also some points seemed to contradict the status of the world in which the novel takes place. Cars and gasoline were a luxury, but the just getting by trappers all had one. With such an emphasis on how people were struggling it seemed the author wasn’t consistently demonstrating the hardship.
I really liked main character, Riley. After reading other reviews I found she doesn’t have much of a fan club. I admit I didn’t like how she treated her dad’s trapping partner, Beck, over the course of the book. In her defense after having a huge crush on him, she is bound to suffer from a case of bruised pride over him not reciprocating the feelings. Does it give her a free pass to be a bitch? Of course not, but she is obviously a character who has trouble channeling her feelings without losing her temper. She is far from perfect, but I like that her “flaws" give her character so much room for personal growth as this series progresses. I wasn’t feeling any chemistry between Riley and love interest, Simon. I can actually say I didn’t like anything about Simon. I loved Beck, and this is probably where my hate strong dislike for Simon stems. I’m Team Beck 100%, but could do without the dialogue the author used to emphasize his southern accent. I lost count of how many times he said “yer”, and found it very distracting, but I still ♥ him. There is also a third boy thrown into the mix, but he wasn’t around enough for me to give him a love him or hate him label.
Final Verdict: I feel this is a series with huge amounts of promise, and one that I will continue without a doubt. I noticed the UK version has about 80 pages more than the US version. I’d love to get my hands on a copy to compare. I’m giving this one a very high 3 kitty rating (leaning oh so close to a 4 kitty rating). I feel like the author offered us characters and a world that has so much room for growth. I’m eager to see how this story continues, and hope the author will delve a little deeper into how the demon infested world came to be.
Content Warning: This is YA, but is very heavy on the adult language/situations. I’d be hesitant to recommend it to anyone under the age of 15 or 16.
My Rating:
If you want a peek at the world Riley lives in there is a free bonus story in e-book form titled Retro Demonology.
Order The Demon Trapper’s Daughter from Amazon:
Want to win my gently used ARC? Just leave a comment with a way to contact you (email/Twitter/Blog Address/etc.) I’ll choose a winner on 3/19 I’m willing to ship within the U.S or to Canada.
