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…
SPOILER FREE REVIEW
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There is nothing like a sharp, sarcastic, action-packed novel to get you going. Derek Landy has been known for his wittiness from his original series, Skulduggery Pleasant and he seemed to have brought it all back with him this time around. From killer cars to vampires to serial killers, this was bound to be the craziest yet coolest novel yet. You wouldn't think that reading a book about demons would be a good thing, especially if you're a hardcore Christian and think that everything is a symbol or is of the devil. Well if you are, you're 100% correct as this story couldn't get any better with the rowdy and hell-bent characters (pun not intended) and emotional roller coaster ride of the century. If anybody knows what it is like to not feel loved by anyone in the entire world, it would be Amber Lamont, and God knows what will happen while she's on the road! (No seriously, we're talking about demons here!)
Amber was a really cool chick to me. She was totally selfess and cared about how other people felt, proof of that was letting the principal keep her job and keeping calm at the diner while those two idiots gave her shit. Personally I don't see what point there was in having them in the story apart from Amber's little outburst (this happens later on), but when she is trying to change into her demon form and she tries to remember the guys name. It must have been a trigger for her to get that confidence to become the person she wanted to be, the one who no one would mess with. Amber finding out about her heritage and being a demon obviously was a major shock to her at first, I think anyone in her shoes would feel the same way and feel disgusted about themselves. She seemed to take refuge in this new-found information and use it as a tool - yeah it made her a little more attractive and she definitely preferred it over her human form but she seemed to enjoy feeling like having power over others so that she doesn't get hurt or feel scared. This was a great defensive mechanism physically and emotionally, especially due to having parents who never really cared about you and actually wanted to kill you all along. Throughout this book Amber went through a major transformation and I feel like her development was symbolism for coming of age and maturing by realising that everyone has a monster inside of them but you have to learn to hone it and mould it into something useful.
The side characters who join Amber in her journey were the perfect pick and filled the right gaps; the quiet one and the one who won't shut up. A perfect combination for a drastically hilarious novel! Like Amber, at first I was a little weary of Milo and didn't really trust his motives and constantly felt like he was hiding something but eventually as time went on during the road trip and they found themselves in more and more sticky situations, he eventually proved himself worthy enough to trust and I ended up not minding him. Glen however was completely hilarious and I loved the fact that he was so quirky and had so much to say all the time. Maybe because he reminds me of myself in a way although I don't think I would take the level of annoying that he seemed to reach on multiple occasions. Apart from that, he made the long journey seem bearable with complete innocent, blatantly obvious and sometimes sarcastic lines. Some people might find him annoying, I personally found him stupidly entertaining. Amber's parent's were arguably the worst parents of any YA written and I think that a lot of people who don't like their parents or hate being told what to do will really enjoy this novel. If you love your parents and you would trust them with your life, I feel like this novel would do everything to frustrate the hell out of you (haha that pun WAS intended! I feel like Derek Landy has influenced me way too much).
The overall story line was thoroughly thought through and carefully planned. The characters and their personalities keep you on your toes, the many different types of monsters popping up all over the place along Demon Road keeps it interesting and the ending will break your heart (in a good way, I promise!) It was dragging on a little at the end and I honestly found myself skipping a few lines because I was so anxious to find out what would happen, but I'm sure that's meant to be a good thing. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because it was one of the best horror fantasy's I've ever read and I personally can't wait to receive Desolation in the mail when it is released! Landy has made a great first impression on me and I shall now try to find some time to check out Skulduggery Pleasant!
Amber was a really cool chick to me. She was totally selfess and cared about how other people felt, proof of that was letting the principal keep her job and keeping calm at the diner while those two idiots gave her shit. Personally I don't see what point there was in having them in the story apart from Amber's little outburst (this happens later on), but when she is trying to change into her demon form and she tries to remember the guys name. It must have been a trigger for her to get that confidence to become the person she wanted to be, the one who no one would mess with. Amber finding out about her heritage and being a demon obviously was a major shock to her at first, I think anyone in her shoes would feel the same way and feel disgusted about themselves. She seemed to take refuge in this new-found information and use it as a tool - yeah it made her a little more attractive and she definitely preferred it over her human form but she seemed to enjoy feeling like having power over others so that she doesn't get hurt or feel scared. This was a great defensive mechanism physically and emotionally, especially due to having parents who never really cared about you and actually wanted to kill you all along. Throughout this book Amber went through a major transformation and I feel like her development was symbolism for coming of age and maturing by realising that everyone has a monster inside of them but you have to learn to hone it and mould it into something useful.
The side characters who join Amber in her journey were the perfect pick and filled the right gaps; the quiet one and the one who won't shut up. A perfect combination for a drastically hilarious novel! Like Amber, at first I was a little weary of Milo and didn't really trust his motives and constantly felt like he was hiding something but eventually as time went on during the road trip and they found themselves in more and more sticky situations, he eventually proved himself worthy enough to trust and I ended up not minding him. Glen however was completely hilarious and I loved the fact that he was so quirky and had so much to say all the time. Maybe because he reminds me of myself in a way although I don't think I would take the level of annoying that he seemed to reach on multiple occasions. Apart from that, he made the long journey seem bearable with complete innocent, blatantly obvious and sometimes sarcastic lines. Some people might find him annoying, I personally found him stupidly entertaining. Amber's parent's were arguably the worst parents of any YA written and I think that a lot of people who don't like their parents or hate being told what to do will really enjoy this novel. If you love your parents and you would trust them with your life, I feel like this novel would do everything to frustrate the hell out of you (haha that pun WAS intended! I feel like Derek Landy has influenced me way too much).
The overall story line was thoroughly thought through and carefully planned. The characters and their personalities keep you on your toes, the many different types of monsters popping up all over the place along Demon Road keeps it interesting and the ending will break your heart (in a good way, I promise!) It was dragging on a little at the end and I honestly found myself skipping a few lines because I was so anxious to find out what would happen, but I'm sure that's meant to be a good thing. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because it was one of the best horror fantasy's I've ever read and I personally can't wait to receive Desolation in the mail when it is released! Landy has made a great first impression on me and I shall now try to find some time to check out Skulduggery Pleasant!
Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts
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