Demon Road #2: Desolation by Derek Landy Book Review

THE EPIC NEW THRILLER CONTINUES.

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

Reeling from their bloody encounter in New York City, Amber and Milo flee north. On their trail are the Hounds of Hell – five demonic bikers who will stop at nothing to drag their quarries back to their unholy master.

Amber and Milo’s only hope lies within Desolation Hill – a small town with a big secret; a town with a darkness to it, where evil seeps through the very floorboards. Until, on one night every year, it spills over onto the streets and all hell breaks loose.

And that night is coming.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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If you thought that Demon Road was the funniest and most thrilling book you'd ever read, well Desolation is going to comply wipe that title off of your favourites-list. The fact that most sequels don't seem to be able to live up to the first book in the series, it's literally an omen when a book like this, let alone a series like this, is brought into existence. Thank you, Derek Landy, for being utterly amazing at your job.

The first thing that really stuck out to me about this book is Amber's new love interest. Now I'm not going to go into too much detail as that would completely ruin the surprise. However, I will state that this book is diverse in so many ways. The fact that the author has gone way over the boundaries of what most writers would do when writing a novel is incredible because not many people will leave their comfort zone to explore different elements of life to add into a plot to make it way more realistic - go figure for a fantasy thriller novel! On that note, a bunch of new characters are added which keeps the story rolling smoothly and gives the book a more solid outlook with more point of views. An obvious fact is that Amber's parents return, along with their trusty - or not - sidekicks, Kirsty and Grant. Still hellbent on killing and eating Amber to gain her strength seems a little more complicated this time around than they had originally intended. However this does seem to be a little more darker and more brutal, believe it or not. 

Two older characters are introduced who are crazy funny and I think overall made the story more intriguing and gripping with their constant bickering and humour-filled lines. I love the idea that this book has included people of all ages from elementary school children to seniors who are just itching to have a big adventure and almost be young again. Not only does this sequel have even more characters involved but it has even more creatures involved! The Hounds of Hell come across as intimidating bikers who come across as mute pricks on wheels, but Amber and Milo still manage to make a joke out of them and manage to put them in their place a few times - demon to demon.

The whole story is fun-filled violence with gripping twists and laugh-out-loud humour that will make you choke on your coke. However it will immerse you into an even darker world with way more at stake and an even bigger enemy than the infamous Shining Demon. Overall I absolutely loved this book so much, I wished it didn't have to end as soon as it did. I am thoroughly upset at the fact that this series will only be a trilogy, however I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the next book will send it off with a bang (and maybe a lot more blood and deaths involved)! I gave this a 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Things I loved about Demon Road: Desolation!

* Amber gets a new love interest with a surprising twist! Great romantic scenes too!

* Milo is finally able to show everyone why he is really the 'Ghost of the Highway' and why he is so feared by those who have heard his name!

* More characters are added and even a dog with an awesome personality!

* Another Shining Demon is in the mix and everything about that is explained!

* Hell Night is as crazy as it sounds and you don't want to decide whether or not to DNF it until you read that part! But I know you won't DNF it. It's too good.

I really hope that if you read Demon Road, you will go straight to the bookstore or library and get Desolation because it is definitely one of those rare novels that keep the fire alive in a series. Let me know if you decided to pick it up because of my review! If you've already read it, tell me what your thoughts were on it! 

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

Go add Desolation to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find more out about me at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Demon Road by Derek Landy: Book Review

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!

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

Go add Demon Road to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith