BOOK REVIEW: Demon Road by Derek Landy
BOOK REVIEW: Demon Road by Derek Landy
Harper Collins
September 2015
Paperback, $19.99
Reviewed by Steph O’Connell
7/10
Amber’s having a hell of a time lately. She’s having troubles at school, getting in fights with people who used to be her friends, her parents are acting more weird than usual, and now they want to kill her.
Betty met her glare with one of her own. “This is your one chance. The only chance you’ll get. If you walk away, we’ll come after you, and I personally will eat your heart, young lady.”
Amber backed out of the door. “Love you, too,” she said, and ran.
So now she’s on the road with a mysterious guy who drives a car that would be at home in an episode of Supernatural.
“You see any rust?” Milo asked, not rising to the bait. “Storing an old car in this humidity is not generally a good idea, not for any length of time, let alone twelve years. But she’s different. She is pristine. Under the hood she’s got the 440 Six Pack, three two-barrel carburettors, and 390 horses. She’s a beast.”
“Yeah. Words. Cool.”
And an Irish guy named Glen who thinks he’s irresistible to all womenfolk, and can’t take a hint, but at least he’s entertaining.
Glen jogged back. “What? What are you laughing about?”
“Nothing,” said Amber, trying to contain herself. “Did you learn anything?”
“No,” said Glen. “Turns out that old guy is German and doesn’t speak a word of English.”
“Then what were you arguing about?”
Glen looked puzzled. “How should I know?”
As they make their way across America, in search of the one person who is the key to protecting Amber from her parents, they encounter all manner of supernatural beasties. Because that’s how the Demon Road works; joining all manner of supernatural and weird things to each other. If you’re looking for something weird, and you’re on the Demon Road, you’re bound to find it.
“So Amber tells me you’re her guide,” Glen continued. “You’ve travelled the Demon Road before, then?”
“We try not to talk about it,” said Milo.
“Talk about what?”
Milo sighed. “When you’re on the Demon Road, you don’t really talk about the Demon Road. It’s considered… crass. You can mention it, explain it, all that’s fine… but just don’t talk about it. And don’t call it that, either.”
“What, Demon Road?”
“Yeah. Try to be, you know… a little cooler about it.”
“Oh,” said Glen. “Yeah, sure. Blasé like? Yeah, no problem. Kind of a nudge nudge, wink wink kind of thing, right? If you have to ask, you’ll never know. First rule of Fight Club, that sort of vibe? Yeah, that’s cool. I can do that.”
“Good.”
“So how long have you been on it?”
Landy offers up an entertaining cast of characters facing some interesting situations, along with plenty of laugh out loud moments, and you will find yourself wanting to return to the story as quickly as possible, and linger a little longer within this world once you’re done.
Here there be demons, blood sacrifices, vampires, Deathmarks, and immortal serial killers.
While there were some issues with the main character making silly decisions, and some discrepancies between UK and US spelling, Demon Road is an easy, entertaining read, which, though not entirely unique, will appeal to fans of the supernatural.
I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for future installments.
Demon Road is the first installment in the Demon Road Trilogy.
My review of book two, Desolation, can be found here.
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