URBAN FANTASY
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| YOUNG ADULT
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Debbie
Wiley
Book Reviews |
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St. Anthony plagued by demons, as imagined by Martin Schongauer, in the
1480s.
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Holy water at St Teresa's
(Carmelite) church, Clarendon Street, Dublin
Photo credit: Kaihsu Tai
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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Debbie Wiley Book Reviews
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The Demon Trapper’s
Daughter
by Jana Oliver
Demons
are running amok in Atlanta, Georgia, and Riley Blackthorne is in the
middle of the chaos. Her father, Paul Blackthorne, is a master trapper-
one of the very best at capturing demons- and Riley is determined to
learn the business herself, despite the fact that she is a girl in a
male-dominated profession. Unfortunately, all of her dreams could be
coming to a screeching halt when her world turns upside down. What on
earth are the demons up to?
I loved Jana Oliver’s Time Rovers series so I couldn’t resist trying
her first venture into young adult fiction. And oh, what a phenomenal
tale she weaves! Jana Oliver does a marvelous job at world building, as
the reader is immediately sucked into this far too believable world.
Riley’s world is a very dark one, where demons and poverty intermingle
in everyday life. The parts about the educational system are
particularly frightening as one can easily envision some of these
hardships coming to fruition.
Riley is a fascinating heroine. She’s determined to achieve her goals,
even when the odds are clearly stacked against her. I like her
gutsiness and her willingness to research all the angles- even as her
emotions sometimes tend to have her jumping before thinking. She faces
down cliquish girls and Level Five demons with the same determination-
a combination that is sure to appeal to both adult and young adult
readers alike.
THE DEMON TRAPPER’S DAUGHTER is an excellent start to what promises to
be an awesome series! Jana Oliver does a magnificent job at appealing
across age lines and genres. While primarily a young adult urban
fantasy, THE DEMON TRAPPER’S DAUGHTER has a touch of romance and deals
with enough mature issues to appeal to a wide variety of readers. The
only note of caution is that this is the first in a series and thus
there are threads left unanswered. Let’s just hope Jana Oliver
publishes the second book soon! Highly recommended!
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (February
2011)
Reviewed
by Debbie, Debbie Wiley Book Reviews
Courtesy
of Amazon
Vine
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