laurenjodi's review
3.0
Secrets of the Demon
3.5 Stars
Now a member of an FBI task force investigating cases with a supernatural element, Detective Kara Gillian and her team members are called in when the lead singer of a popular Goth band receives death threats with demonic overtones. It soon becomes clear that someone is targeting members of the band and as the body count starts rising, Kara must uncover the truth before she turns into the next victim.
The mystery is slow to develop and the first half is bogged down with a great deal of recapping. The pacing picks up in the second half with numerous twists and turns, however, the mystery never quite reaches the levels of intrigue and action as the first two installments. While the identity of the actual villain comes as a surprise, other aspects of the crime are very predictable.
The character development is the highlight of the book and there are several significant revelations related to the different people in Kara’s life. Nevertheless, these details only raise more questions and it will be very interesting to see where the ongoing story arc is heading.
In terms of the romance, Kara is still conflicted about her relationships with Rhyzkahl and Ryan. Despite her physical attraction to the Demonic Lord, it is her friendship with the FBI agent that she would most like to move in a new and more intimate direction. Personally, I find Ryan to be far more appealing in the hero department for several reasons. To begin with, there is something smarmy about Rhyzkahl and his reasons for bonding with Kara are highly suspicious. In contrast, Ryan’s brooding stoicism resonates with my appreciation for the dark and tortured type, and his snarky banter with Kara is very engaging. Ryan’s developing connection with Kara also receives more page time and this may contribute to my preference.
I still feel that the vulgarity is excessive and one particularly grating issue is Kara and Jill’s tendency toward calling each other “b*tch”. There is nothing endearing about this and only serves to undermine their friendship in my eyes.
Liv Andersen’s narration has improved and there was no need for me to speed up the audio with this one.
All in all, the characters and the story has me hooked and I look forward to finding out what happens next.
3.5 Stars
Now a member of an FBI task force investigating cases with a supernatural element, Detective Kara Gillian and her team members are called in when the lead singer of a popular Goth band receives death threats with demonic overtones. It soon becomes clear that someone is targeting members of the band and as the body count starts rising, Kara must uncover the truth before she turns into the next victim.
The mystery is slow to develop and the first half is bogged down with a great deal of recapping. The pacing picks up in the second half with numerous twists and turns, however, the mystery never quite reaches the levels of intrigue and action as the first two installments. While the identity of the actual villain comes as a surprise, other aspects of the crime are very predictable.
The character development is the highlight of the book and there are several significant revelations related to the different people in Kara’s life. Nevertheless, these details only raise more questions and it will be very interesting to see where the ongoing story arc is heading.
In terms of the romance, Kara is still conflicted about her relationships with Rhyzkahl and Ryan. Despite her physical attraction to the Demonic Lord, it is her friendship with the FBI agent that she would most like to move in a new and more intimate direction. Personally, I find Ryan to be far more appealing in the hero department for several reasons. To begin with, there is something smarmy about Rhyzkahl and his reasons for bonding with Kara are highly suspicious. In contrast, Ryan’s brooding stoicism resonates with my appreciation for the dark and tortured type, and his snarky banter with Kara is very engaging. Ryan’s developing connection with Kara also receives more page time and this may contribute to my preference.
I still feel that the vulgarity is excessive and one particularly grating issue is Kara and Jill’s tendency toward calling each other “b*tch”. There is nothing endearing about this and only serves to undermine their friendship in my eyes.
Liv Andersen’s narration has improved and there was no need for me to speed up the audio with this one.
All in all, the characters and the story has me hooked and I look forward to finding out what happens next.
bookworm1912's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
alexandriahighwind's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
eb00kie's review against another edition
4.0
Cute, funny, quirky - but she does quite an impression of bumbling in in the end.
htb2050's review
3.0
I am beginning to like this series but still it reads more like a police detective novels then a book about demons.
sonkad's review
3.0
I love the demons world/storylines since Kim Harrison so I was looking forward to it in this series but came out disappointed. Not because it is written badly or not interesting but because it is part of the story only here and there, despite that it is so much more interesting that the "main" storyline with the murder investigations.
The golem theme was not my cup of tea. I was waiting for the end to see some great explanations for all the events but the big revelation was rather a WTF moment. Seriously?? The revelation of the person/persons who raised the golem was really unbelievable for me. But I have to give credit to the author for a rather creative solution what to do with the murderer in the end..
I want to see more of the demons´ world and especially more Rhyzkahl who is a great character, dark and dangerous and sexy.
And I want to know what the hell the thing with Ryan means!! Until now I honestly couldn´t see ANYTHING at all that would be interesting about him and I had no idea why the author forced a possible love relationship between Kara and him. There is no spark between them, Ryan´s character is shallow and boring for me. Nothing like Rhyzkahl! Even Zack was more interesting than Ryan. Maybe that will change with the shocking discovery at the end of the book..
So after reading all 3 books, I have to say that this series (even if it is not bad) is far behind Kim Harrison´s Rachel Morgan which still stays my favourite.
The golem theme was not my cup of tea. I was waiting for the end to see some great explanations for all the events but the big revelation was rather a WTF moment. Seriously?? The revelation of the person/persons who raised the golem was really unbelievable for me. But I have to give credit to the author for a rather creative solution what to do with the murderer in the end..
I want to see more of the demons´ world and especially more Rhyzkahl who is a great character, dark and dangerous and sexy.
And I want to know what the hell the thing with Ryan means!! Until now I honestly couldn´t see ANYTHING at all that would be interesting about him and I had no idea why the author forced a possible love relationship between Kara and him. There is no spark between them, Ryan´s character is shallow and boring for me. Nothing like Rhyzkahl! Even Zack was more interesting than Ryan. Maybe that will change with the shocking discovery at the end of the book..
So after reading all 3 books, I have to say that this series (even if it is not bad) is far behind Kim Harrison´s Rachel Morgan which still stays my favourite.
chllybrd's review
5.0
Reviewed by http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com/
TALK ABOUT ENDING WITH A BANG!! I need the next book NOW. Seriously SECRETS OF THE DEMON was beyond fantastic, I was glued to the pages every chance I had to read. Kara is hilarious, I love her snarky comments and replies, I busted out laughing quite a few times. Rhyzkahl doesn't make as many appearances in SECRETS OF A DEMON but when he does he has me seeing a totally different side of him. The tension between Kara and Ryan continues to be unbearable they seriously need to kiss each other already. I'm honestly not sure which guy I would rather see Kara end up with but im loving the ride getting there. I really enjoyed all the Investigating/detective/forensic stuff in the book, It really kept me interested on a different level than other Urban Fantasy books. You are going to get so many new details and read so much new stuff your head will be spinning (in a really good way). I didn't guess the ending one bit, It was a mystery to me the entire time I was reading, and I was completely shocked with the last few paragraphs at the end OMG SERIOUSLY?? WTH?? Dying here!! Also I loved the style change for the cover. I have no clue when the next installment of Kara's life is coming out but I am begging Diana to make it soon :)
TALK ABOUT ENDING WITH A BANG!! I need the next book NOW. Seriously SECRETS OF THE DEMON was beyond fantastic, I was glued to the pages every chance I had to read. Kara is hilarious, I love her snarky comments and replies, I busted out laughing quite a few times. Rhyzkahl doesn't make as many appearances in SECRETS OF A DEMON but when he does he has me seeing a totally different side of him. The tension between Kara and Ryan continues to be unbearable they seriously need to kiss each other already. I'm honestly not sure which guy I would rather see Kara end up with but im loving the ride getting there. I really enjoyed all the Investigating/detective/forensic stuff in the book, It really kept me interested on a different level than other Urban Fantasy books. You are going to get so many new details and read so much new stuff your head will be spinning (in a really good way). I didn't guess the ending one bit, It was a mystery to me the entire time I was reading, and I was completely shocked with the last few paragraphs at the end OMG SERIOUSLY?? WTH?? Dying here!! Also I loved the style change for the cover. I have no clue when the next installment of Kara's life is coming out but I am begging Diana to make it soon :)
ria_mhrj's review
4.0
Kara, I think you might be fast becoming my favourite UF heroine whose surname isn't Daniels. As with the first two books, this entry featured an engaging crime plot, an expanding picture of the world and mythology and most importantly, bucketloads of character development for the leads and the supporting cast.
And what an insanely satisfying ending with a side serving of cliff hanger! It's always a good sign when you're reading a series and at the end of one volume, your first instinct is to locate the next, and that was exactly how I felt when I reached the breathtaking conclusion of Secrets of the Demon. I suspect book 4 is going to be a doozy.
And what an insanely satisfying ending with a side serving of cliff hanger! It's always a good sign when you're reading a series and at the end of one volume, your first instinct is to locate the next, and that was exactly how I felt when I reached the breathtaking conclusion of Secrets of the Demon. I suspect book 4 is going to be a doozy.
northship's review
2.0
the worst police officer in louisiana continues her losing streak. this book was plodding, awkward, and the mystery was just boring. the main plot continues to advance at a glacial pace. i honestly don't know why i am still reading this series.
racheljoy7's review
4.0
I am really beginning to become attached to the characters and the plot line of this series. I am definitely glad that I stuck with it!
In this third installment, we find out a lot of important details about the main characters, who is human and who isn't, which totally changes the rules of the game. Very cool!
I so wish that I could continue with the series right now but unfortunately I live in such a backwards state that not one of the libraries in the entire state (yes, you read that correctly) has them available. And I'm on a very long wait list to get them from PBS. I suppose I shall simply have to be really, really patient until then ;).
In this third installment, we find out a lot of important details about the main characters, who is human and who isn't, which totally changes the rules of the game. Very cool!
I so wish that I could continue with the series right now but unfortunately I live in such a backwards state that not one of the libraries in the entire state (yes, you read that correctly) has them available. And I'm on a very long wait list to get them from PBS. I suppose I shall simply have to be really, really patient until then ;).