wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition
4.0
Where book 1 was like a mini series of The X-Files, this book is more a feature-length episode. I did appreciate the change of style from road trip to mystery town. One interesting addition to this story in the inclusion of the Scooby Gang. Ok, not quite, but they are a bunch of young roaming do-gooders with their own van and a dog. They added a good dose of humour to an otherwise dark tale.
As before this story is deliciously graphic and gruesome but always relevant to the plot.
My only real issue was the wild-card element that only really surfaced as a convenience. I can't say more due to SPOILERS.
The final thing that happened was quite the surprised, but does explain the front cover to American Monsters.
As before this story is deliciously graphic and gruesome but always relevant to the plot.
My only real issue was the wild-card element that only really surfaced as a convenience. I can't say more due to SPOILERS.
The final thing that happened was quite the surprised, but does explain the front cover to American Monsters.
kba76's review against another edition
3.0
More of the same as we follow Amber and Milo on their quest.
This time round Glen, now a vampire, comes in handy as they find themselves seeking refuge in Desolation Hill. The locals are less than friendly; it doesn't take long to work out why.
Plenty of violence, some humour and a lot of action. A couple of interesting new characters, but a lot that also seemed unnecessary.
This time round Glen, now a vampire, comes in handy as they find themselves seeking refuge in Desolation Hill. The locals are less than friendly; it doesn't take long to work out why.
Plenty of violence, some humour and a lot of action. A couple of interesting new characters, but a lot that also seemed unnecessary.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
4.0
This is getting a 4.5 stars from me!
Oh.. My... GOD! This story was such a thrill. I was so happy to receive this through Netgalley, like I did with the first and I think I may have loved this even more! I'm going to be doing a video with non-spoilers and spoilers at the end, so stay tuned for that because I have a hell of a lot to say.
Right, so we're following Amber continuing her deadly trek across the Demon Road, hoping to find some level of safety in a little Alaskan town called Desolation Hill... But of course, not all is what it seems.
Firstly, I just want to mention that this was certainly more violent and sexual in it's nature, when compared to the previous book and I was pretty shocked by that. However, I have to keep remembering that this is a YA book, not middle grade, such as Landy's Skulduggery series.
There was so much more plot driven scenarios in this story and I'm really grateful for that because when you have an action packed book such as this, with monsters and death and violence flying at you from every which way, the plot tends to get lost in the sidelines and becomes a chaotic mess. This had all the different angles of threat, but it kept the main goal in hand and I loved it for that.
I loved that there were a nice handful of new and diverse characters brought into the story and particularly liked hearing the POV of the older men, Virgil and Javier and the way they hated but clearly liked each other. It was a nice relationship. I'll save my thoughts on other new characters for the spoiler part of my video review.
The relationship with Milo and Amber seemed to grow in this book and there was a random seen with them talking about flirting and getting laid, that was just so out of place. Very funny though it was, it just was so out of the blue, but I really think this helped, at this point in the story, to develop and solidify the fact that, despite obvious odds, they are still regular people that just need to laugh and have a break from all the crap in their life.
The reason I didn't give it a solid 5 stars was solely because I wasn't always eager to pick it up. Now this is most likely because I was either reading it on my PC or my phone and that is uncomfortable for me to do so for long periods of time, (although I'm grateful I got the chance to read this earlier than release date and free, for a limited time). If I had a physical book I know this would have boosted the rating up a little. Unfair? Perhaps, but there were a few other little nit-picking things I'll mention more in the spoilers. Hopefully that clears things up.
I honestly enjoyed this straight away and continued loving it all the way through. I got to the point where I was so close to finishing the book, a few chapters or so, but was dragging it out because I really didn't want the story to end.
I'm so happy this is a speedier set of books being brought out. They have a good amount of space for when they're released and I don't feel like I'm waiting forever. As I said, I'll be having a review on my YouTube channel (Peace&Cookies > (^_^) < ) so stay tuned to that if you want to know more.
Pick it up, give it a go and BLOODY (;D ) enjoy this! >(^_^)<
Gén
Oh.. My... GOD! This story was such a thrill. I was so happy to receive this through Netgalley, like I did with the first and I think I may have loved this even more! I'm going to be doing a video with non-spoilers and spoilers at the end, so stay tuned for that because I have a hell of a lot to say.
Right, so we're following Amber continuing her deadly trek across the Demon Road, hoping to find some level of safety in a little Alaskan town called Desolation Hill... But of course, not all is what it seems.
Firstly, I just want to mention that this was certainly more violent and sexual in it's nature, when compared to the previous book and I was pretty shocked by that. However, I have to keep remembering that this is a YA book, not middle grade, such as Landy's Skulduggery series.
There was so much more plot driven scenarios in this story and I'm really grateful for that because when you have an action packed book such as this, with monsters and death and violence flying at you from every which way, the plot tends to get lost in the sidelines and becomes a chaotic mess. This had all the different angles of threat, but it kept the main goal in hand and I loved it for that.
I loved that there were a nice handful of new and diverse characters brought into the story and particularly liked hearing the POV of the older men, Virgil and Javier and the way they hated but clearly liked each other. It was a nice relationship. I'll save my thoughts on other new characters for the spoiler part of my video review.
The relationship with Milo and Amber seemed to grow in this book and there was a random seen with them talking about flirting and getting laid, that was just so out of place. Very funny though it was, it just was so out of the blue, but I really think this helped, at this point in the story, to develop and solidify the fact that, despite obvious odds, they are still regular people that just need to laugh and have a break from all the crap in their life.
The reason I didn't give it a solid 5 stars was solely because I wasn't always eager to pick it up. Now this is most likely because I was either reading it on my PC or my phone and that is uncomfortable for me to do so for long periods of time, (although I'm grateful I got the chance to read this earlier than release date and free, for a limited time). If I had a physical book I know this would have boosted the rating up a little. Unfair? Perhaps, but there were a few other little nit-picking things I'll mention more in the spoilers. Hopefully that clears things up.
I honestly enjoyed this straight away and continued loving it all the way through. I got to the point where I was so close to finishing the book, a few chapters or so, but was dragging it out because I really didn't want the story to end.
I'm so happy this is a speedier set of books being brought out. They have a good amount of space for when they're released and I don't feel like I'm waiting forever. As I said, I'll be having a review on my YouTube channel (Peace&Cookies > (^_^) < ) so stay tuned to that if you want to know more.
Pick it up, give it a go and BLOODY (;D ) enjoy this! >(^_^)<
Gén
justjonsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The first Demon Road book was an absolute hidden gem from an author I’ve loved from the Skulduggery Series. It was one of those adventures that stick with you, even though so much happened, you still get flashbacks of certain events and think wow that happened. This book however, though it still had many of the awesome elements, when trying to look back at my favourite parts it all feels like a bit of a blur.
Maybe it was a bit of an overload as we were thrown straight into the action from the first chapter and every following chapter there was always some sort of violent conflict or a new twist in the plan. Also the fact that it’s mostly all set in the single town rather than travelling around and discovering new places. But that’s forgivable because the town and it’s hidden dark mystery is intriguing and awesome to uncover.
The largest problem for me and I see many other reviewers think likewise is the new characters that are introduced. There’s more than I can count and to be fair they weren’t all that bad, the old guys had an interesting dynamic and the young gang of Scooby Doo monster-hunters could make for an interesting book of their own. They did add to the story in their own way and It would have all been perfectly fine had I wanted to care about new characters. Problem is I didn’t! Amber and Milo’s journey is all that I was really interested in but we had to follow these other guys around for multiple chapters in between.
The ‘romance’ between Amber and Kelly has also got plenty enough stick on here from reviewers so I daren’t go into it. Ultimately I just found it all a bit awkward as though the author didn’t feel comfortable or knowledgable enough as a fellow dude when delving into that type of dynamic. It’s not his forte.
Also it’s easy to brush over, but Glenn? What’s up dawg? I hope everything gets explained and resolved with him in the next book because we can’t just have him popping up to help here and there and then disappearing with no real explanation!
Now despite the criticisms, don’t get it mistaken, this book will still have you on the edge of your seat. It was an epic book, but like many sequels it’s just not as good as the first. I do however look forward to the final book in the trilogy as the reviews are very good for it and as a character I look forward to seeing Amber mature even more as she faces her new challenges.
Maybe it was a bit of an overload as we were thrown straight into the action from the first chapter and every following chapter there was always some sort of violent conflict or a new twist in the plan. Also the fact that it’s mostly all set in the single town rather than travelling around and discovering new places. But that’s forgivable because the town and it’s hidden dark mystery is intriguing and awesome to uncover.
The largest problem for me and I see many other reviewers think likewise is the new characters that are introduced. There’s more than I can count and to be fair they weren’t all that bad, the old guys had an interesting dynamic and the young gang of Scooby Doo monster-hunters could make for an interesting book of their own. They did add to the story in their own way and It would have all been perfectly fine had I wanted to care about new characters. Problem is I didn’t! Amber and Milo’s journey is all that I was really interested in but we had to follow these other guys around for multiple chapters in between.
The ‘romance’ between Amber and Kelly has also got plenty enough stick on here from reviewers so I daren’t go into it. Ultimately I just found it all a bit awkward as though the author didn’t feel comfortable or knowledgable enough as a fellow dude when delving into that type of dynamic. It’s not his forte.
Also it’s easy to brush over, but Glenn? What’s up dawg? I hope everything gets explained and resolved with him in the next book because we can’t just have him popping up to help here and there and then disappearing with no real explanation!
Now despite the criticisms, don’t get it mistaken, this book will still have you on the edge of your seat. It was an epic book, but like many sequels it’s just not as good as the first. I do however look forward to the final book in the trilogy as the reviews are very good for it and as a character I look forward to seeing Amber mature even more as she faces her new challenges.
sparklesnowwhite's review against another edition
4.0
Okay so while I did enjoy this book, I didn't think it was even close to being as good as the first. Mainly because without Glen it's just not funny.
I did love how throughout the book the story got darker and darker and the things Amber had to do were amazing and creepy. I didn't see the end coming but I loved it! And I really can't wait to see how the conclusion of this story plays out.
I did love how throughout the book the story got darker and darker and the things Amber had to do were amazing and creepy. I didn't see the end coming but I loved it! And I really can't wait to see how the conclusion of this story plays out.
mybookcase's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I would say that this book, while definitely being entertaining, didn't really convince me. Overall, the story was pretty engaging, particularly towards the end. However, you can tell that the author took a lot of inspiration from other works of fiction which was kinda funny but also a little weird. Also, there definitely was too much violence and gore for my taste, especially considering the pretty young readership. The characters also aren't really that likable, Amber in particular is honestly kinda annoying sometimes. I was rooting for hers and Kelly's relationship at first (and was very happy about some canon queerness), but it wasn't really written that well either, so I was left kinda disappointed.
bookloversboudoir's review against another edition
2.0
Desolation did not impress me. Landy had a good thing going with Demon Road and has decided to crap all over it. All the things I enjoyed about Demon Road; the humour and craziness has been twisted into something quite awful. There is a lot more violence in this book – and not the kind of violence that is really needed for the plot. Some of it can be expected however a lot of it comes across as torture porn. Absolutely unnecessary. There are a lot of new characters introduced and to be honest not one of them had to be there and most of them were little more than cannon fodder or padding. Pointless again. Don’t even think about getting me started on the demon hunting Scooby Gang who have a dog and their cringe-worthy stereotype characters including Linda the Chinese girl with huge boobs. I liked Amber in Demon Road. I sympathised with her plight even though she could shift into a demon form. I hate her in Desolation. She’s a brat and a horrible one. She starts to hate her human aspect and is generally a pain in the ass. Then we come onto her cringe-worthy sexual relationship. Amber is 16 and while 18 is the age of consent where the book is set I didn’t have an issue with this. A sad fact of modern life is that people under the age of consent have sex and end up pregnant. But I digress. Their relationship is cringe-worthy and not even believable. Kelly likes Amber’s human face and is pissed when Amber shifts where they’re getting it on. It’s as if Landy made a list of every lesbian stereotype and shoe-hammered them all into Kelly and Amber’s relationship. I also found myself uncomfortable because it seemed like Kelly, who is four years older much more experienced than Amber, who has never been kissed completely manipulated her which is not okay. I was really looking forward to Desolation but it was not good at all.
bethaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
not as good as the first book. kinda disappointed and dissatisfied by it
ladyvictoriadiana's review against another edition
4.0
Review zu Buch 1/ Review for book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3562393185
Fertig mit Buch 2! Größtenteils habe ich die gleichen Anmerkungen wie beim ersten Buch - Ich mag die Bücher immer noch, insbesondere der Aufbau der Welt. Auch der Körper- Verwandlungs- Aspekt ist immer noch vorhanden, aber das Buch hat einige Schritte in die richtige Richtung unternommen, um dieses Thema anzusprechen und ich bin gespannt, wie der Autor dieses Thema in der Zukunft weiterführen wird. Die Reihe hat nun offiziell eine Romanze. Aber ich war angenehm überrascht, dass es sich dabei nicht um eine Beziehung zwischen der Protagonistin und einem (oder zwei) männlichen Teenager, sondern es gibt eine f/f Romanze. Es ist sehr cool, LGBTQ+ Repräsentation zu haben, auch wenn diese vielleicht nur in Buch 2 vorkommt, da Amber's potentielle Freundin, Kelly, am Ende des Romans nicht mehr Teil von Amber's Gruppe ist. Die Serie ist immer interessant zu Lesen und ich freue mich auf das Finale.
Done with book 2! For the large part, see above - I still like the book, especially the world-building. The body issue aspect is also still present, but the second book takes some steps to address it, which I think is rather good and I'm lowkey excited about where the author is going with this. As for romance - we now officially have entered that territory. However, I was pleasantly surprised that instead of finding a male teenager (or two) to fall in love with, there is actually an f/f plot line including the main character Amber. It is awesome to get some LGBT+ representation, even though it might be limited to book 2, since the love interest, Kelly, has now parted way with Amber. I'm still happy with the series overall and excited for the finale.
Fertig mit Buch 2! Größtenteils habe ich die gleichen Anmerkungen wie beim ersten Buch - Ich mag die Bücher immer noch, insbesondere der Aufbau der Welt. Auch der Körper- Verwandlungs- Aspekt ist immer noch vorhanden, aber das Buch hat einige Schritte in die richtige Richtung unternommen, um dieses Thema anzusprechen und ich bin gespannt, wie der Autor dieses Thema in der Zukunft weiterführen wird. Die Reihe hat nun offiziell eine Romanze. Aber ich war angenehm überrascht, dass es sich dabei nicht um eine Beziehung zwischen der Protagonistin und einem (oder zwei) männlichen Teenager, sondern es gibt eine f/f Romanze. Es ist sehr cool, LGBTQ+ Repräsentation zu haben, auch wenn diese vielleicht nur in Buch 2 vorkommt, da Amber's potentielle Freundin, Kelly, am Ende des Romans nicht mehr Teil von Amber's Gruppe ist. Die Serie ist immer interessant zu Lesen und ich freue mich auf das Finale.
Done with book 2! For the large part, see above - I still like the book, especially the world-building. The body issue aspect is also still present, but the second book takes some steps to address it, which I think is rather good and I'm lowkey excited about where the author is going with this. As for romance - we now officially have entered that territory. However, I was pleasantly surprised that instead of finding a male teenager (or two) to fall in love with, there is actually an f/f plot line including the main character Amber. It is awesome to get some LGBT+ representation, even though it might be limited to book 2, since the love interest, Kelly, has now parted way with Amber. I'm still happy with the series overall and excited for the finale.