medusapetrichor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
pati2804's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Reading this series as it was my bfs favourite childhood author. Actually quite enjoyable. Very clearly aimed at teen boys but I like the demon world and the plot kept me interested
mandyist's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not really sure what's wrong with me lately. It seems that I can't stop reading demonic or ghostly horror stories. Decapitations, deformed monsters, waterfalls and fountains of blood? Perfect. The more gory it gets, the better as far as I'm concerned.
I knew that Darren Shan was a highly respected author, mastermind behind the celebrated Cirque du Freak series, but it was my thirst for gory, young adult horror that made me pick up The Demonata series.
And I'm glad I did. The first book in the series is Lord Loss and it features Grubitsch Grady (although he'd really rather you call him Grubbs) who witnesses a brutal demonic massacre that makes him doubt whether he'll ever make the journey back from the edge of sanity.
Emerging from his waking nightmares, Grubbs realises that the massacre was just the beginning and that demons, magic and the supernatural are to play a far greater role in his life than he could ever have imagined.
I really enjoyed the description of the demons, their absolutely terrible and unique deformities and the conceptualisation of the demon master Lord Loss. I thought that the depiction of Grubbs's horror and recovery was particularly well written and a realistic portrayal of the post-trauma process. Finally, I loved the idea of a demonic chess death match.
Relatively short at 224 pages, Lord Loss should appeal to reluctant readers and lovers of young adult, supernatural fiction or horror. I wouldn't recommend the book for squeamish readers but definitely recommend it for lovers of demonic gore and mayhem.
I give Lord Loss an easy 5 out of 5 stars and will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series
I knew that Darren Shan was a highly respected author, mastermind behind the celebrated Cirque du Freak series, but it was my thirst for gory, young adult horror that made me pick up The Demonata series.
And I'm glad I did. The first book in the series is Lord Loss and it features Grubitsch Grady (although he'd really rather you call him Grubbs) who witnesses a brutal demonic massacre that makes him doubt whether he'll ever make the journey back from the edge of sanity.
Emerging from his waking nightmares, Grubbs realises that the massacre was just the beginning and that demons, magic and the supernatural are to play a far greater role in his life than he could ever have imagined.
I really enjoyed the description of the demons, their absolutely terrible and unique deformities and the conceptualisation of the demon master Lord Loss. I thought that the depiction of Grubbs's horror and recovery was particularly well written and a realistic portrayal of the post-trauma process. Finally, I loved the idea of a demonic chess death match.
Relatively short at 224 pages, Lord Loss should appeal to reluctant readers and lovers of young adult, supernatural fiction or horror. I wouldn't recommend the book for squeamish readers but definitely recommend it for lovers of demonic gore and mayhem.
I give Lord Loss an easy 5 out of 5 stars and will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series
laurenbaggy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Grief, Gore, Death, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
sunshinevee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
its_tara's review against another edition
4.0
I'd previously enjoyed the Darren Shan Saga, and got this on a whim, due to having a long train journey - and I'm glad I did! The story was engaging, and the way that the whole family was linked to the supernatural goings on was an interesting idea.
There was enough fear and suspense to keep me interested in this and there were some moments where evil really could have won, and to me, that's important in a story. I'm seriously considering picking up the next book in this series, and I hope I'm not disappointed!
There was enough fear and suspense to keep me interested in this and there were some moments where evil really could have won, and to me, that's important in a story. I'm seriously considering picking up the next book in this series, and I hope I'm not disappointed!
frederiqueb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Nice, easy, fast read. You can put the book down throughout but why should you if you can just keep reading?
rmdavies92's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0