Callie’s life has fallen apart. Her best friend was
possessed by a demon and slaughtered her friends and her brother – until Callie
herself managed to behead the demon (and her friend) while getting bitten in
the process, she was then be shipped off to a mental institution for the
murder.
Having escaped the institution, Callie had one goal. Kill
the man who called the demon in the first place and destroy the book he used.
But when she completed the first task, something dark and terrible awoke inside
her along with a terrible, evil hunger. Now she has a third task after
destroying the book – killing herself for the terrible things she’s done.
But the book proves to be very difficult to destroy and
she is found by an organised group of other Bitten who may offer a different
path than suicide.
This is a completely original book. It’s totally unlike
any other book I’ve read in the genre – we have minor elements that are
parallels, but it really is something unique which is pretty precious out of
all the books I’ve read so far.
The world is the foundation for this uniqueness. The idea
of demons coming through – strange alien creatures that seem to have parallels
only in the malice they hold – and biting people, spreading their influence.
The Bitten with their demon-wrought abilities have different factions –
including the one Callie has fallen in with. Those who try to police their
fellows and live as good a life as they can.
It’s fascinating because, despite being self-appointed police, there’s little they can do against the actual Demonridden, or so it seems and there are factions that they must avoid enraging – again, so it seems. I say so it seems because the author has an excellently restrained view of world building. We’re not overwhelmed with details that aren’t relevant but we have plenty of hints to keep us hungry for more. Some information about witches here, some hints about other Bitten there, some allusions to history over here – lots of hints, lots of things to keep me hungry but nothing being stuffed down my throat.
The way the book is written is also extremely well done. We
don’t just see things from Callie’s point of view, though she is definitely the
protagonist, but also from Silas, Mark and Edie. Normally I hate shifting
points of view, I think it tends to be repetitive as each character goes over
the same plot points and often stops the protagonist standing out it can also
break conflict since we know what everyone is thinking. But this is one of the
few times it works – Callie remains firmly the protagonist, but the other
characters are excellently fleshed out from the insight inside their heads. It
also makes to clear that Mark and Edie aren’t just going to accept Callie and
be her servants nor are they going to hate her for no good reason. The side
characters who would normally be relegated to after thoughts in the book are
fully fleshed out participants, characters in their own right as important as
the protagonist herself. I really like it and am impressed that the author
managed to pull of this quirk that normally makes me cringe.
This is held up through the rest of the writing – the characters
and their surroundings are described just the right amount. Their emotions are
examined without long angsty monologues. There’s a lot more showing than
telling, the world building, as mentioned, is restrained the fight scenes have
that perfect balance between action and description, the characters
inner-monologues explains their actions without overdoing it and treating the
reader like a fool. It hits that ideal balance.
Characterwise, all of the characters are really fleshed
out – again, more with hints and insights than info dumps. Silas is a mystery
but there’s definitely something old, tortured and paternal there. Mark has
this skim of utter confidence over a lot of uncertainty and eagerness to
please. Edie has a whole lot of compassion and good sense – but also an
adherence to being “professional” or perhaps too serious and overly cautious –
she’s been burned before. Callie herself is an excellent, conflicting and
almost contradictory character. Part of this fits because she feels like a
highly intelligent, quick witted and capable woman who has suffered overwhelming
trauma recently that has hit her confidence and sense of self. She also is
completely surrounded by near strangers, something unexplainable has happened
to her, has changed her, she’s fighting a lot of guilt and having a lot of
trust issues.
This leads to her having almost 3 characterisations:
firstly, cowering, hiding, silent, hurting. Victimised, consumed by guilt and
self-hatred she draws in on herself. Secondly, trying to run way from these
strange new people saying strange new things and who have strange new powers –
which more than makes sense especially since she has a mission to pursue.
Thirdly, showing moments of pure brilliance and absolute awesomeness. Excellent
courage, brilliant plans, carefully carried out and orchestrated tactics,
thinking on the fly and all with a perfect poker face and solid acting talent
If there’s any problem with these three personalities it’s
that they don’t always integrate well, so it can feel like Callie is an
entirely different person. I think this is less of a current problem and more
of something to flag and watch as the character develops. Especially since all
those lovely tasty hooks imply that Callie has a secret that she is still
keeping hidden which may explain a lot.
The story itself is excellent (I’m using that adjective a
lot) for a first book in a series. We have Callie’s story and her introduction
to the world – but it’s not the sum total of the book. We don’t just have her
learning to be one of the bitten, learning how to control her demonic hunger
and learning how to use her demonic powers – but we also have a story something
actually happening. We have a quest, a plot and something that Callie is
actively involved in not just being dragged around in while being taught.
As I’ve said there are some excellent female characters
here – Cassie’s strength, her endurance through terrible experiences, her
ability to learn, her intelligence, her determination, all combine to make her
an excellent character. It’s possible she makes decisions that are rash – but that
is partially due to her own complete lack of survival instinct and her suicidal
plans; in general she asserts her independence without being an outright rebel.
Edie, while being quieter, has her own strength opinions and determination,
unlike mark she isn’t one to be ordered around and she commands respect and
regard – she’s also a Black woman and joins several more minor characters to
provide a number of POC even with a relatively small cast. Her powers seem to
include healing but also keeping people calm and as focused as herself, unlike
Mark’s rage hunger. But even with the power of healing and calm, which she uses
when needed, she is not cast as a servant or a shoulder to cry on – quite the
opposite, she’s not amused by the risk Callie brings. Unfortunately there are
no GBLT people.
This book was an extremely pleasant surprise - a very
good book and definitely worth a read for it’s awesome world, excellent characters
and fun, fascinating story. But more than being a good book, it’s also a book
that introduces a series with immense potential – I’m eager to see where this
story goes from here. I’m hooked, by the world, by the characters, by the plot
and by the very crafty foreshadowing.
A copy of this book was provided by the author for a review