Review!: Desolation (The Demon Road Trilogy Book 2) by Derek Landy

Desolation is the second book of The Demon Road trilogy. Sooo spoilers ahead if you haven't read part one yet! We pick up where we left off with Amber and Milo on the run from the Shining Demon Astaroth who has the Hounds of Hell hot on their tails, and also her parents who are not pleased with how things went down in New York. They head to Desolation Hill, which is a tiny isolated town full of very unwelcoming people, but has the bonus of being out with Astaroth's reaches. Safe within the town's borders, with the hell hounds waiting just outside, they soon learn that something called Hell Night is only a few days away and they have been asked not so kindly to leave before then.

I thought this was a great follow up to Demon Road, less of a road trip this time, with most of the story's action taking place at Desolation Hill. We see Amber still battling with and coming to terms with her demon self, with some moments of genuine friendship forming between her and Milo. The introduction of the van full of young people, a Scooby gang homage complete with a dog, who travel the demon road as do-gooders battling all manner of demons, is brilliant. Kelly, Warrick, Linda, Ronnie provide a moral compass for being 'good' while Amber's parents and other demons are of course on the side of giving in to the 'bad'. The story is told from multiple points of view this time, with retired actors Virgil and Javier providing some comic relief and insider knowledge of the town.

The book culminates in an epic and quite frankly gruesome battle with so many moving parts it was almost too hard to keep up. There's quite the twisty ending so I am very much looking forward to reading the final part of the trilogy, which is out now!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books I read in November!: The Door That Led to Where, Demon Road, The ACB with Honora Lee

Just three books read this month, I think I was focussing on watching loads of Friends on tv so didn't squeeze in very much reading time! Very bad. I did however manage to read The Door That Led to Where by Sally Gardner, Derek Landy's Demon Road, and the ACB with Honora Lee by Kate De Goldi. 

The Door That Led to Where

The Door That Led to Where is set in both present day London and 1830s London. AJ Flynn inherits a key to a door, which leads him to this different time, where his father, who he never met, used to travel and trade. Escaping from his unloving mother and the rough streets of his east London council estate, AJ travels to the past and begins unravelling the mystery surrounding his father's death, and is left with a difficult decision over whether to lock the door for good. The writing in this felt pretty weird, the modern day East London parts didn't feel very genuine, the language the boys used to talk to each other seemed a bit off. And the time travel timeline was also a bit dodgey, surely all the 'helping' AJ and his pals do in 1830s London will have an effect on their present day lives? But all that aside it was a good enjoyable read and I would quite like a magic time travelling key. 

Demon Road

Ooh this was good. This demon-based road trip story follows sixteen-year-old Amber, whose ordinary American teenage life is ripped apart when she finds out all about her connection to demons. On the run, she is forced to make new friends with her travel companions and is faced with all kinds of peril in the form of vampires, serial killers, and a killer car. I really enjoyed this book! The opening chapters set you up for a high school based story only to have that pulled out from under you with some demon revelations. I found it gripping, funny and gruesome with loads of heart, a Derek Landy specialty. It was pretty long, but action packed so no complaints there. Also I believe it's the beginning of a trilogy so that's fun!

The ACB with Honora Lee

This wonderful little book is full of heart and humour. Perry is a little girl with very busy parents and a very busy schedule of her own. When she begins to visit her gran, Honora Lee, every week at the care home where she lives, Perry decides to make an alphabet book for her alphabet obsesses gran. It is delightful and simple and heart warming. A nice quick read for grown ups, and perfect for kiddies too :)







Thaaaaaat's all folks! Promise I'll do a Christmas books based post soon!

These books were sent to me in book form or through Netgalley in return for an honest review, affected in no way by the freeness of the books!