Demon Dagger by Russell James (Zooloo's Book Tours)
Hello everyone
Today I join Zooloo's book tours to talk about Demon Dagger by Russell James. The book is published by Flame Tree Press
About The Book
A Demon Hunter with a gift that becomes a curse. A Demon that hunts the hunter. A thrilling tale of darkness and vengeance for fans of the TV series 'Supernatural'.
"James (Lambs Among Wolves) makes a familiar trope fresh in this gripping horror novel ... a thrilling game of supernatural cat and mouse." - Publishers Weekly
Drew Price has a gift, or perhaps a curse.
When a demon possesses a person, Drew can see the horrific-looking demon that dwells within. This ability has made him a demon hunter, armed with the one weapon that can send these fiends back to Hell; the demon dagger.
A demon named Nicobar sets its sights on punishing this hunter. It starts by taking the soul of Drew’s son, condemning the boy to life as a psychopath.
This fast-paced, chilling novel follows Drew’s attempt to save his son’s soul and then use the blade to end Nicobar’s time on Earth.
Demon Dagger is a combination of horror and thriller set around demon hunter Drew Price, which is billed as ‘being good for those that enjoyed the TV series Supernatural’.
Now to be honest, I haven’t seen this TV series, but I can basically envision the style.
The book is an introduction to the world of Drew Price and feels like it is an introduction to a series. However, it is a stand-alone novel that is quite self contained.
I have to say that the blurb and the story didn't match up for me. The blurb gives the impression that Drew is an established Demon Hunter, but that is not the case. In all fairness this seems like it is the inaugural tale of how he becomes a Demon Hunter and that this is the first adventure.
This is not to say that it affects the story in any way, but it is not what I was expecting from the blurb.
The book itself is an enjoyable adventure story. At the beginning we see how Drew, initially seen as a troubled teenager who meets his mentor Lincoln and how he learns about his ability to see demons. We learn about Drew and his past through a series of flashbacks. Initially, whilst this gives the necessary backstory to how Drew got to where he was, it also provides the opportunity for world and lore building, During this first act of the book the story has a lot of information as Lincoln gives the history and other things that Drew needs to know about the Demons that walk the earth, and how best to rid the world of evil.
In addition to this the story focuses on the difficulties that present Drew is having with his marriage and adjusting to his powers now that he is grown up and has a family.
The story really takes off in the second act when the main protagonist of the story, the Arch Demon Nicobar, is introduced, who really causes problems for Drew and his family.
From this point , the story really picks up the pace as the story hurtles towards the third act.
I have to say that when we get past the initial world building and we get to the crux of the story, everything seems to gel a lot more and seems more focussed with the book becoming more like I was expecting it to be.
When we are in the first act and are being introduced to the characters, it took me a while to warm to them, particularly Drew's wife who seems to be on the edge of angry throughout. And I think one of the problems was that whilst I could see reasons for her difficulties, such as chronic pain, some issues in the past with her father etc, there seemed to be a bit of disconnect between these reasons and she just came across as unreasonable for no apparent reason.
However, again she improved in the second act, particularly when the half demon Marvin is introduced.
Marvin, the half demon (or Cambion as he is referred to in the book) was one of my favourite characters in the story and he was instantly likeable. His partnership with Drew really adds to the story and gives the book that extra depth.
On the whole this is an enjoyable book and is a good introduction to the world. I would definitely like to see a series and the world expanded, because I think it would make a good urban horror series.
Author Bio
Russell James grew up on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching late night horror.
After flying helicopters with the U.S. Army and a career as a technical writer, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight, including horror thrillers Dark Inspiration, Q Island, and The Playing Card Killer.
He authored the Grant Coleman Adventures series starting with Cavern of the Damned and the Ranger Kathy West series starting with Claws.
He resides in sunny Florida. His wife reads his work, rolls her eyes, and says "There is something seriously wrong with you."
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