Review: If you lean toward Urban Fantasy you will love NIGHT DEMON...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 31, 2013
Tormented by his accidentally immortality, Lukas Smith, has spent most of his eternity trying to find a way to end it. His suicide attempts have thus far been without success only causing more grief as he begins to think there can be no end for him and the people he has slain in hunger weigh heavily upon him. In the Yucatan jungle he hopes he has found the key to his final death but he needs a brilliant young archeaologist's help to decipher the secrets hidden in the jungle. Gretchen's attraction to Lukas feels silly but somehow allows her to ignore the strangeness of his behavior as the pair work together. Surely he's just eccentric and hard working.When their discoveries are suddenly tainted with the feel of watchful eyes in their remote camp and strange suicides begin occuring out in the world it's not long before Lukas has to seek the aid of his maker. The Night Demon has been awakened and the only way to return her to her slumber is with a death and the power of the four original Night Walkers, Mayan Gods who departed their homeland centuries ago. But secrets and lies threaten all and power always corrupts. No one will be left unaffected by the violence the Night Demon craves.I can't lie and say I loved NIGHT DEMON because ultimately it wasn't quite what I was expecting. This is one of those crazy awesome mythologies that is refreshing in a genre that can get pretty stagnant. That's both a blessing and tiny bit of a curse for this particular book because the Night Demon plot really overshadows the romance between Gretchen and Lukas. I enjoyed both aspects but with so many characters packed into one book I was left feeling a little disappointed that the focus was often pulled away from the pair. That said I freaking LOVED both aspects individually.If you love Urban Fantasy this feels much more like that than a romance. Gods and monsters, shapeshifting galore, lots of fighting and violence... yep, definitely more of that going on than kisses and such. The attraction between Lukas and Gretchen is well established already at the start and the danger is what brings them together and it's satisfying but never really feels like the central plot. I really liked her and he was okay, but very broody, I kind of wanted to tell him to stop whining and open his eyes to the life that's passing him by while he's moping. lol If you enjoyed NIGHT WALKER and NIGHT THIEF you'll probably be thrilled that Callisto, Kate, Kane, and Rita are all here for the big showdown. I kind of loved Rita even more after this book but don't want to spoil anything so you have to read it and see why.While I didn't quite love it, specifically because I felt pulled in two directions, you HAVE to read this one if you're a fan of the series. Kessler is just brilliant in taking an under-utilized mythology and making it the core of a new one. The story leads into the next book with some exciting twists and I can't wait to read NIGHT CHILD!Note: Review copy received via publisher.