Review: 3.5
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 20, 2014
Hmmm, how to start with this one. You see, I'm a little uncertain of my footing. I really enjoyed book one of this series (as well as House of Stone, by the same author) and, while this seemed an OK read, it just didn't stand up to the other two books by Demont that I've just plowed through. So where does that leave me and my need to review it?Mostly I feel that the book didn't have that certain something special the other books did. The main character was a victim, and while he grew in strength and determination, he didn't have the humor I loved in some of Demont's other characters. In fact, I found that James never particularly endeared himself to me. I cared little for him by the end of the book.I also thought the weave of the plot wasn't as tight. There were a lot of times that I either couldn't quite visualise what was going on or wondered how something happened. An example: at one point James had to cross into a magical circle and in order to do so he had to go through a fairly elaborate ritual. Shortly thereafter, someone else crossed the same circle with no such ritual. How? Similarly, Heath is stated to have been untrained, however, a very short while later he showed some pretty impressive skills. How?In every Demont book I've read, the side characters haven't been as richly tapestried as the main ones. No real problem, that's just the way it is. But here it felt extreme. The primary antagonist only showed up sporadically, had no depth, was unilaterally evil and prone to evil villain speech. I didn't find him particularly believable.Then there was the sex...or not sex as it would appear. I've really enjoyed Demont's ability to write a sex scene that is both gratifying and not overly pornographic...no that's not quite right (I don't mind pornographic), rather I mean, sexy without also stretching the realms of erotic possibilities to the point of fantasy. However, here the sex was rushed and undetailed. We were essentially just left knowing it happened. Meh.Now, having said all that, the book does still have Demont's trademark geektastic comic streak. There's a Marvin (though I think I would have appreciated him more if the character hadn't felt the need to explain the reference to the reader). There were Dungeon's and Dragon's references. There were potshots at the LARPers. The book is still a fun read. But, honestly, I don't think it stood up to Demont's other works. I'm told that the series redeems itself in book three though. So there's still hope.