Review: Solid Writing, Interesting Story...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 14, 2014
Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/WriterRating: 3 out of 5 ControllersReviewers: Heather and ArielArielDemon Chained is the fifth book in the Shadowfae Chronicles series by Erica Hayes. While it is the fifth in the series, it can be read as a standalone novel as well. Jewel is a djinni of the lamp, one who has been recently freed since the last owner of her lamp has died. Now Jewel is her own djinni, able to use her magic for her own wants instead of the wants of others. Until her lamp gets stolen, that is.Tam is a man on a mission, out to get Joey DiLuca, the man who murdered him, his wife, and his daughter. How can he get Joey if he’s dead? He made a deal with a demon named Kane, who brought him back from the dead in order to exact his revenge. Now Kane has asked for Tam to retrieve a lamp for him.I have a few problems with this novel. For starters, Jewel irritated me throughout almost the entire thing. In the very beginning of the novel, she is ecstatic that she is finally free and able to do whatever she wants, without having someone to wish for things and control her. However, as soon as she realizes Tam has her lamp, she gets depressed and upset that he doesn’t actually want her to do anything. Jewel is used to being wanted and desired, and when a man finally doesn’t want her, essentially letting her have her freedom, she gets upset about it. Since she is bound to a master her powers aren’t under her own control anymore, but other than that, she could have a normal life and instead she whines about not being wanted.Another thing that bothered me, mostly because it wasn’t really explained, is that early on in the novel, the lamp gets taken from Tam but he still remains Jewel’s master. Now, to get Jewel to do what you say you have to say her name so I understand that if the owner doesn’t know her name, they can’t really do anything. But shouldn’t whoever has possession of the lamp still technically be her master? It confused me throughout the whole novel and it never really got explained.Plot wise, the story was great. I’m not entirely sure about the zombie/djinni pairing in general, but I did like Jewel and Tam together. They brought out the best in each other and they helped each other get over their own issues, between Jewel’s lack of ownership of herself to Tam’s guilt over what happened to his wife and daughter.There were a few weird sections where the novel switched from first person to third person which really bothered me. And the thing that bothered me the most was the ending, and I can’t even tell you why because it would spoil the whole book for everyone. If you read the book, you’ll understand.I’m giving Demon Chained 3 out of 5 controllers. It had an interesting premise, and the plot was pretty interesting, but the main character bothered me, the fact that I didn’t understand how Tam was still the owner of her lamp even though he didn’t have her lamp, and how angry I got over the ending ruined it for me. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t one of my favorites.My Rating3 out of 5 ControllersHeatherI didn’t have a chance to read the first four books and I’m not entirely sure if I would after reading Demon Chained. Now I’ll point out that this just wasn’t my cup of tea, but this is one of the most unique spins I have read on zombies/reanimated corpses.The good rests in the world building and character development. Erica Hayes has always caught my eyes with these skills and created hellish worlds that resemble much of our own world … just with some badass supernatural beings. I loved her take on the Jinn (Jewel) and the struggles she faced with her newfound freedom. Lots of shmexiness there.The bad and for another reader it may not be bad at all, but it became really distracting for me to keep up on what body part was broken versus what fluids were leaking from where on poor Tam. During the erotic scenes it became too much for me and I found myself focusing on the gross factor more than the sexual connection. If you’ve read the Shadowfae then maybe this isn’t a shock, but for me, I just couldn’t get into it.As always Erica delivers her unique voice and the in your face writing I’ve come to love. I’m a huge fan of her Seven Signs series. I want to try reading this again, but I want to start at the beginning of the series, and maybe knowing more will help to soften poor Tam’s bodily fluids.Not for me, but in the right hands I’d call this a diamond in the pale oozing green stomach acid.My Rating3 out of 5 Controllers