Description
Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.
But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?
About the Author
Details
- Reading level: Young Adult
- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; Original edition (February 1, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312614780
- ISBN-13: 978-0312614782
SOURCE: AMAZON VINE
MY THOUGHTS
This is such an amazing read! I didn’t want to put it down once I started it. There is always a point when you start to read books like this, ones that involve world building, the acceptance of creatures other than humans, and if the lead is strong enough to carry through a whole concept of saving the world. Riley provides just such a voice in this story where she doesn’t start out strong or knowledgeable. The story opens with Riley trying to catch a library fiend — a demon that is bent on destroying books and she takes control after a few missteps and gaffs. This is the first insight that Riley is just not an ordinary girl and that she may just have special gifts. I still don’t know if she has anything extraordinary going on, but I had that feeling throughout reading this first installment in the series. That and the demons called her by her name which turns out to be truly creepy and insightful but the reasons for this are not given in this book. I hope this will be developed in the next one.
So Riley is trying to become a demon trapper, which in this world is a necessity and helps balance good and evil. Her father has her as his apprentice and just when Riley thought she was making progress a demon kills her father, which makes her an orphan. She is such a likable character that you will find yourself cheering for her as she figures things out and crying with her as her loss of family becomes apparent. She is now apprenticed to an unlikable character and he makes her miserable while Beck, her father’s previous apprentice tries to help her out. There is a mini love triangle starting here, although Riley doesn’t realize her previous crush on Beck still exists and develops an attraction to another apprentice Simon, who she describes as an angel. This is a wonderful dystopian tale that takes you to Atlanta in 2018 and will have you trying to solve the mystery of the holy water that no longer protects you from demons.
I think this sounds really neat. Do you know if it will be a long series or just a few books?
It’s sad that so many book heroes don’t have families. I guess it makes it easier for them to be put into any circumstance.
@carla – I think that this is part of a trilogy. It has great promise.