Okay, so, um, WOW. HOW DO I TALK ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE BOOK?!! I love Derek Landy, I totally do (although I admit to being a wimp and haven’t finished the last few Skulduggery Pleasant books because paaaaain) and everything that makes Derek Landy a phenomenal author was in Demon Road in abundance. It was Landyish brilliance. I AM SO HAPPY.
There was:
- snortingly good humour
- minimal romance (not that romance is bad!! But I enjoy an adventure without it)
- blood everywhere oh oh it’s violent and scary
- so much banter and witty dialogue
- fast moving wickedly captivating action scenes.
Plus you know the TV show, Supernatural? That I am a massive and wild and unabashed fan of? WELL. This totally reminded me of it!
OH OH. DID I MENTION THERE IS A FREAKISHLY AWESOME CAR? Like really awesome. It even eats people. So much love for the car.
Anyway!
I really only have TWO negatives. Because I am a picky prune.
- The character dynamics are, um….like rereading Skulduggery Pleasant. I’M SORRY. I am not accusing the author of not being able to write “new” characters. I think most of it was fresh, but at the end of the day we had Milo (kinda a Skulduggery figure) and Amber (basically Valkyrie) and then the doofus Glen (basically Fletcher). SO YEAH. #awkward
- It was too long. Maybe this is just me? But they went on so many unnecessary detours and I just wanted to get to the point!
I swear this is tree sap and I didn’t murder anyone for the photo opportunity.
BUT LET’S
TALK ABOUT ALL THE AMAZINGNESS. OKAY? OKAY!! So firstly, the premise is epic.
Amber is forced on a roadtrip because her parents are trying to kill her. (Family. They love ya, but they also want to eat ya.) Turns out they’re demons and she’s a demon — although excuse the cliche of hey-darl-you’re-sixteen-and-now-a-demon! It kinda shakes things up with her parents wanting to, um, eat her. SO! That’s exciting!
Amber goes on the run with Milo (he’s in his 40s) and they’re going to track down a dude to offer up to the Big Evil Father Demon in order to get Amber’s parents to desist in trying to eat/kill her. Along the way they pick up Glen, who is an idiot, and almost always nearly dying. He’s adorable. But such an idiot.
“We all go through tough times.”
“My parents are trying to kill me.”
“We all have issues.”
And while I’m nattering on about characters, let’s just have a bit more details, right?! Because good characters are the best.
- AMBER: OH AMBER AMBER HOW I LOVE AMBER. She’s not your “typical” YA heroine. She’s not skinny and she’s and awkward and makes bad decisions and occasionally kills people. She lurks in a SUPER GREY AREA. I love this. I love how she’s fighting for her life and worried about killing people (well, monsters, none of them are really “people”). But she never collapses in a whingey pile. SHE DEALS. She’s sassy. She blabbers. She’s absolutely endearing. She doesn’t need to be rescued. OH. And she can shift into this skin that’s red and she has horns and razor claws and — yeah. Stuff goes down.
- MILO: AH. I love Milo also. LIKE A LOT. He’s protective and he has a LOT of secrets and he’s super nice. It could be weird and kinda creepy for a 16 year old girl and a 40 year old dude to go on a roadtrip? BUT IT’S NOT.
- GLEN: Omg, he’s such an idiot. Glen is like background noise. He’s always flapping about breaking things and trying to “fit in” and has the attention span of a gnat. He worms his way into Amber and Milo’s hearts/lives, but they both kind of just put up with him. Like a flea-bitten puppy that just won’t go home, you know?
“I…I don’t know if I’m up to this,” said Glen.
“Not on your own,” Milo said. “But with our help you can do it. We’ll make sure.”
Glen blinked. “You’d…you’d do that for me?”
“Of course.”
Glen started to smile, then stopped. “It’s because you want me to go away, isn’t it?”
“Of course.”
There sooo much sass and action and it’s just MIND BLOWINGLY GOOD. Like I didn’t ever want to put it down. They meet tons of weird creatures and they stab all the things and it totally resides in one big grey area. Or black area?? Like we have killers being good, and we have good people being killers. Can you kill monsters without becoming one? And Amber does A BIG BAD THING at the end that totally shocked me, because YA usually plays it so safe. So rest assured: THIS BOOK DOESN’T DALLY IN THE SAFE AREAS. I love that! I love the questions and the humour and the creepiness.
I literally have nothing to say but: GET READY TO READ THE BEST BOOK EVER. I’m pretty sure Derek Landy cannot disappoint.
**** QUOTES ****
(Peoples, these quote are from the ARC, so technically I’m not supposed to quote them, but I HAVE to show you how good this book is so you know to read it, okay?!! So just be aware these quotes are not finalised.)
THANK YOU HARPERCOLLINS FOR THE ARC. Demon Road by Derek Landy is published on August 27th, 2015.
The mind-blowing new supernatural thriller from bestselling author DEREK LANDY, creator of international sensation Skulduggery Pleasant.
Full of Landy’s trademark wit, action and razor-sharp dialogue, DEMON ROAD kicks off with a shocking opener and never lets up the pace in an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America. Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers: they’re all here. And the demons? Well, that’s where Amber comes in… Sixteen years old, smart and spirited, she’s just a normal American teenager until the lies are torn away and the demons reveal themselves.
Forced to go on the run, she hurtles from one threat to another, revealing a tapestry of terror woven into the very fabric of her life. Her only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be…
Goodreads Purchase HarperCollins
OH! And, because HarperCollins is UTTERLY AMAZING — I’ll be interviewing Derek Landy sometime soon accompanied with an epic giveaway and just general awesomeness! Look out for it!
-~-
You should totally read the the rest of the Skulduggery books. Yes, there is pain, (lots and LOTS of pain), but there is also so much awesomeness! I’ve always wondered how Derek Landy would write YA. Demon Road is definitely on my TBR, and I am very happy to know there is sass. (But it wouldn’t be a Derek Landy novel without sass, would it?). One thing I was worried about was the character dynamics. I read a short story by Derek once, and it was pretty painful because the two main characters were EXACT replicas of Skulduggery and Val (what makes it worse is the fact that it was a kind of Doctor Who fan fiction, and I KNOW the way The Doctor is supposed to act, and the Doctor is NOT supposed to act like Skulduggery). My fears are confirmed here, BUT since the rest of the book is apparently awesome, I will definitely be reading it! 🙂
I WILL! I WILL! I actually own the last 2 and I have no idea why I’m procrastinating. I think Skulduggery’s Big Reveal terrified me. Omg, poor little Skulduggery HOW CAN I TRUST YOU KNOW?!? And I’m so scared of Val and Darquesse…but seriously, I am a wimp. I just need read and find out what goes down. 😉 AND YES. I love how we can count on all the Derek Landy books to be sassy and hilarious. 😀 THAT IS MY FAVOURITE.
A car that eats people!?!?! I’ll never be able to journey safely in my right mind again….. I love it when you have a YA heroine (or hero!) who is just… refreshing. They don’t have to be too different to the current trends, but different enough that you can love them forever. Really great review Cait!
Yesss, I love that too! When the hero/heroine is just a bit different and unique. Although I guess Amber is a bit of an anti-hero at times?! STILL. I love her a lot and can’t WAIT for more books in this series. 😀
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!! I loved Amber and Milo and GLEN! Oh my gosh, Glen was my favorite he was so stupid it was adorable! I agree the banter is like Skulduggery and Valkyie but to me they’re still completely separate characters, I think Amber is less violent than Valkyrie (except for the ending that was a bit…um…disturbing, GOOD but disturbing) and Milo’s sense of humor wasn’t the same so yep! But yes this book was amazing and creepy (I didn’t sleep for 2 nights after reading it haha!) and I loved it. I did think there were too many detours but it was still reallyyyy good. And also, didn’t you find that dollhouse killer thing so creepy?!
YES HE WAS SO STUPID AND YET ADORABLE. But yes, omg, wasn’t the ending insane?! Definitely disturbing. And I think Amber is a little more…flappy? Than Valkyrie? Like Valkyrie was all “let’s get in and do this logically” and Amber makes a lot a lot of dumb decisions and flaps her mouth too much and YEAH. I love them both but they are different.
YES THE DOLLHOUSE WAS INSANELY CREEPY.
Your new design is still so prettyyyyyy it took me ages to actually start reading your review and write a comment.
What is it with roadtrips this year, I wonder? I mean, we had Mad Max: Fury Road and then Vengeance Road and now Demon Road and it’s just ALL THE ROADTRIPS. I think I’m going to check Demon Road out — I might, you totally sold me on all of it, and a demon girl MC? I am SO DOWN for it. And since I haven’t read Skulduggery Pleasant, I don’t suppose I’ll mind any repetitive characterisation XD
Super excited for the interview + giveaway!
I confess to sitting here refreshing the page to see the arrow shoot, and then demanding all my family pays attention while I do so. Because. You know. I’m super mature. *nods*
ANYWAY!
Ahhh, yes there are a lot of roadtrips, aren’t there?! o.O Stone Rider too and Kissing in America I think is a roadtrip. I guess journeys are kind of easier plot lines to write though, eh?!
“The attention span of a gnat”? You surely always know how to make me laugh out loud when reading your reviews. And…the book sounds more than just interesting – so I have added it to my TBR pile right away!! Yeahhhhhhhh!
Happy Sunday and cheers from Germany
Kati@ZeitzuLesen
YAAAAY! THIS IS WONDROUS NEWS. 😀
I’ve read the first four Skulduggery books and they were awesome! This sounds fabulous= I’m excited. Creepy books sort of freak me out. Don’t talk to me about The Forest of Hands and Teeth because NIGHTMARES. Hmmm…. I don’t watch many movies that aren’t chick flicks or animated (because I can deal with real pain in books but not on screens) but Kasie West books remind me of Miranda, except more adorable, and Michelle Cooper (aka the best ww2 writer ever) reminds me of Downton Abbey (but better) Those are pretty much the only tv shows I’ve really watched though.
I NEVER get creeped out sufficiently by books or movies. D: It’s the bane of my existence…gah. I want to be terrified for once. I used to when I was little, but apparently I turned old and hardened and now it’s like “oh yeah, death and destruction, yup. Cool. Moving on.” Hehe, BUT DEMON ROAD WAS STILL EXCELLENT. <3
Yesssssss wasn’t it great? I’M REVIEWING IT TOMORROW. GO US, being all twinning and stuff. It’s a miracle that I liked a paranormal, I’ve got to say.
Also, A++++ use of tree sap 😉
YAAAY TWINNING!! *hi fives* And I’m so proud of you for liking this. 😉 You’re joining the dark side! WE HAVE COOKIES AND KILLER CARS.
I remember I tried to read Skulduggery Pleasant back when… oh, I don’t know, I was around thirteen or something? But that when I was like, “Oh. This book doesn’t capture my attention within the first line? I’M OUTTA HERE.” Which probably wasn’t the besssssst attitude for me to have, so. I do plan on giving that series another chance soon…ish. But this reminded you of Supernatural? HELLS YES. I WANT THIS.
Hehe, oh I kind of understand though! It took me 4 books before I was wholly hooked on SP. I liked them, but I wasn’t in love or anything. But Demon Road is AMAZING from pg 1 till the end and OMG SO MUCH SUPERNATURAL VIBES.
*screams forever* THIS BOOK LOOKS SO GOOD. I am so utterly jealous of the fact that you got your hands on an ARC. Like seriously. I need it now on my bed with a cup of hot chocolate and a pair of fuzzy socks. I’m pretty sure once I get a copy I’m going to hibernate for a week until I finish it.
Also, Glen sounds like an endearing version of the Ghostfacers. xD And killer car?! Can we say “Route 666”?!
YES YES YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS SO SO MUCH. It is EXACTLY the goodness of Supernatural, but, ya know, on written paper and sans brothers. BUT STILLLLLL. Amber is amazing and Glen, AWK. So adorable. And yes, he’s like a ghostfacer with a bit of the Kevin whine (at the beginning, I mean, Kevin toughened up) and we can definitely say Route 666. Apparently there were 666 ARCs printed. HOW COOL IS THAT, RIGHT?!
Wow. Such a great post! I just spotted this book on another blog and had to come see what you were sharing. This is a I gotta get it now for me. LOL
YAY! I totally recommend it! 😀 (hehe, if my fangirling review didn’t say that enough) but it’s one of my top favourite Derek Landy books now! 😀
Demon Road sounds so cool. I especially like the idea of Amber turning into a red demon with horns and scales and whatnot. Plus this whole “super grey area” thing is SOOOOO appealing right now. Yum.
On other things: THAT TREE SAP THO. Are you sure the tree didn’t go and murder someone, huh?
I SWEAR. THE TREE WAS LIKE THAT BEFORE I ARRIVED. *nudges bloodied axe further under the bed* I’m a nice, normal person who doesn’t do extreme things for photo opportunities.
Creepy? Demons? Bloody? MAN EATING CAR?
I basically want to read it RIGHT NOW, because I’m in the mood for something not-fluffy and not-romance-y and I can’t find any good zombie books as of lately, so…Demon Road it is! Buuuuut the library doesn’t have it. At all. So know I either need to decide if I want to buy it or suggest that the library buys it and wait the couple of months or so for them to read it to decide if they want to buy it or not. Grrr.
YOU NEED IT IN YOUR LIFE. THERE IS NO DOUBT. The car is epic. If I ever have to get a car, it’s totally going to be a nefarious one like that because reasons.
I don’t mind some creepy books… but not too creepy. I DNFed a zombie book a while back that was just too creepy for my taste; I actually had nightmares, so I gave up. If the creepiness is offset by a bit of humour, that can take the edge off a little bit.
I’ve never been totally creeped out by a book before!! BUT I WANT TO BE. I probably should try some actual horror someday, hehe. But the most creeped out I ever got was by Unwind and that was like when I was a small and impressionable mushroom. But yes! Creepiness + humour = fabulous combination.
I love love LOVED this book! From Amber, to arm flapping Glen who I thought was adorable stupid, even Milo and his love affair with his Christine type car. I was expecting something far more serious from the synopsis, having not read his S.P series. But it was actually charming, as strange as that sounds. So funny and superbly entertaining too. I’ve bought the S.P series now too, seeing how highly you sing it’s praises and looking forward to getting stuck into those now too while I wait for book two to be released. Awesome review smushy <3
ARM FLAPPING GLEN. OMG. Best description EVER. He is so adorable and stupid and I love him. :’) Ahhh, yes, but this is Derek Landy’s trademark humour and it’s so golden. #writinggoals
This sounds really interesting! I love Supernatural and you’re making me want to re-watch it, especially the early seasons, I loved those. But to be honest, I could never watch them alone – I needed a hand to squeeze and my boyfriend (now husband) was the most likely victim of my twitching.
I haven’t read Skulduggery, though, so the similarities won’t bother me! 🙂
Omg, SO MANY SUPERNATURAL FEELS. *sniffles* S8 is my favourite, but I do so so love the first few seasons where they’re actually BROTHERLY and not stabbing each other in the back. (S9 killed me with all the “you’re not my brother” stuff. Get it together Dean and Sam, YOU’RE HURTING ME.) *ahem*
I have not read anything by Derek Landy, but I REALLY have been wanting too. I’m glad you really liked this one. I appreciate the points you didn’t really like too – it’s nice to get an overall look of what people think. LOVE your photos too!! Super cool.
-Lauren
YAY THANK YOU!! 😀 It was a bit of a malicious shoot too, this time, hehe, I was so so ridiculously excited to find the bloody looking tree sap. I SWEAR I’M A NICE PERSON THOUGH. hehe And yes! Even my 5-star reviews sometimes have little quibbles, but all in all it was absolutely fabulous.
Sure, Cait, I’ll believe you didn’t kill anyone for that photo opportunity. Of course it’s not blood–of course it’s sap. *pulls knife from secret sheath*
Ack, I’m so excited for your interview with Derek Landy. I mean, I haven’t read any of his books, but I want to because they sound really good, and I love reading interviews with authors, and I’m so happy for you because adljkfadslj. Publishing people can be so awesome sometimes.
If you had to choose, which would you recommend more–Demon Road, or the Skullduggery Pleasant books?
Oh good. I’m glad you believe me. *nudges bloodied axe further under the bed* Because I’m really a very nice non-violent human who wouldn’t do anything extreme for a photo-op. *nods*
YOU REALLY NEED TO, LIZ, I PROMISE THEY’RE INCREDIBLE BOOKS!! I haven’t really reviewed (or talked, I guess?!) much about Derek Landy on the blog, so that totally needs to change. He’s books tho. THEY ARE ALWAYS ASTOUNDINGLY GREAT.
omg, don’t make me choose. I recommend BOTH. hah, okay, but Demon Road, probably. I love Skulduggery Pleasant, but the first 3 books were kind of “meh” territory for me…and then they grew into dangerous/creepy/freaktastic YA and I died of the awesome. So if you want INSTA-awesome go for Demon Road. *nods*
I’ve never read a Derek Landy book. But this. This sounds awesome! Seriously, all of it. And those quotes! You had me laughing (internally though since I’m at the library. . .). Amber sounds fantabulous! I want to read about her. “He’s adorable. But such an idiot.” – Haha! I love those kind of characters.
Oh, and I love your new blog design. That arrow at the top- It’s so beautiful.
Wait, wait. You’re going to interview this guy? Eep! I can’t wait! Does it ever make you nervous to interview an author? I always feel like I would forget to ask all the “right” questions and would end up talking about something abstract like the fine qualities of cookies (you must admit they are quite versatile for all occasions).
I don’t usually read creepy books. But when I do, if they are good ones, I love them. Seriously, adore them and then ask myself why I don’t read them more often. Then there’s always, uh, the part about how I normally read at night. When everyone else is already asleep and it’s like going on 1 am. . . Yeah, that doesn’t work out so well for me.
AHHHH THANK YOU! XD I’m so happy with the new design! It’s my favourite of ever and turned out just how I wanted it. :’)
AND YES I DO GET SUCH NERVES INTERVIEWING. Because like everyone asks the same kind of questions and it could get dull for the author?! And then I’ve had some authors be super cool and give long answers and then some give like 1-sentence answers so YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT KIND OF ANSWER YOU’RE GOING TO GET. So do I make the questions super detailed or vague or or or…*dies under decisions*
Admit it, you totally murdered that tree – it looks scary!! But on to the book now – this wasn’t on my radar at all, but you’ve convinced me that I need to check it out!
WHAT ME??! I AM INNOCENT. *scoots bloody axe further under the bed*
Liking creepy books truly depends on how the story is formed. I don’t like a lot of horror. I don’t read horror novels. Whenever I read a creepy novel when I was younger, it would stick in a really bad, obsessive nightmarish way for a little bit. I hated horror. I haven’t watched anything scarier than Goosebumps, and I never will.
A book I beta read reminded me of LFA because of the attachment I had with it, and my favorite parts of the story. I haven’t even heard of Landy before you talked about him, truly. Maybe I will!
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Question To You: what’s your favorite color?
Ahhh, I LOVE HORROR. But I’ve never been properly scared before. When I was a kid I got terrified so. dang. easily. But now?! Bah. I get terrified by realistic things that could actually happen – like movies were everyone gets the flu and dies. o.O hehe
*whispers* I love orange. SUNSET ORANGE. And you?
BUT WHY HAvE I NOT READ ANY DEREK LANDY YET?
I feel like I’m missing out on a lot. Also I’m loving the whole demon theme because yay Supernatural, which I’ve just been super into lately. Lovely review (like always, obvs) XD
YES WHY, NIRVANA. YOU DISAPPOINT ME. I CAN’T EVEN LOOK AT YOU NOW. heeh Okay, fiiiine. Twist my arm. I shall look at you. But seriously it’s epic and all his books are so gloriously fantastic.
I read the title of this book and immediately thought of Supernatural. GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE, am I right? AND I HATE DETOURS. Well, detours with no relevance to the plot. WHY AUTHORS WHY? But I love the sound of Amber already. That’s my kind of character! You know, I have been sick today and miserable, but you are so hilarious that I actually feel better. HOW DO YOU DO IT?
YES. You have a great mind like Derek Landy CLEARLY. Agh, but yes…I keep reading books and thinking “omg why is this scene even here??” so I don’t know if it’s becoming a popular thing. I’m not the fan who flails over “extra” scenes. D: I JUST WANT THE MAIN STORY.
Awww, I’m glad I made you feel a bit better! 😀 I understand the sick/flu-ness though. Gah, my entire household is down with a cold and it’s such a killer for motivation to do stuff, right?! GET BETTER SOON.
Do I like creepy books, you say? HELL YES. I love them! This is definitely going to my TBR. And no, unfortunately I haven’t read any book by Derek Landy, but I will make sure of solving that ASAP.
I tried reading Gone by Michael Grant a while ago, but I ended up DNFing. I just… couldn’t, which is a shame, because I loved the concept.
Also, if you like creepy books, you should definitely try The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. It’s my favourite book series ever and it’s so deliciously creepy. 😀
Anyway, great review! 🙂
OKAY GOOD. Because everyone needs to try a Derek Landy book, tbh. They are so so glorious. Aww, you didn’t like Gone? I LOVED GONE. Although it is a bit rambly at times too. And I’m looking up The Monstrumologist now (omg that’s quite a word to spell!)
Forgot to say, I love your pics!! asflkajdlkjlkjga You’re so talented!
Ahaha I have heard about this book! It sounds like it is going to be hilarious and fun read! I love Supernatural something fierce and this one sounds like it is going to be like that one, but with some other cool characters and well a different-ish storyline! The idea of a road trip being in this demon-butt-kicking book sounds so entertaining. Honestly, I just know I am going to love this book to bits.
My recent post; http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2015/09/life-update-paris-trip-and-summer-is.html
I absolutely ADORE Supernatural and I will be a fan until I am million years old probably. *hugs Sam and Dean and wishes they’d stop breaking the universe* This is definitely a fantastic bookish version. 😀
That’s it, I might have to read this now. After the pile of books currently on my physical bookshelf. And a couple of review books. But damn I want to read this now, the main character sounds AWESOME!
I haven’t read Skullduggery yet but I’ve heard the characters here are pretty similar. I loved the gore, the action and the supernatural action but oh man, Amber was so naive and annoying and Glen, AGGGGHGHGHHG. Milo was cool though and I loved the secrets. Lovely review Cait!
You and Brett have convinced me that I need this book and I need it now. NOW. But, I’ve had success with previous demon books, so I look forward to reading another. 🙂
A car that eats people? Okay, I’m interested!
YAAAAY I AM GLAD. 😀
Yes. I felt the same. I absolutely loved this. But I only ended up giving it 4 stars. That was mostly because I actually got annoyed with Amber at times, I felt she could make some really rubbish decisions. I also wasn’t a big fan of the length, felt it wasn’t necessary for it to be that long. But overall I really enjoyed it and it made me want to read more by the author. So I bought ALL the Skulduggery Pleasant books, now I just need to read them all.
I LOVE this review! It made me so excited to read this book and I’m also a huuuuuge Supernatural fan so AHHHH. I’ll definitely get this as soon as possible, thank you for this brilliant review! 😀
Never heard of book but lately I am totally into demons so bring it on! Not to mention the quotes almost killed me – literally I can understand what does it mean to die ‘because of laughing’.
Not to mention I can see myself totally fall for Amber and Glen, Plus I woud definetely fell for Milo and as my sould wouls start shipping them from the moment he would pick her up.. Romance never dies for me in the books ;))
Add to my read list 🙂
And the car…. just saying the best bloody partner in crime!
Nina
Wattpad story
Oh my gosh! I love your blog and I love Derek Landy too!! I love the way you review, and I agree about the “reused” characters thing. I didn’t quite enjoy this book the same way I enjoyed Skulduggery Pleasant though, and THAT is heavenly!
Eeeep, thank you, Hannah! *flings welcome cake at you* And omg I’m glad you agreed.😂 I can’t wait for the next Demon Road book though. 😀
*Gets squished under the cake* ow but Me too! I’m hoping to meet him in April when it comes out! Have you read the other Skulduggery Pleasant books yet? 😀