Demon Road by Derek Landy
Review by Kylie Thompson
Genre: YA, supernatural
Amber Lamont is an almost stereotypical 16 year old girl, or at least, the sort of stereotype adults seem to imagine. Insecure, worried that she doesn’t really relate to her gorgeous parents, and happy to escape online to avoid the realities of her life, Amber isn’t what you’d call a gorgeous social butterfly. She has a job she likes, where she gets to work with friends, but overall, it’s not a glamourous existence.
But Amber’s quiet little life is shifted violently when two rude customers arrive at her work, setting off a chain reaction Amber could never imagine.
Demon Road took a little long to get started for my tastes, and older readers may not be quite as forgiving of Amber’s woe-is-me introduction as the intended teenage readership. And yet, it’s hard not to relate to Amber. Who doesn’t feel out of place in the world, or unsure of who and what they are when all is said and done?
Through the course of the series, I don’t doubt we’ll get to see Amber come into her own as a strong and capable heroine, and that character growth will be fun to see.
Demon Road is like an alternate universe version of the CW network’s Supernatural- chock full of monsters and mayhem, but without the troubling misogyny. Amber might be hopelessly unprepared for the world shifting around her, but she’s also more than capable of learning to deal with the chaos she’s finding.
Derek Landy is the writer behind the incredibly successful and well-loved Skulduggery Pleasant series, and fans of the Skulduggery series will find a lot to love in Landy’s newest foray into the supernatural genre.
Demon Road is the sort of story that can easily transcend age groups, and it can be fun to look back on your own teenage years of feeling like a misfit through the lens of Amber’s journey. And though the protagonist is female, it’s certainly not a story just for female readers. If you like supernatural adventures in your coming of age stories, it’s going to be a great read.
If you’re after a book that leaps instantly into the action, this may not be the book you’re looking for. But if you’re a fan of the slow burn into action method of storytelling, Landy has done a masterful job in creating a world that could so easily be our own. And isn’t that half the fun of supernatural stories?
Demon Road is published by Harper Collins, and is available through the publisher’s website, and through the usual physical and online stores.
Rating: 3 stars
