Demoneater

Author: Royce Buckingham
Format: eARC
Print Length: 172 pages
Publisher: Story Merchant Books
Published: Feb. 25, 2012

Seattle’s demons are scared and wreaking havoc in the rainy city. They’ve burned their way through the Seattle underground, threatened to topple the Space Needle, and sent a twenty foot statue rampaging downtown.

It’s up to Nathaniel Grimlock, the teenage Demonkeeper, to control them, but when he discovers what’s stirring them up—a legendary monster known as the Demoneater—he finds that he’s in over his head yet again!

My Thoughts

“He is devouring them,” it said simply.  My mentor is a Demoneater.”  Read the journal in which a Demonkeeper was writing in.  He has just realized that his mentor, the one who trained him to be a Demonkeeper is no longer the man he knew.  This was bad, really bad.  You see a Keeper’s job was to give demons a safe place to live. 

The book then fast-forwards to present day, where the Fremont troll has disappeared.  This would not normally warrant attention, except the troll was incased in two tons worth of concrete, wire and steel rebar.  Instead of being a statue in the park like the normal humans thought, the troll was really a sedentary entity who liked to make folks squirm.  While Nat, Sandy and Richie are out looking for the troll they run into to equally strange characters.  Mr. Calamitous, a weird researcher and Lilli a free-spirit from San Francisco.

The introduction of another female character- as we all know will lead to a love tri-angle.  The love tri-angle does little to help the book move along.  The execution of the love tri-angle is awkward at best.  In fact, it actually made me very mad at Nat- how dare he put Sandy though this.  As each other’s first romantic interest, one would have hoped that Lilli would have just been a friend to Nat and Sandy.  But no- Buckingham goes there.  Even worse, there is no true resolution of the tri-angle before the end of the book.

Demoneater is a refreshing take on the paranormal world that had exploded over the last few years.  I had a hard time cheering for Nat, the main character.  Yeah, he helps Richie out and gives him a place to live.  Richie by the way is hilarious.  Sandy is loyal and resourceful, a character that you want happiness for.  Lilli, is well weak, with a woe is me kinda attitude that annoyed me.  Why?  Her character sees the beauty in things, but it is not portrayed every well.

The entity that scares the Troll into hiding does not come out into the open until chapter 23.  I cannot help but wonder if the introduction of the bad guy earlier would have made the book read at a faster pace. 

The cover of the book while eye-catching does not give anything away, neither does the synopsis. This is a shame because while some do judge a book by the cover, others judge it by the synopsis.  I did not feel that either did the book justice.  A trio of teenagers, surrounded by mischievous demons while a female teen looks on from the distance with a demon on her shoulder would be a better jacket for the book. 

I am going to have to rate this book 2½ stars out of 5.  I was excited to read the book and remained excited about it until Chapter 10 titled Two Kisses.  While I do like love tri-angles, I feel that not all books need them.  This one clearly did not, as it crushed my enjoyment of the book greatly.

My Ratings 2½ stars out of 5

Other Characters

Richie- homeless teenager, Nat makes him his apprentice.
Sandy- Nat’s librarian girlfriend, he is her first boyfriend.  She happens to be his first girlfriend as well.

Mr. Neebor- the ornery old guy who lives, you guessed it next door.
Mr. Calamitous- weird researcher, keeps showing up.
Lilli- a free-spirited hippie chick, who happens to be another Demonkeeper.