Author: Jana Oliver
Release Date: February 1, 2011 (paperback)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 340
Source: Bought
Overall: 3.5 Stars
Summary:
Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…
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?
My Thoughts:
I’ve been looking forward to reading The Demon Trapper’s Daughter for quite some time now, and while it took me longer than I expected to finally have a chance to read it, I’m glad I did. I’m always fascinated by novels where demons play a central part… and I wasn’t disappointed in that regard because we were quickly thrown right into the action from the very beginning!
Jana Oliver has introduced a dark, near-future Atlanta where demons walk among us and where catching them is up to the task of demon trappers who work for the Guild. It’s a constant ongoing battle, with the higher graded demons being the most dangerous… but for seventeen year-old Riley Blackthorne, she would never dream of anything else. Despite the antagonism from the males in her local Trappers Guild, she has always tried to prove her worth and to show them that she’s just as capable as any of them to get the job done.
I really liked Riley’s resilience and determination… and it was a sure good thing she had loads of both. She’s really pulled through the ringer in the novel! Her life begins to crumble when a sudden tragedy occurs in the beginning of the novel, and then everything else that happens in the story afterwards sort of revolves around it. Just when you think things couldn’t possibly get worse for Riley, some obstacle would appear that tried to knock her down. I just felt so bad for her!
As for the romance though… I wasn’t feeling so much love. Simon, another apprentice, never struck me as someone I could grow more of an attachment with. I really thought the only reason Riley was crushing on him was because she thought he was cute, whereas I would have liked to have seen a deeper connection. Beck, trained by Riley’s father and his trapping partner, stepped up for Riley when she really needed someone but even he kind of got on my nerves at times… especially when his point of view was told.
While I felt the romance was rather on the weak side, The Demon Trapper’s Daughter should prove to be a solid read if you’re looking for an exciting supernatural tale with a tough, main protagonist who’s unafraid to back down from a challenge. There were definitely some questions raised about the sudden interest many of the demons were showing into Riley… I sure hope we begin to get some answers when Soul Thief is released!
