Review: Demon Girl by Penelope Fletcher

Title: The Demon Girl

Author: Penelope Fletcher

Sypnosis: Rae Wilder has problems. Plunged into a world of dark magic, fierce creatures and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. Rae finds herself beaten up, repeatedly, and forced to make a choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

Status: Read on November 15, 2010 — I own a copy

My Thoughts:

I liked the storyline of Demon Girl, it includes elements of action, suspense and romance that are well balanced. The Demon Girl is written with enthusiasm and passion for the world and characters Fletcher has created. The dystopian world includes warring tribes of fairy and predatory vampires, and to a lesser extent witches and shifters. Humans are under seige by these demons and Rae lives under the protection of the Sect, training to become a cleric. Yet Rae has always felt she doesn’t quite fit in. When she ventures outside the wall she meets Breandan, a fairy to whom she is irresistably drawn and discovers the truth of her heritage. Rae is not human, and is the guardian of a powerful medallion which pitches her into the center of a magic battle for power. I think the premise is strong, it provides plenty of scope for action and suspense as Rae decides who to trust. Fletcher teases out the main story thread a bit haphazardly, at times the story stalls but in the main Fletcher moves the story forward well. The internal conflict between the fae adds an interesting depth and its obvious Fletcher carefully thought out the background and main plot points.

Rae is both likeable and irritating. Her almost constant vacillating between denial and acceptance gets a bit wearing but she has strength and courage when needed. I think she lacks the maturity to appeal to a more mature audience but a YA readership will enjoy her rebelliousness. Rae and Breandan’s fated romance is an appealing element. As the main love interest, Breandan is suitably masculine in description and behaviour despite Rae referring to him as FairyBoy. Tomas is a vampire that becomes the third point in a romantic triangle with Rae and Breandan. Initially it seemed Tomas had a specific purpose within the main storyline but I felt that it wasn’t adequately developed or resolved, his reasons for seeking out Rae were lost once Rae’s attachment to him was established.
While I admire the storyline, there is a lack of sophistication in Fletcher’s style and I think the story would benefit from some experienced editing. There are also numerous copy issues, including grammar, spelling and structural errors, that I fairly itched to correct with a red pen.
Fletcher’s obvious enthusiasm for writing can only lead to better things. Fletcher has some real potential as a storyteller, her writing is wonderfully descriptive and Demon Girl has a creative storyline and characters.
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Demon Girl is available

In eBook format
@ Amazon
Apple iBookstore for iPhone, iPad, iTouch devices. Barnes & Noble eBook store (Nook), Diesel eBook store

Read an excerpt at the Authors blog

@ Goodreads