Amaterasu Reads: Review: Forsaken (The Demon Trappers #1) by Jana Oliver

Demons! Oh, how I love reading about them.

With an action packed storyline reminiscent of The Mortal Instruments and a sassy, determined heroine just like Ari of Darkness Becomes Her, Jana Oliver has rewritten a gem of a novel so entertaining you wouldn't even notice it's 400 pages long. It's THAT addicting.

Title: Forsaken (The Demon Trappers #1) by Jana Oliver
Pages: 448
Release Date: February 7th, 2011
Published by: MacMillan Children's Books
Source: From publisher (Thanks, MacMillan Children's Books!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary (from Goodreads):

Riley has always wanted to be a Demon Trapper like her father, and she's already following in his footsteps as one of the best. But it's tough being the only girl in an all-guy world, especially when three of those guys start making her life more complicated: Simon, the angelic apprentice who has heaven on his side; Beck, the tough trapper who thinks he's God's gift, and Ori, the strikingly sexy stranger who keeps turning up to save her ass. One thing's for sure - if she doesn't keep her wits about her there'll be hell to pay...

Readers are thrust into Riley's world, where stoplights don't serve their purpose anymore, people can barely afford to buy cigarettes (for $100 a piece), and Holy Water was made by the tanks, blessed, manufactured and are the main weapons of a small band of people hunting Demons for a living.

Recently having lost her mother to a painful bout with cancer, Riley was gearing up to follow the footsteps of her father, one of the best Master Demon Trappers in the world. She's got the attitude and though still a newbie, she's got potential. Then things go wrong, and Riley finds herself struggling to get through a familiar world alone, and it's proving to be difficult. She refuses to get help from Beck, her father's apprentice, she's slowly pulling away from her friend Peter, and she meets a stranger who seems to like saving her. Oh, and there is Simon, the NCB (Nice Christian Boy) who she likes. Very much.

I tend to get addicted to books having well-crafted, solid descriptions and Jana Oliver gets a big thumbs-up from me for her brilliant world building. We get to know what it's like to navigate Riley's distant futuristic world as we learn about Geo-fiends, Pyro-Fiends, Demons of different levels and how everything goes in the world of Demon trapping without it being boring or overly lengthy. Personally, I think Magpies were cute, and Biblios are a big pain in the butt. And the best way to get out of a succubus trance? Humming Taylor Swift's song, which I find highly funny and amusing.

Before I knew it I was fully immersed into 2018 Atlanta and was gasping at every single Demon encounter Riley was getting herself into, cringing at the way they clean up afterwards, feeling sad for all the trials Riley's facing, and then cheering her on as she stubbornly refuses to give up, not wanting to be pushed over by anyone and is determined to carve a path of her own as a Demon Trapper. Who cares if she's a girl? She knows she has a lot to learn, and she knows she can do it.

There were plenty of drama and conflict going on that it was easy to ignore how much questions seem to be popping up instead of getting answered as I progress through the book, but it was a welcome distraction. Readers won't be able to get enough of the tangled mess that was Riley's life and the growing threat of the Demons. Jana Oliver was able to bring out a lot of very interesting characters and managed to keep us all intrigued and eagerly anticipating for the sequel as we all await the answers to the riddles peppered throughout the story.

Why do the demons know Riley's name? Why is a Geo-Fiend, level 5 demon after her? How did her father get re-animated? And who is Ori? Again, personally, I am more interested in finding out who this mysterious "stranger" is, because my mind's already putting together possible plots and surprises trying to solve the puzzle that is Ori.

When it comes to the romance, we get a bit of it in the story, but I have to say I am putting up Team Beck banners. Riley's and Simon's relationship seemed a bit rushed for me, lacking in intensity, and I think her chemistry works best with Beck. Beck was there for her when times were rough, and though he seems to be always misunderstood, he does the sweetest things for Riley and she doesn't even know it sometimes!

Overall, Jana Oliver created a wonderful story, giving us a taste of her wonderful writing and a small sneak peek of what's to come in Riley's slowly shifting world. Filled with action and breath-taking suspense, Forsaken is a thrill ride through a dark, fantastic story. Readers won't be able to get enough of everything they'll discover in this wonderful book!

Content (plot, story flow, character):

Way to go for a sassy female lead!