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BOOKLIST -
reviewed by
Debbie Carton |
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Older fans of
Shan's gory,
gripping Cirque
du Freak series
will welcome
this first book
in the Demonata
series, which
features a
similar horrific
spin, dark
humor, and
graphic detail.
Grubitsch Grady
("Grubbs" for
short) walks
into his
parents' bedroom
to find his
mother, father,
and older sister
torn to pieces
by Lord Loss, a
powerful demon
that feeds on
human pain and
suffering.
Grubbs is
attacked by Lord
Loss' familiars,
marvelously
creepy hybrid
creatures, and
to his great
astonishment, he
manages to
escape. Not
surprisingly, he
ends up in a
mental
institution,
completely
derailed by the
horror he has
seen and
experienced.
Eventually, he
is taken in by
his uncle
Dervish,
discovers a
cousin he never
knew, and, alas,
learns that
lycanthropy runs
in the family.
The plot rolls
along at high
speed, but Shan
is still quite
adept when it
comes to
capturing
Grubbs'
roller-coaster
emotions--loss
and grief and,
later, trust. A
sneak peek at
the second book
in the series,
Demon Thief,
shows Shan
continuing in
the same vein
but with
different
characters. |
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