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veraann's review
2.0
I can say a lot of good things about this and if it can be grabbed by a good content editor the star rating would be much higher. It is a great quirky, light-hearted paranormal. The pacing was great and the plot interesting.
The problems that could use some editing is the inconsistency in some characters. The way some scenes just jump with no build or much background. The writer is great and with a bit of editing would jump from amazing potential of a book to a highly recommended book. I hope it does get picked up for some minor tweaks and as is it may be still worth the read for some that are looking for something light and quirky characters.
The problems that could use some editing is the inconsistency in some characters. The way some scenes just jump with no build or much background. The writer is great and with a bit of editing would jump from amazing potential of a book to a highly recommended book. I hope it does get picked up for some minor tweaks and as is it may be still worth the read for some that are looking for something light and quirky characters.
Spoiler
Examples of the just jumping are that the weapon she uses all the sudden is talked about for her training and after about a chapter or two it is finally explained what it looks like. We are told at one point her grandma is wanted for murder, then nothing about it until all the sudden she is told grandma murdered mom, but there was barely a reaction. There is also things like the fact the character does a complete change with no real push or need shown for it other than some rules of a slayer we are told. A bit of tightening up on build, reasoning and reaction would go a long way imo.kathydavie's review against another edition
2.0
First in the Demon Slayer series.
I can't figure out if this is supposed to be a caricature or is simply awful. It was a struggle to keep turning the pages and continue reading it was so incredibly ridiculous. I'd like to think I have a great sense of quirky humor but this really pushed that particular envelope...right on over the edge.
To be fair, what really drove me nuts was how everyone treated Lizzie. She finds out about her magic in a flood of purple flames as an imp is about to grab her and then everyone just keeps grabbing at her and expecting her to know what to do without letting the girl catch her breath or without telling her what's going on. They lob threats at her, beat on her, and jam deadlines on her. WTF! It drove me even more nuts that she didn't just shut down and yell right back! What a wimp! And s-t-u-p-i-d. So, if you believe you can step back from this behavior, you will probably enjoy it.
Fox did catch my attention with her first page, I'll give her that. And it is funny. Until it's all put together. I'll try the second in the series in case of first book jitters, but if it's as bad as this one, I will stop reading.
Ryan Harmon was supposed to be Lizzie's present at her 30th birthday dinner but the bad guys had other ideas. Right along with Grandma who stated it was for her own good. It seems that Lizzie has always had this magic but it was tucked away and hidden until now. And now is when the demons, imps, and other bad guys are comin' after her but Grandma is here to save the day. Hah.
A Grandma Lizzie never knew existed let alone that magic existed. Or that Grandma was a witch. So, if your idea of saving the day is drag your granddaughter off on the back of a Harley with no notice with a dog that suddenly starts talking to ya, ya gots the right story!
Naturally, there are attacks along the way to the tumbledown Red Hats biker bar where she's expected to just take it all in along with the Beast Feast [cooked roadkill] and tiger-striped black leather pants along with someone else's underpants that reads "My vibrator has two wheels".
Granny's coven just keeps using and using Lizzie expecting her to figure it out between fireballs. The only one who seems to want to help Lizzie is Dimitri. And even he has his own agenda.
Lizzie Brown is a teacher at the Happy Hands Preschool. Pirate, a Jack Russell terrier, is her totally useless but lots of fun-to-chat-with watchdog. Cliff and Hillary are her cold, adoptive parents. Phoenix is her mother's name; her twin was Serefina.
Grandma, a.k.a., Gertie, is a rad' Harley-ridin' biker chick and part of the Red Skulls coven of bikers including Ant Eater who practices the "WWE style of diplomacy" [personally, I think that's sugar coating her style]; Betty Two Sticks; Sidecar Bob who's trapped in a wheelchair; Scarlet; and, Crazy Frieda who dresses like a Vegas stripper. Dimitri Kallinikos is Greek. And a shapeshifting griffin. He's also Lizzie's protector. Great-great-aunt Evie was the last demon slayer.
Vald is a demon who has been after Grandma for a long time. Even better if he can get Lizzie. Rex is the challenging werewolf and Fang is the leader of the wolfpack. Andrea is the wolf sucking up to Rex.
The cover has a red-on-red striped background with the stripes radiating out from a central point with a deep gray flowery scroll superimposed at the center. It shows Lizzie's lower half wearing a very short black dress and slouchy black suede boots with a collection of bangles on her left wrist while her right hand rests atop her sword which points into the ground while poochiekins sits at her foot looking up at her.
The title refers to the fact that Lizzie has absolutely no training nor a clue as to how to slay demons. She truly is The Accidental Demon Slayer winging it the best she can.
My Take
I can't figure out if this is supposed to be a caricature or is simply awful. It was a struggle to keep turning the pages and continue reading it was so incredibly ridiculous. I'd like to think I have a great sense of quirky humor but this really pushed that particular envelope...right on over the edge.
To be fair, what really drove me nuts was how everyone treated Lizzie. She finds out about her magic in a flood of purple flames as an imp is about to grab her and then everyone just keeps grabbing at her and expecting her to know what to do without letting the girl catch her breath or without telling her what's going on. They lob threats at her, beat on her, and jam deadlines on her. WTF! It drove me even more nuts that she didn't just shut down and yell right back! What a wimp! And s-t-u-p-i-d. So, if you believe you can step back from this behavior, you will probably enjoy it.
Fox did catch my attention with her first page, I'll give her that. And it is funny. Until it's all put together. I'll try the second in the series in case of first book jitters, but if it's as bad as this one, I will stop reading.
The Story
Ryan Harmon was supposed to be Lizzie's present at her 30th birthday dinner but the bad guys had other ideas. Right along with Grandma who stated it was for her own good. It seems that Lizzie has always had this magic but it was tucked away and hidden until now. And now is when the demons, imps, and other bad guys are comin' after her but Grandma is here to save the day. Hah.
A Grandma Lizzie never knew existed let alone that magic existed. Or that Grandma was a witch. So, if your idea of saving the day is drag your granddaughter off on the back of a Harley with no notice with a dog that suddenly starts talking to ya, ya gots the right story!
Naturally, there are attacks along the way to the tumbledown Red Hats biker bar where she's expected to just take it all in along with the Beast Feast [cooked roadkill] and tiger-striped black leather pants along with someone else's underpants that reads "My vibrator has two wheels".
Granny's coven just keeps using and using Lizzie expecting her to figure it out between fireballs. The only one who seems to want to help Lizzie is Dimitri. And even he has his own agenda.
The Characters
Lizzie Brown is a teacher at the Happy Hands Preschool. Pirate, a Jack Russell terrier, is her totally useless but lots of fun-to-chat-with watchdog. Cliff and Hillary are her cold, adoptive parents. Phoenix is her mother's name; her twin was Serefina.
Grandma, a.k.a., Gertie, is a rad' Harley-ridin' biker chick and part of the Red Skulls coven of bikers including Ant Eater who practices the "WWE style of diplomacy" [personally, I think that's sugar coating her style]; Betty Two Sticks; Sidecar Bob who's trapped in a wheelchair; Scarlet; and, Crazy Frieda who dresses like a Vegas stripper. Dimitri Kallinikos is Greek. And a shapeshifting griffin. He's also Lizzie's protector. Great-great-aunt Evie was the last demon slayer.
Vald is a demon who has been after Grandma for a long time. Even better if he can get Lizzie. Rex is the challenging werewolf and Fang is the leader of the wolfpack. Andrea is the wolf sucking up to Rex.
The Cover
The cover has a red-on-red striped background with the stripes radiating out from a central point with a deep gray flowery scroll superimposed at the center. It shows Lizzie's lower half wearing a very short black dress and slouchy black suede boots with a collection of bangles on her left wrist while her right hand rests atop her sword which points into the ground while poochiekins sits at her foot looking up at her.
The title refers to the fact that Lizzie has absolutely no training nor a clue as to how to slay demons. She truly is The Accidental Demon Slayer winging it the best she can.
jowithtwoiis's review against another edition
1.0
I don't think this is my brand of paranormal fiction. Blech.
laureenreads's review against another edition
3.0
he Accidental Demon Slayer was a surprising book to read. So many Urban Fantasy books tend to stay well within their standard parameters of action and fantasy in an urban setting, but this one spruces it up with a lot of humour that made this book fun to read, as well as keeping it from ever being boring.
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harleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting read. I like Angie Fox's writing style it's really easy breezy, but this story didn't hold my attention like her southern spirits series. It was still enjoyable just something felt off for most of the book. I'm not sure if I will be continuing on with the series or not yet.
keberwick's review against another edition
3.0
This book deserves a 3.75. It was a very interesting idea, but the heroine bothered me at times. She seemed to be a very typical Fantasy Romance leading-lady. With this said, I will read the second book.
eg_m's review against another edition
4.0
Another light-hearted romance featuring the impossible. I was totally sucked in by the JRT on the cover. Who talks. Ms. Fox does an excellent job of giving a hyper terrier a voice.
misswitch's review against another edition
4.0
This book owes a lot to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I won't lie, I kept picturing Sarah Michelle Gellar as the main character. However, for me, this added to my enjoyment of the book instead of detracting.
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
3.0
I accidentally read book two in the Demon Slayer series first so I had to go back and catch up on book one, The Accidentally Demon Slayer. I loved book two so much I couldn’t wait to see how Lizzie and Dimitri met. But for some reason, this story just aggravated me. I can understand that slowly a story will be explained but how Lizzie’s grandmother and her grandmother’s biker friends kept information from her, I was more frustrated than intrigued. I am blaming my mood more than the book because I loved book two so much so I want to continue reading the series, but this one just didn’t do it for me.