Reviews - The Demonata (4) - Bec: Complete & Unabridged

I actually started reading this series with BEC - and out of the whole Demonata it's arguably my favourite instalment. It ties in to the others, giving us more origin stories but also works well as a standalone

Following Bec, a young priestess who was found by a stray warrior who is now in charge of defending her people from Demons and the rise of Christianity alike. When a child only known as "Run Fast" appears with a grave warning, and Bec, along with the Druid Drust, has to try to close the portal that allows Lord Loss access to this world, getting trapped and tortured in the process - she finds out what her destiny was - at a high cost.

Her village thinks she is on a suicide mission, but she keeps trying to learn a new way to practice magic to defeat the evil slowly taking control. Her character is intricate and pulls you in, making you want to know more about her powers and her personality. The setting, back in 500AD is painted so well that you can feel the history in the story.

The story did drag slightly in places, but it always picked back up again.

The last line of the book, "Screams in the Dark" leaves part of the horror up to our imaginations but gives us enough to know exactly what has happened. It also mirrors the first line of the book, a memory about Becs own birth, showing the full cycle of life and implying this ending was inevitable.

purplejade's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ludmireads's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

gummifrog's review against another edition

3.0

I really love Darren Shan's writing, truly, and the Demonata series so far is wonderful. But seriously, I almost didn't finish this book. It took me eight months to finish a less-than-200 page book. I was so uninvested in the characters and the struggles, until probably about the last 40 pages.

The eponymous Bec is a young Celtic priestess in ~500AD, and her culture is being dismantled by demons and Christians alike. When her clan is visited by a strange boy with a grave warning, a select group goes out on a search to find his people and help them.

The presence of magic in this book was my favorite out of all of them so far. I loved Bec's power, her strength, her confidence. I love that she's a girl! But there was barely any palpable tension with the everpresent Lord Loss, and it felt like most of the Shan-brand horror that I'm usually so impressed with was for the shock value. I hope I can see the series get better with the next few books, which are sitting on my shelf!