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A review by aashkevr
A Demon Made Me Do It by Penelope King
4.0
My favorite thing about A Demon Made Me Do It was that I couldn't call what was going to happen. Especially with the love triangle ... square ... pentagon (heck, we could throw in a countless number of sides, I suppose)? It was nice to not know precisely who was going to end up with who. I love that readers get a prophecy pretty early on in the novel, but that it doesn't really give away the future, just muddles it and provides possibilities (like a good prophecy should).
OK, actually, my favorite thing might have been the dual narration. I had a hard time, at the end of any given chapter, knowing who I wanted to hear from next. I thought the development of the story was deftly handled as well. Sometimes it would take several chapters to get a single day and night covered, and other times, Liora or Lucky would sum up three or four days with a few sentences. The pacing of the story was strong. Because both Lucky and Liora had interesting lives, there wasn't a need for a whole lot of "action" in the majority of the book - the characters held the reader's attention. I personally abhor "paranormal" stories where every other chapter SOMETHING attacks - it was nice to have action in a believable way - Lucky went out looking for it. The division between interpersonal drama, action, romance, flashbacks and plot exposition was balanced and designed for reader enjoyment.
Also, the world was immersive, but for the most part, well-explained. And some of the secrets, the reader gets the idea, are not shared on purpose but will slowly unfold as the series continues. The characters were also well-developed. Their personalities and motivations made *sense* (how refreshing) and the reader could relate to them. The one exception to this rule was, of course, supposed to be the exception. Even as the characters in the book wondered what he was up to, that hunk of gorgeous subterfuge, so too did the readers. Thus King has set the reader up to identify with her characters and to have every reason to continue reading.
Highly enjoyable.
Oh, PS. I love Bones. :D
OK, actually, my favorite thing might have been the dual narration. I had a hard time, at the end of any given chapter, knowing who I wanted to hear from next. I thought the development of the story was deftly handled as well. Sometimes it would take several chapters to get a single day and night covered, and other times, Liora or Lucky would sum up three or four days with a few sentences. The pacing of the story was strong. Because both Lucky and Liora had interesting lives, there wasn't a need for a whole lot of "action" in the majority of the book - the characters held the reader's attention. I personally abhor "paranormal" stories where every other chapter SOMETHING attacks - it was nice to have action in a believable way - Lucky went out looking for it. The division between interpersonal drama, action, romance, flashbacks and plot exposition was balanced and designed for reader enjoyment.
Also, the world was immersive, but for the most part, well-explained. And some of the secrets, the reader gets the idea, are not shared on purpose but will slowly unfold as the series continues. The characters were also well-developed. Their personalities and motivations made *sense* (how refreshing) and the reader could relate to them. The one exception to this rule was, of course, supposed to be the exception. Even as the characters in the book wondered what he was up to, that hunk of gorgeous subterfuge, so too did the readers. Thus King has set the reader up to identify with her characters and to have every reason to continue reading.
Highly enjoyable.
Spoiler
My one plot question has to do with the deaths of Cody and his girl ... I'd love to know why them, why now, why there? I hope this gets answered. I had a hard time understanding the motivations of the enemy or their prey - and also figuring out why they were still acting in that area if Lucky had supposedly scared them off with her hunting. I feel fairly confident that there is yet more Kieron subterfuge and interesting motivation surrounding these two prisoners, and I look forward to understanding it.Oh, PS. I love Bones. :D