A review by bookshelvesandtealeaves
The Spider and Her Demons by sydney khoo

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Huge thank you to Penguin Aus for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Y’all, I am obsessed with this book. This was such a fun, interesting, emotional read. I’ve not read anything quite like it before. I especially love that it’s an urban fantasy set in Australia! This is such an exciting debut.

I loved our main character, Zhi. She’s dealing with all the difficult crap that comes with being a teenager and then on top of that, she’s dealing with being a Spider Demon and having to keep that a secret, and my heart just went out to her. I felt her pain of feeling like a burden, of wishing her aunt could love her differently, of being unsure and insecure. But Zhi’s strong, stronger than she realises, and I loved her journey through this book.

And oh, my God? Dior??? She’s fantastic. I had no idea what was going on with her, if she was gonna end up the villain or not. She was just as fascinating as Zhi, and I loved their fast-growing friendship.

I wish there’d been more on the magic stuff, but I also understand that Zhi’s only at the beginning of her magical journey. I hope we might get a sequel or two in future! 🤞