Saturday, April 3, 2010

Book Review

Demons are Forever: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 3)
by Julie Kenner
Jove
2008

What do you do when your daughter has learned your secret and wants to grow up to be just like you? Not so bad if your secret is that you are Batman's tailor. It’s very bad if you are in the dangerous biz of hunting demons. Kate Connor, a Level Four Demon Hunter, is right in the middle of this nightmare. Thanks to a couple of human pets kidnapping her daughter Allie and Kate's daring rescue plan, Allie now knows that Kate isn't your typical soccer mom. Of course, since Allie is a teenager, being forbidden to do something means that that's the first thing she's going to do.


It doesn't help that Kate's late husband, Eric, has somehow managed to use dark powers to take over the body of another human. She's so confused - does she stick with her new husband or does she want Eric back enough to rip her new family apart.

This is book is more emotional in a lot of ways, thanks to Allie and Eric. Allie, being an emotional, hormone-driven teenager, provides plenty of angst. She reminds me a lot of Dawn in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series - lots of emo tears and wailing and screaming (probably). That part I didn't care for - I thought she needed a good smack - but at least I didn't have to listen to it. The triangle with Eric, Kate, and Stuart was interestingly played - I honestly wasn't sure which way Kate was going to go. True, she loves Stuart and he doesn't deserve to be hurt like that but when it's your soul mate in the equation, the waters tend to get muddied. I will definitely be looking for the next book in this series - I have to know what happens next!

Book Review

California Demon: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 2)
by Julie Kenner
Jove
2007

Kate Connor spent the first two decades of her life fighting demons and saving the world from the darkness. All she ever wanted after that was to retire with her husband, Eric, and raise their daughter in peace. So they relocated to San Diablo, California - demon-free thanks to the large Catholic cathedral that is the focal point for the town. Fifteen years later, Eric is gone - murdered in a mugging gone wrong - and Kate is remarried to Stuart. They have a son together and life is slowly coming back together. Or so Kate thinks. Demons come to San Diablo and Kate is once again thrust into the role of Level 4 Demon Hunter. However, she still has to keep up with her role as stay-at-home mom and super-wife to a political candidate. And she's got a new houseguest to keep up with in Eddie, a retired Demon Hunter who knows more than he wants to say.

Kate's daughter, Allie, has started high school and is quickly enveloped in all the extracurricular activities: cheerleading, working with the surf club to put on a fundraiser, and potentially dating. Fantastic! There's a new teacher at the school that seems entirely too familiar to Kate - David Long's mannerisms cut too close to Kate's late husband's for comfort. And Kate's best friend Laura thinks her husband is having an affair. Is David actually Eric? Is Allie dating a demon? Did Timmy just flush the goldfish down the toilet?

Nothing is ever simple in the life of a demon-hunting soccer mom!

Kenner's second installment in the series picks up just a few months after the second book left off. A lot of the characters are back for this second installment and Kenner does a good job reminding us that they've changed due to the events in the first book. One thing that I didn't mention before is that I absolutely love the titles of these books. Carpe Demon, California Demon - clever and catchy. California Demon is a great read that I recommend to any fan of the supernatural!

Book Review

Carpe Demon: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (book 1)
by Julie Kenner
Jove
2006

Life may not be completely roses and sunshine for Kate Connor - after all, raising a teenager and a toddler isn't a walk in the park - but at least she hasn't had to slay a demon in years. San Diablo has never been a hotbed of demonic activity. That's what drew Kate and her late husband to the area in the first place - a nice safe place to settle in and raise a family. Until today. On a shopping trip with her children, Kate catches a whiff of demonic bad breath and the next thing she knows, she's got a dead demon in her kitchen, a broken picture window, two kids that can't know anything about what just happened, and a husband who's bringing people over for a "small dinner party" in hopes of garnering support for his bid to be County Attorney.

Peachy.

Now Kate finds herself in a situation she's never been in before - balancing being thrown back into the wonderful world of Hunting with being a stay-at-home mom and superwife to a political candidate. The demon Goramesh has come to town and he wants something. But what? To make matters worse, she's not sure who she can trust - is her husband working with the forces of darkness? What about Cutter, the handsome but nosy martial arts expert who's trying to help her get back into shape? Just like the Transformers, there is more to this little town than meets the eye.

And how on Earth is she supposed to hunt demons with a toddler on her hip?

Kenner's opening book in the Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series is like what would happen if Buffy grew up, had a family, and had to start slaying again. Being a fan of Buffy, that's what drew me to the series in the first place. Kenner does a wonderful job explaining who her characters are and how they all tie together. As I was reading the story, I was able to get a mental picture of the characters and the setting. In parts, the flow of the story lagged just a bit but Kenner was able to bring it back on track and recapture my interest.