Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
JJ lost his family when he was a child; his parents, his life, were gone in one moment. Taken in by the Sanctum, JJ was trained to be a demon hunter, to be ruthless, dangerous, cold blooded, and monstrous. He’s good at it, and he tries to be great, to prove to the Sanctum that he was worth saving. But when he comes face to face with a young demon, whose age is somewhere between toddler and child, JJ can’t be the hunter he’s supposed to be.
Instead of taking the demon back to the Sanctum to be tortured, JJ hides her in his room. He names her Desi, loads cartoons onto his laptop, and teaches her about tacos. If she’s found, it means death for them both, but he can’t give her up.
Cass is a demon. Old, powerful, and one who’s broken into the Sanctum a time or two before, so when they need someone to go in and rescue a baby demon, Cass is who they choose. And so he does. The only problem is that the baby demon is wailing, sobbing, crying her little heart out. Desi wants her JJ, and she wants him now. Cass may be a demon, but he’s not a monster, so … it’s time to set up some play dates between the demon and the demon hunter.
Children in books can be very hit or miss for me. Sometimes they’re played too young, or too wise beyond their years. Sometimes they steal the show, sometimes they’re nothing more than props, showing up when convenient but otherwise ignored by parents and parent figures. This is a book, though, that manages to strike the perfect balance between having Desi being cute and adorable and present, and still managing to spend time with Cass and JJ as they slowly build their relationship from enemies to rivals to friends and, eventually, as lovers.
This is the first book in the Redwater Demons series and, pacing wise, it’s a lumpy book. Long chapters are spent on the family bonding as Desi plays with wyverns, eats tacos, and is generally cute, while Cass and JJ have conversations over her head. Demons don’t often come as young as Desi, so it’s a perfect moment to explain demons, how they come into the mortal world, their limits, and their powers. It feels natural and necessary and flows very well. JJ talking to Cass about his life in the Sanctum, likewise, feels like two men taking a quiet moment to lean on one another, and allowed a lot to be skimmed over — which will probably be dealt with in more detail in later books — while still cutting to the heart of JJ and his relationship with the hunters.
The writing is well done, the plot is tight and well constructed, and the world building is just, honestly, so, so good. The Sanctum, a secretive organization, is viewed as a creepy cult by the town. The Chain, the group that registers and controls demons, are seen as petty bureaucrats no one likes. And it’s refreshing to see the regular civilian’s point of view as well. The side characters of fellow Sanctum members, fellow demons, and even random humans wandered in and out easily and organically. While you can tell who is being set up for their own book, they don’t steal the focus from the growing relationship between JJ and Cass.
If you’re looking for a new paranormal romance, or a demon/demon hunter romance, or a family-oriented adventure story, this is well worth a read. However, for people who aren’t as interested in kid-focused books, you might want to wait for the sequel, instead, which I will be eagerly waiting to read.
