Review by Fatima_Palacios -- Demon Heart by David Crane

[Fatima_Palacios]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Demon Heart" by David Crane.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Mysteries, demons, and gore are the best words to describe this book, Demon Heart by David Crane is a fascinating tale across Japan that focuses on Naoko Kitamura a demon hybrid that has to learn to control her inner demon while living a normal life between humans.

Naoko has incredible powers that no human can challenge, at an early age she is told by her mother her true nature as a half-demon. Naoko’s family heritage comes from over 300 hundred years ago and is only passed to women in the family. As Naoko grows up, she has to learn to control her emotions and powers but she is also free to decide if she wants to use them for good or for wrong. Throughout the book, there are many instances where a little lack of control put Naoko’s life in danger and moments in which she is shown the limits of her human form. Although she is not embarrassed about who she is, she does not approve of other hybrid's attitudes. Naoko fights against all the odds and learns how to become a positive example helping others with her abilities just like her mother did before her.

While reading this book I found myself intrigued for what was to come. I loved the way Naoko is raw on her emotions and how she loses control over things that regular people would not tolerate. I think the part I like the most is her character development and how she grows in her own skin. The author did a great job illustrating this character on paper. Sadly the same can not be said for all other characters, some are only mentioned a few times in the story or used only as a prompt to show Naoko feelings and challenges.

The narrative of the book is fast-paced but pleasant, the story advances fast as we follow Naoko since her early years to her maturity. The author doesn't stop more than necessary in every event and quickly continues to the next important thing.

What I disliked the most about the book was the lack of purpose during the reading, we know Naoko would face great challenges but for the most part of the book she is not facing anything in specific, most challenges are just small instances that help her grow. I would have enjoyed it better if the book had a story that focused on a big and consistent challenge or a common evil as the main villain of the book.

I would like to point out how explicit the gore is in this book, the author does not shy away from gore and describes very bloody incidents on the story, so if you are someone who does not like gore, this book is not for you. If you don't mind blood, this is for sure a must-read as it is a very interesting and different tale. The set up of the whole story makes you learn a little bit more about Japan that what you can learn from regular media or news. We are presented with legends, traditions, and folklore of Japan, so I consider this a great read for those who love different cultures.

All in all the book is great and I think it deserves a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. There were some minimal errors with the font but nothing too big to lower the score of the book. We have don't have explicit sexual content and the curse words arent that frequent, I would also like to mention theres no barriers when talking of religions, the book remains pretty neutral in that aspect. I urge you all to get a copy and learn about Naoko's story in this gory tale.

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Demon Heart
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[Rayasaurus]

I think the concept of this book is super interesting, but I cannot handle much gore at all in what I read. Thank you for the review!

[Fatima_Palacios]

I think the concept of this book is super interesting, but I cannot handle much gore at all in what I read. Thank you for the review!

Yeah Gore is a main characther in this book, thanks for the reply