Review by ErikaP13 -- Demon Freaks
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ErikaP13
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Review by ErikaP13 -- Demon Freaks
[Following is a volunteer review of "Demon Freaks" by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison.]
Ron and Bing Slaughter have a lot to worry about. After getting in trouble for a not-so-flattering song written about their teacher and performed at a school dance, the twins have to watch their step. What else is there to do but buckle down and study hard? The day before the ever-important SAT’s, the brothers meet up with their friends for some last-minute studying. Everything goes wrong when their teacher shows up in a dark cloak wielding a dagger. Things quickly go downhill from there. Instead of studying as they had planned, Ron and Bing spend their time trying to rescue their friends from the forces of evil.
Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison is described as a YA horror comedy. I found this book to have a unique blend of horror and comedy. Demon Freaks is entertainingly funny without taking away from the overall feel of the story. The moments of humour are often subtle and sometimes just a little absurd, but it does not diminish the impact of the plot itself.
It is this humour that ended up being the thing I liked most about this book. Not only is the thought of an entire golfers’ association being warlocks amusing, but seeing them stop what they’re doing to get directions amused me to no end. I am terrible at directions. I found the inclusion of moments like these particularly entertaining.
The author spent a lot of time planning the finer details of this narrative. Every twist in the story seems well planned and well-executed. The amount of care put into the details is what ties some of the more absurd elements together.
I tend to like character-driven narratives more and as such, I would have liked to see a little more depth to the characters in general. While the main characters seem to be fully fleshed out, I would have liked to see more dimension and growth in them. At times, their reactions and motives were a bit simple and convenient. At the same time, I enjoyed that the book focused mostly on the plot itself and not the characters. Considering how dark the events of the story were at, not having too much focus on the characters made the story lighter than it would have been otherwise.
The thing I disliked most was the lack of noticeable female characters. Apart from Kaitlyn, the only other female characters were so insignificant that they lacked proper names. While there is nothing inherently wrong with a mostly male cast of characters, I would have liked to see a larger diversity of gender representation.
Demon Freaks is marketed to older teens and young adults. There are, however, scenes with gore and violence. This is to be expected considering the nature of the book’s genre, but it is noteworthy that younger or sensitive readers could be affected by it. Similarly, potential readers should take note of the fact that this book deals with the supernatural and that it contains dark themes such as occultism and sacrificial magic. Again, this is to be expected considering the title and genre of the story. I would not recommend this book to young readers or those sensitive to any of the above-mentioned themes.
I rate Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R. Hardison 4 out of 4 stars. The book is easy enough to read and follows a clear narrative. There is no confusion about which character is the narrator at any given point. The story itself is entertaining and exciting without being absurd. It is well written and well-edited. My concern regarding the gender diversity of the characters does not detract from the story at all.
******
Demon Freaks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Ron and Bing Slaughter have a lot to worry about. After getting in trouble for a not-so-flattering song written about their teacher and performed at a school dance, the twins have to watch their step. What else is there to do but buckle down and study hard? The day before the ever-important SAT’s, the brothers meet up with their friends for some last-minute studying. Everything goes wrong when their teacher shows up in a dark cloak wielding a dagger. Things quickly go downhill from there. Instead of studying as they had planned, Ron and Bing spend their time trying to rescue their friends from the forces of evil.
Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison is described as a YA horror comedy. I found this book to have a unique blend of horror and comedy. Demon Freaks is entertainingly funny without taking away from the overall feel of the story. The moments of humour are often subtle and sometimes just a little absurd, but it does not diminish the impact of the plot itself.
It is this humour that ended up being the thing I liked most about this book. Not only is the thought of an entire golfers’ association being warlocks amusing, but seeing them stop what they’re doing to get directions amused me to no end. I am terrible at directions. I found the inclusion of moments like these particularly entertaining.
The author spent a lot of time planning the finer details of this narrative. Every twist in the story seems well planned and well-executed. The amount of care put into the details is what ties some of the more absurd elements together.
I tend to like character-driven narratives more and as such, I would have liked to see a little more depth to the characters in general. While the main characters seem to be fully fleshed out, I would have liked to see more dimension and growth in them. At times, their reactions and motives were a bit simple and convenient. At the same time, I enjoyed that the book focused mostly on the plot itself and not the characters. Considering how dark the events of the story were at, not having too much focus on the characters made the story lighter than it would have been otherwise.
The thing I disliked most was the lack of noticeable female characters. Apart from Kaitlyn, the only other female characters were so insignificant that they lacked proper names. While there is nothing inherently wrong with a mostly male cast of characters, I would have liked to see a larger diversity of gender representation.
Demon Freaks is marketed to older teens and young adults. There are, however, scenes with gore and violence. This is to be expected considering the nature of the book’s genre, but it is noteworthy that younger or sensitive readers could be affected by it. Similarly, potential readers should take note of the fact that this book deals with the supernatural and that it contains dark themes such as occultism and sacrificial magic. Again, this is to be expected considering the title and genre of the story. I would not recommend this book to young readers or those sensitive to any of the above-mentioned themes.
I rate Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R. Hardison 4 out of 4 stars. The book is easy enough to read and follows a clear narrative. There is no confusion about which character is the narrator at any given point. The story itself is entertaining and exciting without being absurd. It is well written and well-edited. My concern regarding the gender diversity of the characters does not detract from the story at all.
******
Demon Freaks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: The Eye of Illumination by W.C. Gorski
