Review by maggiechap -- Demon Freaks

[maggiechap]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Demon Freaks" by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Take Buffy The Vampire Slayer, turn her into male twins, add triple the sarcasm and puns, and a dash of all the fantasy tropes and you’ve got Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R.(Jim) Hardison and one of the best fantasy novel I've read this year.

As the story begins, all the Slaughter brothers have to worry about is acing their S.A.T tests and avoiding their bully, two-toned haired, history teacher, Professor Brom. By the end of the night their entire lives changed, saved the world from a demon-raising by the Golfer’s Association the likes of which the world has never seen and joined their parents in a world of demon-hunting mayhem led by non other than... McDonalds?

From the very first page, to the very last this was a gut-busting page turner. There were moments where I was laughing so hard, I had to stop reading for a minute or two, tears coming down my cheeks. Hardison does an amazing job of including every fantasy trope and as many puns as possible while weaving the story into a unique tale. There were several puns and jokes that I related to personally and found even more humor in, which I don’t think was the goal of the author, but I feel like every reader could relate in this way and that makes the book even better in my opinion.

I did find some characters annoying- such as Kaitlyn and her ever repeating one-liner “I thought it might be something like that,” and felt like the novel would’ve been better without her character, but I understand that it was part of the tropes that Hardison was working with. I felt the same with Meat, as well. The book could’ve focused solely on Ron and Bing and the book would’ve come out just as amazing, if not better.

There were a few tropes that I wasn’t sure if Hardison was including intentionally or not and it distracted from the plot at first, but after a while I got used to them and figured Hardison was including them intentionally, which actually added to the magic of the book.

My favorite puns included “party-pooper scientists” and even a reference to The Night Before Christmas, which I applaud Hardison for using in a book that isn't even about the holiday. This book showed the authors true talent, creativity and ability to give the book its own voice.

There wasn’t much I didn’t love about this book. The author did an incredible job of including humor, action and plot with a unique voice to the fantasy world and I for one would love to see this turned into a series, because there’s still so much I have questions about in the world.


Because of the incredible world building and gut-busting laughter Hardison creates, the book is receiving a 4 out of 4 stars. The work is stellar and I saw no grammatical errors and the few questions I did have about the plot were not enough to distract from the enjoyment of the book in any way.

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Demon Freaks
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Like maggiechap's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Ashiyya Tariq]

The book is quite interesting. The supernatural element and the flavor of fun adds beauty to the story. Thanks for your review.

[Libs_Books]

This is a very lively and engaging review. I loved Buffy, so I think this book would also appeal; your review really brings out the humourous elements.

[maggiechap]

The book is quite interesting. The supernatural element and the flavor of fun adds beauty to the story. Thanks for your review.

This book is probably my favorite I've reviewed thus far. We need more lighthearted fantasy like this in the world.

[maggiechap]

This is a very lively and engaging review. I loved Buffy, so I think this book would also appeal; your review really brings out the humourous elements.

This book is exactly the Sass of Buffy times like 300. You really can't right a review of this book without talking about all the puns. I mean, it's what made the book stand out and some of them just hit the mark perfectly. There was one line specifically that, if this book were made into a movie or tv show, would be the advertising mark for it. It was the humor version of Buffy's opening line and it was written so darn well.

[Niski]

A good laugh in a book is a true gem. Thank you for the glowing review - it will go on my 'to read' list.

[kandscreeley]

I'm glad that you enjoyed this one as much as I did. It was humorous and adventurous and just a bunch of fun! Thanks for your take on it.