Official Review: Demonic liberties by Ian Ritchie

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Sam Ibeh
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Official Review: Demonic liberties by Ian Ritchie

Post by Sam Ibeh »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Demonic liberties" by Ian Ritchie.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Do you believe in the possibility of someone being a human and a demon at the same time? The concept of demons possessing human hosts and making them do stuff that is beyond human capability is one that has transcended through the ages. Great novelists like Malachi Martin, Sara Gran, William Peter Blatty, etc. have written stories about demonic possessions. However, Ian Ritchie took the story to a whole new paradigm in Demonic Liberties.

Set in London at a time when mages were no longer using their powers for evil, Demonic Liberties opens with the gruesome murder of Frederick Dahlberg, The Lord Magister, by Zaevia Eissengardt. With Dahlberg murdered, Zaevia had her hand on the Orb of Osiris, also known as the Transcidion. This was a mystical artifact with immense power created by a great mage, Daediris, in service to the Egyptian King, Khufu. Whoever had the Transcidion receives the power to invoke a demonic spirit into an eligible host through a sex ritual. Hence, it was a highly sought-after artifact, especially for anyone who desires to gain control of the Mystic Community. On the other side of the chase, Maurice Montague hired Charles Mafferdt to recover the artifact from Zaevia. The mission went south as Charles was captured by Zaevia and used as a host for the demon that would complete the Thaumic Triad. What does fate hold for humanity? Will Zaevia succeed in her quest to take control of the Mystic Community?

I give it to Ian Ritchie, this is a fast-paced heart-gripping novel. It is one that grips you so hard that you wouldn’t want to let it go till you’re done. The action was intense, the plot was awesome, and the delivery was hot. I must say, I had my misgivings when the opportunity to review this book came. Reading through the description made me see this book as one with a lot of erotic content. However, when I started reading, I fell in love with the storyline. The plot was enough to make me overlook the erotic content. By the way, books in this genre are usually riddled with content that is sexual in nature.

One of the things I liked in this book is the way the characters came alive. It will be easy to convince me that they were non-fictional characters. This is because Ian Ritchie developed them to be practical and relatable. Their actions perfectly portrayed that of regular British natives. I have interacted with a couple of them. So, I could see the British culture and lifestyle depicted in clear terms by the characters. Additionally, Ritchie painted realistic situations for the characters to exhibit practical attributes. Worthy of mention are Charles Mafferdt and George Fennick. Charles knew that he was embarking on a suicide mission to retrieve an artifact from someone cruel enough to rip someone’s heart off. But he needed to take the risk as it provided a chance for him to pay his debt. George, on the other hand, had nothing to be proud of. His life stood for one thing alone – killing people. When the opportunity to live out his potential came, he took it without considering the fact that he would be enslaving himself. There are other instances I could point out. But, you may have to read the book to see for yourself.

Another thing that fascinated me about this book was the depth and flow of the conversations. I enjoyed every single period of discussion that transpired in this book. They weren’t vague or scanty. As a matter of fact, some of the conversations were very long. Yet, they were interesting and had a seamless flow. I didn’t struggle to know which character was talking at any time. This was what I liked most about this book.

Though I enjoyed reading this book, I couldn’t help but observe that this book was not properly arranged and structured. The only thing close to structure in this book was its three-part division. There were no break lines to indicate a transition into a new scene. The lack of structure in this book is likely going to affect so many readers. It had its toll on me at the beginning. I, however, got used to it down the line.

There were obvious grammatical errors in this book. Professional editing would have helped in spotting some of these errors. For this reason, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to lovers of mystical stories. However, if you’re averse to erotic content, you should take a pass on this one.

******
Demonic liberties
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Post by kandscreeley »

The lack of structure would definitely be frustrating. I also think the subject of the book would be a bit much for me. I don't normally read about demons. I'm glad you enjoyed this, though. Thanks.
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Sam Ibeh
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Post by Sam Ibeh »

kandscreeley wrote: 05 Jan 2020, 18:36 The lack of structure would definitely be frustrating. I also think the subject of the book would be a bit much for me. I don't normally read about demons. I'm glad you enjoyed this, though. Thanks.
I know a lot of people aren't fascinated about demons. However, thanks for your comment.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

As soon as you mentioned the sex ritual, i knew this would be a book with a lot of erotic content, something I'm iffy about on the best of days. The plot, however, sounds like a bit of good fun, what with the hunt for the Transcidion and the way it affects the Mystic Community. Great review!
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Sam Ibeh
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Post by Sam Ibeh »

Nisha Ward wrote: 07 Jan 2020, 20:34 As soon as you mentioned the sex ritual, i knew this would be a book with a lot of erotic content, something I'm iffy about on the best of days. The plot, however, sounds like a bit of good fun, what with the hunt for the Transcidion and the way it affects the Mystic Community. Great review!
Yeah, it has a great deal of erotic content. However, the story is thrilling. Thanks for your comment.
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Post by That Reviewer »

Sex ritual? That means this book must have heavy sexual content. I have an idea how stories in this space go.
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Post by Cynthia_Oluchi »

The cover alone is scare-inspiring! I don't think I'd love to read a book that talks so much about demons. Am glad you had an enjoyable read.
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Post by Uzo_Reviews »

With the perfect combination of erotic and thrilling, this book would go well with me. And I hope to have a swell reading it. Thanks for an awesome review.
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Post by onyii_review »

If it's properly arranged and structured, I think this would be an interesting read. Thanks for the review.
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Post by GNerd »

Reading the review has created a curiosity I can't wait to satisfy. I'm looking forward to reading this book already.
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Post by Oluwasegun Timothy »

I'm not someone who fancy stories about demonic characters and doings but this review has me thinking that this might be a good read though. Maybe I'll read it, maybe I won't, but this is a perfect review nonetheless.
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