The Demon Lover
Juliet DarkFantasy romance
Available from Random House
ISBN: 9780345526274
December 2011
| Demons, witches, and fey live among us. They hide in plain sight, taking roles as friends, colleagues, loved ones, and people who literally suck the life right out of you. Callie's new job as a college professor in Fairwick opens her eyes to what's really going on in the world and to her true nature. Woven into the fabric of her life is a mysterious man who visits her first when she's a child, providing hours of tales to comfort her after the loss of her parents, and then in various guises throughout her life – but he's an incubus. His true nature will eventually kill Callie.
In The Demon Lover, Juliet Dark has created a world both terrifying and beautiful. It contains creatures from dreams and nightmares, and it breathes life into so many life-altering metaphors in the way only great fantasy fiction can. Callie McFay (the irony of her name isn't apparent until about halfway through) has led a tragic and unfulfilled life. She's an empathetic character because she's like us in so many ways. She faces danger and heartbreak, both of the supernatural and human variety, and she comes out of her adventures a stronger person. The ending is more folklore and less fairy tale, but it's a perfectly modern replication of the literary fiction that came out of the Romantic era. By that, I mean the ending is bittersweet, not happy. Fans of Wuthering Heights or Dracula will appreciate the homage Dark pays to some of our finest literary minds. The writing is warm and inviting, even the scenes that are darker, making The Demon Lover the perfect novel to curl up with on a cold winter night. The plot and the characters are complex and enjoyable enough to invite multiple readings and lively book club discussion.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Clare |
