Book Review: Demon’s Daughter by Amy Braun

Today I’ll be reviewing something very different from my usual military-historical fare. Fellow Weekend Writing Warrior Amy Braun’s recently released urban fantasy- Demon’s Daughter- is the first novel in the Cursed series, and was quite the exciting ride. Here’s the blurb:

Wanted by law enforcement. Chased by drug cartels. Hunted by demons…

Constance Ramirez has more than her share of problems when it comes to protecting her adopted sister, Andromeda. Especially since Andromeda isn’t fully human, and her strange powers are dangerous and out of control.

But Constance will do anything to keep her safe, which won’t be easy with bounty hunters hired by the drug cartel she betrayed looking to capture her, and savage monsters seeking to take Andromeda for their own dark purposes.

Being a big sister has never been so hard… Or so deadly.

I have to confess that the cover made me want to read this book the moment I first saw it, but the blurb sealed the deal. And boy does it deliver. Constance is a fantastic protagonist. She’s tough, the opposite of cuddly, and single-minded in her determination to protect her sister. Both girls are aptly named and as different as two sisters can be, though their bond is extremely close.

Demon’s Daughter is a real page-turner. It’s extremely well-paced and Braun writes some of the best action sequences I’ve ever seen. The only thing that made me put it down from time to time was the level of intensity. I literally had to stop for breath. And I had to cover my eyes a few times because the violence is pretty graphic and I’m a wuss that way. Also: spiders, OMG.

The main story is interspersed with flashbacks to an earlier, happier time when the girls were part of a loving family. How that ended, sending the girls on the run for years was dramatic, heartbreaking and perfectly timed with the climax of the story.

In time, they are joined by several companions, and these are also well-drawn, fully fleshed-out characters with unique quirks and abilities. I especially enjoyed the guardian angel duo. Unlike most angelic portrayals, these guys had definite personalities and let them show, all while maintaining proper angelic dignity (mostly). I really started looking forward to their appearances.

To me, the best measure of a successful book is when I get to the end and want more. In this case, I went straight to the Amazon store from my Kindle to look for the next book in the series. Of course, since this one just came out, it seems I have to wait just a bit longer for the sequel.  Hopefully not too long.

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