by Naomi Bellina
Genre: Darkly Funny Urban Fantasy
Age category: Adult
Release Date: August 21, 2020
Blurb:REVIEW of Who Let the Demon Out? (Badass Demon Bounty Hunters #1) by Naomi Bellina
How hard can it be to send an escaped demon back to hell?
Not only is her suicide attempt thwarted by a stranger, but when she comes back from the dead, Sable is tasked by Lucifer to find and return to hell a demon she let loose. If she doesn't, she'll be sent to the darkest level of the afterlife when she dies.
The woman Jack pulled from a running car is obviously disturbed and her story about Lucifer and demons is bullshit. But she has the name of a dead man written on her arm and Jack wants to know why.
Since it's Jack's fault she's in this mess and his skills from a background in the security business are useful, Sable recruits him for her find-the-demon mission, which turns out to be all kinds of difficult. Not only can demons inhabit human bodies, they have other nasty tricks up their sleeves, like incinerating objects and people who get in their way.
It also turns out the inhabitants of hell lie and that things on Earth are not what they appear. Nor are things in her own world, Sable discovers, as she battles to complete her mission before time runs out and it's impossible to send the demon back.
Before getting into my review, I want to highlight a very big content warning (which thankfully is mentioned in the blurb). The main character has suicidal thoughts and attempts suicide. If this sounds potentially triggering for you, please take care while reading (or choose another book entirely).
Naomi Bellina's Who Let the Demon Out? is a new-ish urban fantasy read with a darker sense of humor. After the main character, Sable's suicide attempt is foiled by a good samaritan, she is tasked with hunting down the demon that crossed over into this world after she "technically" died.
What I enjoyed about the book
The snarkiness of the characters - I love sarcasm, snark, and witty banter between characters (especially in urban fantasy books). Ms. Bellina definitely delivers on that aspect.
The premise was very unique and innovative. I loved the twists and turns that the author threw into the story.
The balance of the more serious moments versus the humor. I am by no means trying to speak for anyone but myself, but I felt that the author handled the issue of suicide (and all the emotions that come with it) well. Everything felt purposeful - nothing was thrown in “just because”
What didn't work for me
I felt like there were missing pieces to the story and the characters' background at times. Things just didn't make sense to me at certain points of the read. For example, despite liking the premise, I never really understood why Sable is the only one who can track down the demon. I only noted one paragraph in the book that really even touched on this subject.
I never really connected to the characters. Most of the things I noticed/appreciated were surface level (i.e. sarcasm, wit, and snark). There were some missed opportunities to dig deeper into the characters and develop them more.
Overall, Who Let the Demon Out? was a very entertaining and quick read. It’s a great choice for people who want something that’s fairly lighthearted and easy to finish in an afternoon. It didn't wow me enough for a full five-star rating, but I will likely be curious enough to check out other books released in the series in the future.
Thank you to the author Naomi Bellina and Lola's Blog Tours for my complimentary review copy of the book! I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Who Let the Demon Out? immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
You can find Who Let the Demon Out? on Goodreads
You can buy Who Let the Demon Out? here:
- Amazon
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About the Author:
Naomi Bellina lives in sunny Florida with the love of her life and the world's chattiest cat. Her interests include dancing, motorcycle riding, drumming and eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations for plot ideas. She used to worry about the battles between her cheery disposition and her dark imagination, but now they’re best friends and drink coffee and write books together. Her motto: Never pass up the opportunity to have an adventure!
You can find and contact Naomi here:
- Website
- Amazon
- Bookbub
- Goodreads
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