Title: The Demon Girl
Author: Penelope Fletcher
Publisher: Smashwords
Published: October 7, 2010
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 191 (eBook)
Source: Personal Copy

Rae Wilder has problems. Plunged into a world of dark magic, fierce creatures and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet.

Rae finds herself beaten up, repeatedly, and forced to make a choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

Rae Wilder's life is very much a normal person's greatest nightmare. She's a Disciple, and she's training to be a Cleric, which means she lives in a world of monsters - vampires, shifters, goblins, witches and faeries, and as a Cleric, she's destined to fight these creatures. When circumstances change one day though, and Rae witnesses Clerics killing a young faerie, she knows she has to run. She happens upon Breandan who reveals Rae's hidden past and ignites a future of adventure, turmoil and struggles both internal and external.

I downloaded The Demon Girl onto my Nook because I saw it was up for grabs on Barnes & Noble. With a great cover and a cool, paranormal premise, I was really excited to try a book from a pretty much unknown author. Penelope Fletcher knows her demons. She has this innate ability to make her demons both creepy and terrifying but also human in emotion. The Demon Girl features a fun and intriguing plot full of twists and turns that seems sure to promise a fabulous thrill ride.

That said, despite a strong plot, The Demon Girl fell a good bit short for me. To be extremely blunt, the book was riddled with cliches and stereotypes, and everything sort of just fell into place with little or no extreme conflict. I also felt the insta-bond between Breandan and Rae was a bit Twilight-esque, if you will, failing to break through the mold. And, while I can easily overlook a few grammatical errors and such, some of the chapter jumps just killed me. We went from one situation in The Demon Girl to another one, entirely, with no transition at all.

I never like to give bad reviews, and I have a penchant for indie books, but The Demon Girl just didn't measure up to it's premise or plot potential for me. Perhaps some people will like it more than me. I give it a 2 out 5, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy YA paranormal tales, especially those with faeries.

The Friday Fix is a takeover of my Friday blog post by other bloggers who have volunteered their time and energy to "star" in their very own guest post on Friday. Only one mandatory rule (you can't get out of it!) - you must answer five of the most random questions I throw your way. The rest is up to you. Remember, if you'd like to be featured on the Friday Fix, send me an email, and let me know! So, without further ado, here are the Amber from The Book Pages!

The Most Random Questions in the World...


1. Why do cats raise their butts when you pet them?

I've always wondered that. Maybe because they think if they arc their back you'll itch their back in the right place, but then again, all creatures can be odd at times. They could also possible just enjoy the exercise they get while they get pet. If that is the case, I hope they drink a lot of water!

2. We say "it's Greek to me" when we don't get something, so what do people in Greece say when they don't understand something?

People in Greece probable say "its American to me" since we Americans say it a lot or maybe "Its English to me" because some might not speak English. America should stop being sterotpical or whatever you call it and say "It's foreign to me" That would be a fun new trend to start!

3. Why does Winnie the Pooh never get stung by the bees he bothers?

Winnie the Pooh doesn't get stung because he's awesome and pretty epic. I think he might have super powers. He probable doesn't want people worried about him so he uses his super powers to make the stingers disappear! He could also possible have a lot of fluff so he can't feel it. That would be awesome because then I think I'd feel bad if he got stung.
4. What type of animal is a Snuffaluffagus?

A Snuffaluffagus is a wonderful creature who happened to be made a young children show called sesame street. He happens to be extremely tall with a fluffy body and looks like an ant eater with a nose of an elephant. He's also a very loveable creature. Especially with his "puppy" eyes. He has a long tall as well, but do not fear, he wont be mean and hurt you with it. (:

5. How do you know if you've run out of invisible ink?

I believe the time you know you run out of invisible ink is when the person you gave the note to reads "meet me at Barnes and Noble on west street 5....." and they can't read the rest of the numbers so they go around looking dumb while seaching for Barnes and Noble west street 5. And the person waiting happens to be waiting for ever wondering if the note got delived. I guess the writer should have made sure they had a special light to read their note!





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I just love Amber's answers to my ridiculous questions...so fun! I highly recommend her blog - she has awesome reviews, and a definitive take on what she enjoys reading. It's a true favourite of mine. Be sure to check out The Book Pages!

Also - remember to enter my 25th Birthday Bash Giveaway going on now. There's a good bunch of ARCs and three winners!