Lori Devoti

A surprisingly dark story about the torment of servitude and the power of love to break the chains of enslavement. I didn't think Harlequin let their authors run with such savage characterization and brutal imagery, but I'm glad they did. The villain was truly heinous, so cheering for the good guys came easy... even when I wasn't quite sure who the good guys were. (B )

We all know the scenario: character (in this case, a teenaged girl) decides to summon a demon: disaster ensues. The adventure lies in how this demon-summoning-disaster tale is different from all other demon-summoning-disaster tales, and Devoti delivers in wonderful and unexpected ways. From the very first, she weaves in details that add depth: for example, our heroine's mother was also a demon-caller but got addicted to it; much of adolescence is about risk, so the lure and danger of show more demon-calling itself, apart from how treacherous and vile the demons themselves are, becomes a recurrent theme on many levels. Devoti's characters are no cardboard cut-outs, neither the humans nor the demons. Some of them grow, often painfully, and others fall into the "more will be revealed" category. All in all, the sensitivity and thoughtfulness, plus more than a few fascinating twists, make this a satisfying reading experience for adults as well as teens. show less

AMAZON QUEEN by Lori Devoti is a story full of intrigue and suspense. Bringing the legendary Amazons to modern times, Ms. Devoti has created a world where we get just a kiss of the paranormal. The story is fueled by action and drama, the perfect characteristics to get a reader hooked.

The second in the Amazon series, AMAZON QUEEN follows Zery, queen of the Amazons. A race of Artemitis worshiping women, the Amazons are incredibly gifted with height, strength, and certain magical abilities. Of show more course, many of these abilities becomes hard to hide in modern times so the nomadic nature of the people becomes a bit of a blessing for them. Or is it?

When a discovery is made in the first book, Amazon Ink, Zery will have to question the beliefs and practices the tribe has made for centuries. Could it be possible that there is another group of individuals out there with powers similar to their own? Could their actually be competition for the Amazons? With the question of friend or foe foremost in her mind, Zery has to find a way to protect her tribe while leading them forward in these new tribes. If that weren't a feat all on its own, it doesn't help that she has a backstabber in her midst. How is one supposed to save her people when those very people are made to shun her?

I find Ms. Devoti's writing style to be very conducive to getting lost within the story. There are good stories and then there are good stories that are written in the exact manner my mind thinks. That's what happened here. The words on the page flow by seamlessly with none of those stops or breaks that you sometimes find in writing. There weren't really any sections where I had to stop, look back, check for consistency or otherwise get my bearings.

If the writing style wasn't enough, the character development and progression of the story line would finish me off. I love the mythology present in the book and the darker take on it. While Amazon Ink was a great introduction, AMAZON QUEEN felt a bit darker and more compelling. I wasn't a fan of Zery at first, but as the story progressed I began to fall in love with her. My heart broke when hers did and many times I found myself perched on the edge of the couch, scared to see what might happen next.

If you're a fan of fantasy and paranormals, I highly recommend AMAZON QUEEN. This book is well robust with its use of suspense and the paranormal. show less

Lucinda is a daring and somewhat clueless character who does the unthinkable in order to impress friends, satisfy her own curiosities, and fit in at a strange high school. Ah, teenagers.

This is definitely a young YA novel, not just because of the plot elements, but also because of the youngish and rather simplified writing style. The story gets better as it goes along, but it requires some patience the first several chapters.

We have misunderstood characters who stand out at school, which show more made me think of a little (I can’t help it) of Twilight. We don’t get glittering vampires but we get unusual male love interests that are a little eye-rolling but still fun in a guilty pleasure, soap-opera kind of way.

The story isn’t particularly complex but it does attempt to be. The story has a small cliffhanger of sorts. The story is straightforward but worth a read if you like YA books set in high school settings with demons of sort milling around. The heroine makes plenty of mistakes, almost unapologetically.

Characters start out a little too uncomplicated but some of them surprisingly develop stronger roots, especially Lucinda’s friend and her conflicts with her sexual orientation. The demon lords are a bit cheesy but I couldn’t look away from the scenes since it’s still fun stuff.

It’s gritty with its dark touches for a YA book, so YA fans should enjoy the book well enough. show less