Series Spotlight - The Demonata Books 3 & 4

Title: Slawter - book #3
Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: HarperCollins
My rating: 10/10

Summary:

Never trust fairy tales. There are no happy endings. There's always something new around the corner. You can overcome major obstacles, face great danger; look evil in the eye and live to tell the tale - but that's not the end. As long as you're breathing, your story's still going...

Nightmares haunt the dreams of Dervish Grady since his return from the Demonata universe, but Grubbs takes care of his uncle as they both try to continue a normal, demon-free existence. When a legendary cult director calls in Dervish as consultant for a new horror movie, it seems a perfect excuse for  a break from routine and a chance for some fun. 

But being on the set of a town called Slawter stirs up more than memories for Grubbs and his friend Bill-E.

Lights... camera... Slawter!

My thoughts:

Slawter is definitely one of the top 5 of the 10 books in the Demonata series. It has a slightly different feel to it compared to the other books in my opinion - it's more of an individual book than one of a series but it still deals with aspects of the plot of the series as a whole. 

Slawter focuses on Grubbs, Dervish and Bill-E ( a character introduced in Lord Loss) who travel to the set of a production of a new horror film involving demons. The book is definitely more to do with the Grady family than anything else. I remember reading it for the first time and thinking it was nice to get back to Grubbs after reading Kernel's story in The Demon Thief. I think because there is more background information about Grubbs and more insight and involvement with his whole family, Grubbs feels like the central character in a way so reading about him in Slawter: how he's dealing with his introduction to the world of the Demonata among other things is brilliant.

One of the reasons this is one the best books in the series is because the plot seems so isolated from the rest of the series. Grubbs is dealing with his family and his family only. There's not much mention anything concerning the series as a whole so it feels as if there's more time for character development and for a reader to get to know more about said characters. 

The action in this book is great. There's more going on than in Lord Loss - where we last saw Grubbs: he has a real chance to test himself. It's definitely a real page turner. I also think the plot is a work of brilliance and the characters equally so.

Definitely one of my favourite reads!

Title: Bec - book #4

My rating: 10/10

Summary:

I'm almost through the door when something breathes behind me, "Beccccc..." I turn. I can't see anything but I know I'm not alone. I want to call for help but  can't. Then, in a blue, claws dart out of the darkness...a twisted face...fiery eyes...rows of teeth...the demon grabs me!

As a baby, Bec fought for her life. As a trainee priestess, she fights to fit into a tribe that needs her skills but fears her powers. And when the demons come, the fight becomes a war.

Bec's magic is weak and untrained, until she meets the druid Drust. Under his leadership, Bec and a small band of warriors embark on a long journey through hostile lands to confront the Demonata at their source.

But the final conflict demands a sacrifice too horrific to contemplate...

My thoughts:

This is another book that is similar to Lord Loss. It has an entirely different story revolving around demons with completely different characters.

In this book, Bec is introduced who is another fantastic character. She sees the world with an entirely different perspective and has an extremely different backstory to other characters in the series. A character called Bran is also introduced who is one which any reader will easily fall in love with.

Bec is set in a different time to all of the books in the series which gives it a really individual feel to it - sets it apart from the rest of the books. I loved reading and comparing all of the characters in the different time zones from past and present. I think this book is when I started to get the sense of seeing all of the jigsaw pieces and yet being unable to slot them together yet to see the big picture. Readers will definitely start to see the bigger picture with this one since it involves a tiny bit of the history of the Demonata.

The plot itself was another work of genius as always. There are a few surprises too which is always a good thing in books like these. I had no trouble with getting tired of the story and was racing to turn pages as fast as I could - it was really fast paced and engaging.

Definitely another great book by Darren Shan and a great addition to the series.

Make sure to check my review of the first two books from the series here.