A Book Obsession..: Review: The Demonists by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Review: The Demonists by Thomas E. Sniegoski

, by Kt Clapsadl

The Demonists by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Demonists #1

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Fallen series and the Remy Chandler series, a new dark fantasy series filled with demons, exorcisms, and the fight against the worst that hell has to offer...

There is more to our world than meets the eye—darker things, crueler things. Exorcist John Fogg and his wife, psychic medium Theodora Knight, know what lurks in the shadows. But even they’re not prepared for the worst Hell has to offer...

It was supposed to be a simple exorcism, a publicity stunt to firmly establish John and Theodora’s thriving paranormal investigation empire in the public eye. But something went wrong, leading to an on-air massacre that unleashed a malicious host of demons and left Theodora catatonic, possessed by countless spirits.

John sets out on a desperate quest to find a cure for his wife, but his obsession brings him face-to-face with an even more terrifying problem: Theodora’s possession is only one piece of a deadly plot that is threatening the entire world. Because an ancient evil is about to make Earth its battlefield—and without John and Theodora’s intervention, there is no chance for salvation...

THE DEMONISTS was a mixed bag for me. At times I was completely sucked in, reading the pages as fast as I possibly could, and yet other times I found myself skimming, particularly the further along in the book I read. It felt like things took off with one heck of a bang from the start and fizzled from that point on. I kept waiting for things to get that early spark back, and while I was sucked back in a few times, it never quite got the momentum back for me.

Another big strike against the book's pacing and flow was due to the almost random perspective changes. I felt like the story bounced from person to person without any real need to, making those changes more frustrating than they should have warranted. In particular, the extremely creepy villain's perspective is one I could have done without. Sure, that angle upped the creepy and horror factor, and yet I didn't feel like that added any real value to the book. It would have been stronger without that look into that side of things, instead staying more in the dark about those going ons. And lest you worry, there were plenty of other creepy things and scenes going on that it wouldn't have detracted from the horror angles overall.

Overall a mixed bag, THE DEMONISTS is a rocky start to a new series, but I haven't written it off yet. While this was a rough read for me, I'd be willing to give the next book a try as there were those parts in this one that sucked me in. Only time will tell.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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