Forsaken by Jana Oliver
It's the first book in the Demon Trappers series and I picked out this book to read because I follow the girl on the book cover on deviantart. Her name is Auriethepixie and she is an amazing photographer. Seriously. I've linked up her name with her account so check out some of her stuff as it's stunning stuff. Anyho, I saw her post the cover up on her account a while back and it struck me as something that I'd like to read (hey I always give urban fantasy YA a go) so I made a note of it and then later on (quite a lot later but never mind) I decided to get it out from the library.
First off i love the cover and I'm not just saying that because I follow Aurie. I really like the font (I am a font obsessive) and the style of the cover. There is a symbol on it that's really cool like angelic, mechanical and futuristic all at the same time. The symbol appears in the book under chapter numbers so it's a nice theme that carries on through out the book. I like that the cover isn't completely clear, it's dark around the edges with a fire sort of burning below and around the buildings that are at the bottom of the cover. My only gripe with the cover is that the cover to me looks a lot like a Cassandra Clare cover. I wouldn't want my cover to be similar to someone elses (ie apples on covers or flowers with a black background...you know what i mean) as there's more chance of it getting lost behind the other many YA urban fantasy books. Another thing (I know I said only) is I don't feel that the girl on the cover looks as Riley does. That's just personal opinion but she doesn't look like the Riley in my head.
Moving onto to the actual book. Riley is an apprentice demon trapper. Basically she traps demons (there are various grades of demons) and then sells them for money. Her father is a famous demon trapper and she is the first female apprentice ever. I liked the premise, a girl trying to succeed in what is quintessentially an all male profession. Also it's set in the future; 2018 to be exact but it never feels like it's pushing over into science fiction. In a way it reminded me of Dark Angel (a TV series starring Jessica Alba as a mutant supersoldier), how that is set in the future but only a little way and it's still basically the same world we know just a lot crappier. Well that's the same here, our main character Riley Blackthorne is a teenage girl living in a rundown version of Atlanta, Georgia. It's a striking look at the way things could go and the universe felt very real despite the fact i've never been in Atlanta before. School is held in small classes across the city in abandoned coffee shops or old supermarkets. Metal is precious and scarce. Money is hard to come by which is why Riley and her father have turned to demon trapping. It pays the rent and keeps the city safe.
The plot has its shares of twists and turns but it's slow moving. It's more about the characters than one big event after another. There is also a mystery that Riley stumbles onto and of course some romance for our heroine. In fact she has three possible suitors.
Riley is an interesting character and has been shaped by the world she grew up in. She felt very real and developed. The other characters are also equally developed from Beck, her sorta big brother/protector/crush to Harper who you geniunely want to hate and want to punch in the face most times. It's a different take on the whole fighting demons concept and one I really enjoyed reading about.
I'm not a fan of Simon to be honest but I think that's just my own personal take on religious people (I'm an atheist) so personally I wouldn't go for a guy like Simon but like I said that's just me. I've already got the next book on my list to read and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.
A really brilliant start to the series but the slow moving pace might put some people off. I'm interested to see where this goes though. I will be along for the ride.
4/5 stars from me and well worth a look if you enjoy tough heroines, demons and captivating writing.
