Demon Inside by Stacia Kane
You know your family is dysfunctional when demons are better company.
As Demon Inside begins, Megan Chase is adjusting to her new role as Gretneg of the personal demons. A Gretneg is a leader, similar to a Mafia don, and much like a Mafia don, Megan has to show a ruthless side in order to keep her charges’ respect and avoid being bullied by other Gretnegs. This is no easy task. Megan shrinks from the violent discipline the demons are used to. A rival demon has murdered several of Megan’s demons. To top everything off, Megan’s maybe-boyfriend Greyson is being evasive, and Megan is not sure where she stands with him.
At first, Demon Inside was exactly the book that Personal Demons led me to expect it would be. The early chapters are chock full of action and sex, but sometimes it got a little confusing as the plot careens from one scene to the next at breakneck pace.
Then, Stacia Kane throws us a curveball.
It happens about a third of the way into Demon Inside. A family tragedy sends Megan back to her crummy hometown, seemingly away from the thick of the action. In reality, though, when Megan goes home, she’s moving closer to the heart of things. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say that Megan has one seriously toxic family. My heart broke for her. Hidden in her family’s past is a secret that helped create Megan’s present situation. Only through facing her past demons — both literal and metaphorical — can she survive the confrontation that lies ahead.
In addition to enjoying the exciting, emotional plotline, I also loved Kane’s scene-setting in Demon Inside. Her prose is straightforward and unpretentious, and there’s no one phrase that sticks out in my memory, but add it all up, and this is definitely a writer who can paint a vivid picture. I especially liked the demon funeral, which was both creepy and surprisingly beautiful, and the demonic battle played out against a sleepy Christmas scene.
Stacia Kane has far surpassed Personal Demons with Demon Inside. I enjoyed Personal Demons, but I never imagined its sequel would suck me in like this.
Megan Chase — (2008-2010) Publisher: Megan promises listeners to her new radio call-in show that she’ll “slay their personal demons,” and they believe her. So do the personal demons… although she doesn’t know it, Megan is the only human without a demon on her shoulder! Megan and her allies — a demon lover who both protects and seduces her with devilish intensity, a witch with poor social skills, and three cockney guard demons — have to deal not only with the personal demons, but a soul-sucker, ghosts of Megan’s past, and a reporter who threatens to destroy Megan’s career!
Just saw you like Jack Vance. Me too. Surely he offends you somewhere though?
Words fail. I can't imagine what else might offend you. Great series, bizarre and ridiculous review. Especially the 'Nazi sympathizer'…
"Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Kage Harper" Freudian slip there. ;)
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I'm going to have to find these and read them.