The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver
St. Martin's Griffin, February 2011
340 pages
Book Source: Public Library

Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps.  The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood.  And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?

-- Summary from Goodreads.com

Judging by the cover...: Not totally in love with it, but the red  (can you guess it's my favorite color?) makes it stand out. I approve of the globe visual; good to have a size reference. 

Favorite Elements:

• Demons - I love a good demon hunting party as much as the next girl. It's always interesting to see how an author will treat the spawns of Satan, and Oliver does a good job of giving them new life in her series.
• Starbucks - The ever-present chain of coffee peddlers will never die. Even their buildings live on after the apocalypse as make-shift schools.
• Necromancers - What book about demons would be complete without worshipers of the dead? In this story they're hella creepy and not dudes you want to mess around with, or you might find yourself in their service after your life has been cut short.

Overall: B
Every now and then I find a heroine like Riley and say to myself, "Dang, I wish I was more like her." She is fiercely independent, smart, and apparently gorgeous, and has the eye of the hottest demon trapper around. She knows what she wants in life, and even though not everyone has that same drive, we know the feeling. She might be a teenager, but that girl is going places.

The tale Oliver has woven is brilliant. She has developed a world with demons so close to our own, and it's eerie. Even without the demons, Riley's story had me believing that we're only one fuel crisis away from her world, a reality that's not so distant. Unfortunately for me (many of you may disagree) the story had to involve angels, but I can look past that, since they play such an important role.

I waited on pins and needles for this book to come out, then agonized over how long the libraries near me were taking to get it. I was just about to give up when a nearby system added it to their collection. The wait was well worth it, though, and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel. In the meantime, I'll have to content with Oliver's novella, Retro Demonology, which takes place shortly before The Demon Trapper's Daughter.

Recommendation: If you're like me and appreciate a good demon out of hell story, you'll love this book. It even gets a "Mr. Frank Seal of Approval". Oliver's writing will appeal to both teens and adults.

Similar Reads: The Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud. It's a series about demons that doesn't involve angels. Yes, it can be done!