Demon Slayer (Dragon's Gift: The Sorceress Book 1)
Product ID: 132133104
Got a demon that needs killing? I’m your girl. So, I'm in trouble. Big trouble. I'm a demon slayer, and one of those suckers has escaped. Even worse, it knows my secret... that I'm a Dragon Blood, able to create new magic and kick some serious butt with it. If anyone finds out what I am, I'll be hunted down like a dog and used by the magical government. No way I want to become their guinea pig. So I've got to catch that demon. Fast. Things get complicated when I start clashing with a sexy AF bounty hunter. His name's Declan, and we're after the same demon. Bounty hunters are my enemy, and this stupidly hot fallen angel keeps getting in my way. The only way to save the city--and myself--is to team up with Declan. I have two goals: don’t kill him & don’t screw him. Both easier said than done, since self control isn’t really my thing. But it’s a race against time to catch the demon, and there’s no way in hell I’ll fail at that. Demon Slayer is a fast-paced urban fantasy adventure starring a kick butt heroine, a powerful hero, and whole lot of humor. Review: Anyone who dreams of cheetos is my type of heroine - This book, like others in the prior series, is so action packed, well written and just plain fun, I can't contain my gushing. She has developed such a fun group of heroes who are so awesome in a way I would personally love to emulate. I plan to return to review the prior series (dragon gifts and dragon gods) but have been so furiously reading (30 down!), I've not wanted to stop even to do that. However, the cheetos line made me pause long enough to write this semi - incoherent rambling. Thank you thank you Linsey Hall for being so talented and quick to publish. Yeah, I get the formula, her divine way of fleshing out the stories make these special. READ IN ORDER: 1st Gifts: Cass, Del, Nix. 2nd Gods: Bree, Ana, Rowan 3rd Blood: Aerdica, dare I hope Mordeca after??. If you enjoy even a quarter as much as I, you will still be blown away. Enjoy the ride! Review: Pretty good read. - This is my first read from Linsey Hall, and it wasn't bad. The action was constant and exciting, the characters unique, and the premise was engaging. However, throughout the whole story I couldn't help but feel like something was missing. All the ingredients were there, but maybe just the wrong proportions. The FMC, Aeri, aka Aerdica is in a kind of witness protection program in a small supernatural town with her sister Mori/Mordica. They are on the lam from Grimrealm where they were raised by an evil aunt and uncle whom took advantage of the girls' special powers from their dragon blood. In return for helping them escape Grimrealm, a supernatural police force of sorts, has the sisters hunt and kill demons whenever they are called upon. One day, a necromancer demon with unknown, but undoubtedly ill, intent leaves Grimrealm and the sisters are tasked with slaying him. Unfortunately, Aeri soon discovers that a bounty hunter is also after the demon, but he must take the demon alive. Oh, and he happens to be a super sexy, wealthy, and (mostly) competent (until Aeri needs to prove that women are just as capable as men, for political reasons) fallen angel who pursues Aeri's affections almost as much as he pursues the demon. I feel like quite a bit of the plot was contrived. As in there was always this sense that someone had written this story and was trying to appeal to a broad audience, rather than the way many stories just let you sink right in and forget that you are immersed in a work of total fiction. There were quite a few tropes afoot. Declan O'Shea for one. How does a fallen angel get an Irish name, I haven't a clue, especially when the archangel Michael has a cameo role in the book, by his angelic name. But thats just one of those little details that kinda bugged me. Did it ruin the whole book? Not at all. It just sort of made the whole thing fizzle a bit. It also didn't help that the romance amounted to Declan vocally hitting on Aeri incessantly, and one single, rather cold kiss and Aeri playing smug and hard to get. Zero heat whatsoever. In fact, unless saying she lusted after him counts as heat, the book was a bit cold. I ended it not caring one way or the other if Aeri and Declan get together. Also Aeri...She is so focused on being "an ice queen" and repeats it throughout. The words Ice Queen come up a lot in dialogue and internal monologues, but besides superficial details like how she likes to wear all white clothes, we never really see a lot of why she is supposed to be this. A lot of things occur like that. Very two-dimensional. We learn Declan is wealthy due to his watch and how he just happens to have a grand in his pocket to make a bribe. We learn that the Aunt and Uncle are evil through a couple of highly detailed "dreams" in which, for instance, they force the girls to do spells that would make them rich and there is a reference to Aeri being beaten by some other demon, but we never get the context for that. So a lot of her past is only known because the author breaks up a scene so she can tell us about another character, place, or event... And all that telling, rather than showing made it 1. Hard to get attached to any of the characters. And 2. Hard to feel the tension in the plot. As far as the reader knows, this demon slaying group that the sisters work for is forcing the girls to kill demons as payment for smuggling them out of Grimrealm, but we never learn what exactly the stakes are if Aeri fails to kill the demon. Will they send her back? Blow her cover? Kill her or Mori? Or just stop paying the rent? We don't know. So Aeri's drive to kill the necro demon never feels all that critical. At least not till the end when the stakes are raised a bit more (but were they really considering the sisters' dragon gifts?) The same with Declan. Why is she so adamant that she can't have a relationship with him when she clearly wants to? Because it might blow her cover? But...uh, the guy has already figured out pretty much everything she tried to hide from him AND kept her trust, so...why bother? Unless its just so the author has a way to build romantic tension, in which case, I wasn't really feeling it. The reason I gave the book 4 stars is because the story didn't have any major flaws, just little things that kept me at arms length from immersion. It took me a really long time to finish simply because I wasn't all that interested in how it would end up. The stakes weren't raised on much of anything until the very end. And honestly, the real kicker was that if Aeri and Mori can create any power at all, then there never really are any stakes. They can do whatever they want. They can defeat their evil relatives and the demon with just a bit of imagination. Instead, they spend most of their magical energy on minor spells and their stupid bouffant hairdos (yes, the fashion aspect really rubbed me the wrong way). It just all seems a bit superficial and forced.
| Best Sellers Rank | #560,026 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #1,849 in Magic Romance #3,162 in Humorous Fantasy (Kindle Store) #3,846 in Paranormal Demons & Devils Romance |
B**H
Anyone who dreams of cheetos is my type of heroine
This book, like others in the prior series, is so action packed, well written and just plain fun, I can't contain my gushing. She has developed such a fun group of heroes who are so awesome in a way I would personally love to emulate. I plan to return to review the prior series (dragon gifts and dragon gods) but have been so furiously reading (30 down!), I've not wanted to stop even to do that. However, the cheetos line made me pause long enough to write this semi - incoherent rambling. Thank you thank you Linsey Hall for being so talented and quick to publish. Yeah, I get the formula, her divine way of fleshing out the stories make these special. READ IN ORDER: 1st Gifts: Cass, Del, Nix. 2nd Gods: Bree, Ana, Rowan 3rd Blood: Aerdica, dare I hope Mordeca after??. If you enjoy even a quarter as much as I, you will still be blown away. Enjoy the ride!
R**Y
Pretty good read.
This is my first read from Linsey Hall, and it wasn't bad. The action was constant and exciting, the characters unique, and the premise was engaging. However, throughout the whole story I couldn't help but feel like something was missing. All the ingredients were there, but maybe just the wrong proportions. The FMC, Aeri, aka Aerdica is in a kind of witness protection program in a small supernatural town with her sister Mori/Mordica. They are on the lam from Grimrealm where they were raised by an evil aunt and uncle whom took advantage of the girls' special powers from their dragon blood. In return for helping them escape Grimrealm, a supernatural police force of sorts, has the sisters hunt and kill demons whenever they are called upon. One day, a necromancer demon with unknown, but undoubtedly ill, intent leaves Grimrealm and the sisters are tasked with slaying him. Unfortunately, Aeri soon discovers that a bounty hunter is also after the demon, but he must take the demon alive. Oh, and he happens to be a super sexy, wealthy, and (mostly) competent (until Aeri needs to prove that women are just as capable as men, for political reasons) fallen angel who pursues Aeri's affections almost as much as he pursues the demon. I feel like quite a bit of the plot was contrived. As in there was always this sense that someone had written this story and was trying to appeal to a broad audience, rather than the way many stories just let you sink right in and forget that you are immersed in a work of total fiction. There were quite a few tropes afoot. Declan O'Shea for one. How does a fallen angel get an Irish name, I haven't a clue, especially when the archangel Michael has a cameo role in the book, by his angelic name. But thats just one of those little details that kinda bugged me. Did it ruin the whole book? Not at all. It just sort of made the whole thing fizzle a bit. It also didn't help that the romance amounted to Declan vocally hitting on Aeri incessantly, and one single, rather cold kiss and Aeri playing smug and hard to get. Zero heat whatsoever. In fact, unless saying she lusted after him counts as heat, the book was a bit cold. I ended it not caring one way or the other if Aeri and Declan get together. Also Aeri...She is so focused on being "an ice queen" and repeats it throughout. The words Ice Queen come up a lot in dialogue and internal monologues, but besides superficial details like how she likes to wear all white clothes, we never really see a lot of why she is supposed to be this. A lot of things occur like that. Very two-dimensional. We learn Declan is wealthy due to his watch and how he just happens to have a grand in his pocket to make a bribe. We learn that the Aunt and Uncle are evil through a couple of highly detailed "dreams" in which, for instance, they force the girls to do spells that would make them rich and there is a reference to Aeri being beaten by some other demon, but we never get the context for that. So a lot of her past is only known because the author breaks up a scene so she can tell us about another character, place, or event... And all that telling, rather than showing made it 1. Hard to get attached to any of the characters. And 2. Hard to feel the tension in the plot. As far as the reader knows, this demon slaying group that the sisters work for is forcing the girls to kill demons as payment for smuggling them out of Grimrealm, but we never learn what exactly the stakes are if Aeri fails to kill the demon. Will they send her back? Blow her cover? Kill her or Mori? Or just stop paying the rent? We don't know. So Aeri's drive to kill the necro demon never feels all that critical. At least not till the end when the stakes are raised a bit more (but were they really considering the sisters' dragon gifts?) The same with Declan. Why is she so adamant that she can't have a relationship with him when she clearly wants to? Because it might blow her cover? But...uh, the guy has already figured out pretty much everything she tried to hide from him AND kept her trust, so...why bother? Unless its just so the author has a way to build romantic tension, in which case, I wasn't really feeling it. The reason I gave the book 4 stars is because the story didn't have any major flaws, just little things that kept me at arms length from immersion. It took me a really long time to finish simply because I wasn't all that interested in how it would end up. The stakes weren't raised on much of anything until the very end. And honestly, the real kicker was that if Aeri and Mori can create any power at all, then there never really are any stakes. They can do whatever they want. They can defeat their evil relatives and the demon with just a bit of imagination. Instead, they spend most of their magical energy on minor spells and their stupid bouffant hairdos (yes, the fashion aspect really rubbed me the wrong way). It just all seems a bit superficial and forced.
K**R
Love her
I've read all her books, the Huntress, Seeker, and Protector the first great Dragon Gifts series featuring 3 amazingly strong heroines quasi-sisters who share a forbidden heritage. They are the strong foundation of the series. Then you get erto know more about this addictive world from the Valkyrie, the Druid, the. Amazon, sisters in this universe which you can't wait to immerse in. All these characters in the Dragon Gifts are friends and will always help each other in dangerous times This is a new addition to the Dragon Gifts, Sorceress, who has appeared in all of these on the fringes but I've wanted to explore. This story goes me away, better than dreamed. Aerdeca is clever, strong and kills demons but has secrets along with her sister that could get her killed. I absolve loved it and can't wait to read the next book. I read constantly and Linsey Hall is one of my favorite authors. Her style, characters whom you 'd love to hang around with and snarky real dialog, the best
A**K
Interesting
Great start to this series, and I can't wait to keep reading the next books. Lindsey is a great author with well-written books; paranormal type book that has action, surprise twists, and great characters! Kept me interested from beginning to end. Ive read the series that come before this one, and I am thrilled to finally read about Aerdeca. She and her sister have been pretty secretive in the other series but they are awesome characters. Definitely continuing on with the next book!
J**N
Awesome book! Lots of action
This book is great. I really enjoyed reading it. Lots of action. I really liked the growing romance between Aerdeca & Declan. She’s so strong and cool with her magic and fighting skills. Declan is also strong and can hold his own against her. They make a great team and I loved the ending. There’s a link at the end for you to get Declan’s POV taking place minutes after this book ended. SO cool and definitely worth getting & reading. I can’t wait to start book 2 now. I recommend and can see me reading this again n the future.
B**S
Sisters!
Remember those suave and talented, but immensely dangerous sisters over in the dark area of the city? Well, this one is the start of their stories! The sister in white, the ice queen Arie is much more than she seems... but we already kinda knew that considering her appearance in other books in this universe. If you haven’t read them, that’s ok - not required, just helps set the background and fill in some blanks. Pros: - Fast paced. - I adore these sisters. - The world building just keeps growing. - Declan is annoyingly awesome. Cons: - Mystery, lol
M**R
Very enjoyable
I've read the previous Dragon's Gift series by this author and enjoyed them a lot but found the plots of the series were very similar, young woman finds these has power, falls in love with a powerful man, and the two of them save the world. Given the blurb on Amazon I expected much the same but got the book because they were still quite enjoyable. I was very surprised by the book . The book is about two of the more secretive and interesting characters from the other books. You learn a lot about where they came from and why they are the way they are. I found it very difficult to put the book down, giving up hours of sleep to finish it. I can't wait for the next in the series to come out. Excellent book by Linsey Hall.
S**S
Ok story
So this book was readable but not amazing. I really like this author but I could not get into the story. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was though. The characters were cool but I didn't fall in love with any of them. Mordaca was an underdeveloped character. Many times I find myself really hoping that I supporting character would get their own story but I have no interest in knowing theirs. Overall an ok read but I know this author could do better
K**R
At last the story’s for the Blood Sorcerers Sisters
Fantastic start to the series can’t wait for next book If you’re just starting to read Linsey Hall Dragon Gift Series you can start here but if you want to know more about the characters the excerpt at the end of the book for the first book in the Dragon’s Gift Series. She even has most of her books in kindle unlimited if you don’t want to buy that’s how I started then I enjoyed them so much I bought them as I like to read them again when a new book comes out. These are great quick reads but Linsey has really created her own world with different dimensions and realms so not all of her books are based on Earth
D**N
Creative
Highlighting the strength of a woman that has reinvented herself doing battle for good, and using magic learned through abuse.
E**A
a wondrous action packed adventure
This is now my new favorite Linsey Hall book. I have been not so patiently awaiting stories for our gorgeous Blood Sorceress's and Demon Slayer starts with Aerdeca, who is an ice queen on the outside, a totally badass demon slayer on the side and a real sweetheart underneath it all, which basically only her sister ever see's but I do know there is one stunningly gorgeous fallen angel who will do anything and I mean anything to get to know the real Aerdeca and I get the feeling nothing will stop him. Aerdeca has her hands full but with the help of her sister and Declan by her side she should be okay but in times of trouble Aerdeca knows she can also call on her friends Cass, Del, Nix, Claire, and Connor and yes Aerdeca finds it very strange she now has 'friends' to call on as she generally works alone except for her sister, but hard times and super strong demons call for a little back-up. This was the first exciting adventure in Aerdeca's story and I can't wait for more.
M**N
Nice start to a new series
Demon Slayer is the first of probably 5 books. The series takes place in the same world as the previous series for the fire souls and dragon gods. This time the hero of the series is Aerdeca with her sister Mordoca on her side. It's a well written story giving us much more information about those two and sheds more light on their back story that had just a few hints sprinkeled throughout the past 2 series. If you like fantasy series that include romance but no sex scenes it's a nice book and if you like it and haven't read the other 2 trios you have 30 more books to dig into.
C**R
Good
I read the two Books with mari First! And startet this After! I Love the Sisters! They are amazing! I Really Liked their Story! Also the slow romance, it‘s Great! ;)… Will read the Next one! Hope it will be exciting too… Kind of all First and Second books from linsey hall are Great! Sadly After book 3 it always Starts to get booring and for me it‘s usually a pain to finish a whole Series! Maybe 3 Books Would be better than 5?…. Just my opinion…
Trustpilot
2 weeks ago
1 month ago