Review: Forgiven (The Demon Trappers Series Book #3) - By Jana Oliver

Author: Jana Oliver

Website

Release Date: 3/27/2012

Purchase Info: Amazon, B & N, Book Depo

The days are growing darker for 17-year-old demon trapper Riley Blackthorne. With her father’s reanimated body back safely, Beck barely speaking to her because of a certain hunky Fallen angel, and a freshly-made deal with Lucifer, she has enough on her hands to last a normal teenage lifetime. Though she bargained with Heaven to save his life, her ex-boyfriend Simon has told the Vatican’s Demon Hunters that she’s working with Hell. So now she’s in hiding, at the top of everyone’s most-wanted list.

But it’s becoming clear that this is bigger than Riley, and rapidly getting out of control: something sinister is happening in Atlanta… or someone. The demons are working together for the first time ever and refusing to die, putting civilians in harm’s way. Riley thinks she might know who’s behind it all, but who’s going to believe her? Caught between her bargain with Heaven and her promise to Lucifer, Riley fears the final war is coming – and it may be closer than anyone thinks…

First Thought: Gut Wrenching!!

*SPOILER ALERT if you have NOT read Book #1 or #2*

Holy Demons!! (no pun intended) Never in my wildest dream would I have imagined that Jana would out do book #2 to this extreme! 

Picking up right where Soul Thief left off, Riley’s world is completely upside down. Finding her father, knowing who raised him, and realizing why it was all done sends Riley into shock. Not only has she been betrayed by someone who she thought she could trust forever, she’s worried that the Hunters from the Vatican will find her any minute and basically burn her at the stake. So now keeping her father’s body safe is top priority. But not everyone shares this idea. Enter that creeper Lord Ozy-What’s-His-Face…..yeah that necromancer who thinks he could raise Jesus….he’s out for one thing and one thing only, Paul Blackthrone. But Riley’s determined to let father go on HER terms, NOT the other way around.

During Forgiven I LOVED how Riley was able to come into her own and handle things the way she wanted to instead of listening to those around her. (i.e. Beck) You can see a change in her, how she’s had to grow up fast and has turned into not only a kick ass heroine, but a strong woman. With the high amount of emotions that are running through this whole book, I found myself crying and wanting to throw the book at the wall all in the same breath.  I guess that’s just the effect that Beck has on me, LOL.

There’s a time when you’re reading a book & you get to that point where you start thinking, ’this book is seriously wicked’, well that’s how this book was from page one. I can’t praise this book, and series, enough for you all to understand how truly amazing it is. This world & these characters were able to launch me from my small town in California, into a run down, demon infested, Atlanta of the future. I just melted into Riley’s world and never wanted to leave.  Jana’s gift of writing is absolutely superb and mind blowing. (if only she wrote faster…kidding) Though I am EXTREMELY excited about Foretold, the 4^th book in the Demon Trappers Series, yet I’m sitting on the verge of sadness simply because it means that this incredible series is slowly reaching it's end. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Pick this book up, A.S.A.FREAKIN.P, you will NOT regret it!

5/5

Soul Theif (Demons Trapper's Series - Book #2) - By Jana Oliver

Author: Jana Oliver

Website

Release Date: 8/30/2011

Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

**IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BOOK #1 THE SYNOPSIS IS A SPOILER**

Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely hurt, and now her beloved late father has been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. Add to the mix: Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy grandad, and Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether. But as the demon count in Atlanta increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention. With an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon stalking her, and her luck can’t last forever.

Struggling to wrap her head around what has happened, Riley also has to try to move forward and figure out who was behind ambushing the trappers. Everyone wants to point the finger at her and her dad, but she just won't stand for it. She knows she didn't do it, she knows Simon laid the Holy Water correctly and that it wasn't the fake stuff. So what happened?

With Riley's mind going in 15 different directions, she knows a few things are on top of her list of "To-Dos". Find her dad, kill the demon, and make sure her boyfriend is ok. But Simon's not the same. Cold, distant, and short. (Basically I wanted to punch him in his gorgeous little face) Has to be post-traumatic stress....Well, at least having the hunky Ori as her body guard is taking her mind off of life for a while. Though she doesn't know much about him, and he seems to always be there for her, Riley can't help but want to know more about him. Feeling as though this might finally be the guy who will diminish the chaos in her life and take down her demon stalker, she can't help but shake her doubt.

While Riley's busy with sorting out her own problems, now the city thinks the Trapper's can't hold their own. So they've decided to call in the big dogs, The Hunters from the Vatican. This doesn't sit well with anyone in the Guild, especially Beck, because they're steppin' on his toes and making the them look bad. All Beck wants is for the Demon who's stalking Riley to be destroyed, for her to move FAR away to her aunt's house, and for Paul (Riley's dad) to be found and put back into his grave. If only life were that simple.

Soul Thief completely exceeded my expectations! Sometimes it's hard for authors to have their sequel supersede the first book, but Jana was able to do that with ease. More magical elements were brought into the second book, like summoning, illusions and necromancy. Yes, the necromancers were in the the first book, but you are actually able to see their work first hand in Soul Thief. As the story went on, I was sitting at the edge of my bed, literally trying to read fast so I could find out what happened next.

All I can say is, WAY TO ROCK THE ENDING! I was not only yelling, "What the F&*@!", but my heart was bleeding for Riley in a way I didn't think was possible! Seriously lady, how do you come up with these endings, they're phenomenal!

5/5

The Demon Trapper's Daughter - By Jana Oliver

Release Date: 1/31/11

Publisher: St. Martins Griffin

Website: Jana Oliver

Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

**SPOILER ALERT**

It's so hard for me to sit here and write this without giving away a spoiler that had me crying for literally 2 chapters, and then some. But for you to truly understand the story and know how it flows together, I have to give it away.

After Riley's major catastrophe at the library she's left humiliated, bitten and peed on by a demon. No one can figure out how a class 1 demon cased THAT much trouble. Well that's just it, a class 1 didn't. Somewhere in the mix of Hell the demons are starting to work together, and the Trappers Guild knows that's nothing but trouble.  Though living through her humiliation, Riley wants nothing more then to fall asleep and wake up with a clean start. (If only life was that easy) Instead Riley wakes up to the horrific news that her father, legendary demon trapper Paul Blackthrone, was killed while trapping a grade 3 demon. With her world crashing down, Riley has to fall into the routine of school, apprenticing with a master trapper who's an asshat, sitting vigil at her fathers grave so necromancers won't reanimate him, AND figure out why every demon from class 1 to class 5 knows her by name. Even when she's never met them before.

Now that things have gone to Hell in a hand basket, Riley has to turn to Beck, her fathers former apprentice for help. Ugh....see Riley & Beck don't always see eye to eye. At one point Riley even wanted Beck because he was a muscles and fresh out of the military, but Beck shot that down real quick. So now they have a love hate relationship, and in the wake of her father's death Beck steps in and now has to fight tooth & nail to keep Riley out of harms way & on the right track.

Hands down this book was amazing! Jana has done such a great job truly bringing her characters to life, and making you feel what they're going through. There are hardly times when I bawl like a baby while reading, but the raw emotion simply blind sides you. There are so many emotions swirling around that you can't help but feel it all. Love, grief, terror, guilt, it's a miracle the author was able to balance it out so well. So now I can't wait for the follow-up and am literally stalking Jana's Facebook & Twitter to find out every detail I can on the sequels release!


5/5

Paperback Dolls: The Demon Trapper's Daughter MEGA GIVEAWAY!

With the upcoming release of her first book in The Demon Trapper's series, Jana Oliver has teamed up with the amazing girls over at Paperback Dolls & created The Demon Trapper's Daughter MEGA GIVEAWAY!

So run over, enter to win before time runs out & good luck!!