Review: The Demon World | Sally Green

This review is spoiler free.

“Beware. He lies too.” 

Series: The Smoke Thieves
Published: 2019, by Penguin.
Pages: 402
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult. LGBT, Medieval
Contains: Death, Strong Language, Anger, Violence, Torture, Blood/Gore, War

The Demon World is the second instalment of The Smoke Thieves series, following the quintet as they venture into the barren wasteland of the Northern Plateau. With enemies gradually catching up to them, they are driven into the deadly tunnels of the demon world.

This book has been one of my most anticipated reads since it’s release, and I finally managed to get my hands on it. Although, it has its issues, it’s still become one of my favourites.

This novel is extremely character driven, moving the plot forward with their individual quips and quirks. Catherine’s character progresses the story forwards the most, developing more within the novel as she leads the soldiers to war. Tash was similar, developing and growing more in a way that was completely opposite to her in the first novel. She was more understanding and curious, learning more about what she once called her enemies.
Eydon and March’s plot lines were the ones that intrigued me the most, being full of anticipation and growth as they gradually lean on each other for safety. Their stories were full of sympathy for the characters, Green’s writing leading you to ache for them both. Their representation was well received, if a little heartbreaking, but overall, it made for a great read.
However, Ambrose was a character I didn’t care for, finding his chapters a little unnecessary as the other characters filled in the gaps he was describing. Sally Green is incredibly ambitious telling one story from multiple point of views, but I can’t help but wonder whether five is a little too much when it comes to this characters narrative.

The novel itself flows a lot faster compared to the first novel, improving incredibly and making for an entertaining read. Some narratives were more interesting than others, but I feel that that is down to personal interest than the writing itself. The concept of demon smoke is something unique and incredibly well written, while the dialogue was gripping enough to keep you moving page after page.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed this instalment to the series, learning more about the characters and falling deeper into the world of The Smoke Thieves.

4/5