Review: Beautiful Demons | Sarra Cannon

This review is spoiler free.

“Lots of people in this world are beautiful.”

Series: The Shadow Demons Saga
Published: 2016, by Dead River Books.
Pages: 181
Format: eBook/Kindle Edition
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult, Demons, Witches, Magic
Contains: Strong Language, Death, Violence, Blood/Gore, Fire

‘Beautiful Demons’ tells the story of Harper Madison, who has extraordinary powers, but her inability to control them has gotten her kicked from so many foster homes she’s lost count. Shadowford Home is her last chance, and she hopes Peachville High will be the fresh start she needs. But when evidence tires her to the gruesome murder of a Demons cheerleader, Harper discovers this small town has a big secret.

‘Beautiful Demons’ is a recent find of mine, having followed Heart Breathings on YouTube, which is run by author Sarra Cannon, and watching a few of her videos on how to plan a novel during Preptober. Naturally, after binge-watching her videos, I just had to find the first novel and delve into the world of The Shadow Demons Saga.

Harper Madison is a very interesting yet troubled protagonist, suffering a lot of trauma in her life which has led to Peachville, however, that merely sets up a great novel. You feel for Harper and her history, as well as the trouble she’s going through in the present day, and you tend to admire her strength and resilience to continue. She’s a very strong character, and I loved that about her.
However, there’s very little other characters who seemed to follow the same route as Harper, being a little two-dimensional and without a memorable trait to them. They’re there to serve a trope – the popular cheerleader, the quarterback boyfriend, etc – and I feel as if there was something missing to them. However, this is the first book in a 12 book series, so I assume they grow in time.

The writing itself is very fast paced, with short chapters to keep you flying through the book in a short amount of time. It was a very quick read, but I deeply enjoyed Harper’s story that flowed through the pages.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed this story. Peachville has peaked my curiosity and I can’t wait to discover more about the characters who reside there in the future.