The Demon Trapper's Daughter: A Demon Trappers Novel [Paperback]

Set in the year 2018, The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver is a dark portrayal of a world overrun with demons, and the men who work to send them back to Hell where they belong. Paul Blackthorne is a famous trapper, and his 17-year-old daughter Riley has the talent for trapping demons as well. When a Level Five demon takes Paul out, Riley is alone in the world except for her father's co-worker Denver Beck, an older guy that Riley once had feelings for.

Now on her own struggling just to pay her rent, Riley is more determined then ever to become a full-fledged trapper. Balancing school, watching over her father's grave so a necromancer doesn't claim him, and apprenticing with one of the roughest masters would be difficult for anyone. But Riley is special, and Heaven has an important job for her should she choose to accept her calling.

The Demon Trapper's Daughter is marketed as a YA novel, but I think it would be more appealing to an adult audience. It took me about half of the book to get over my initial disappointment when I discovered this, but once I did I started to care about where Oliver was going in the story. In the beginning, it was really hard to connect with any of the characters. I would have liked to get to know Paul better and see him interact more with his daughter before his unfortunate death. I wasn't as sad as I feel I should have been when she was left to fend for herself. Beck is also difficult for me to like. He comes across as a drunk and a womanizer, and I couldn't at all see why Riley once had a crush on him. Couple that with his ridiculous dialect, and it makes for one annoying character. By the end of the novel, I had warmed up some to him when it's revealed that he has developed romantic feelings towards Riley. She has several potential love interests, and though she's with Simon right now, I have a bit of a soft spot for Beck and hope it works out for him.

I think this alternative version of Atlanta, Georgia is quite fascinating, but I wish that Oliver had given us more background on what exactly is going on between Heaven and Hell. I like the different classifications of demons, and some of them are even funny. I found myself being partial to Ike's demon partner, who helps him break into money meters, and also to the demon type that hoards shiny treasures and Riley's `n' key on her computer.

At first I wasn't sure I would want to continue reading on in this series, but once I reached the end I knew I wanted more. I'm definitely eager to see where Oliver goes with the Holy Water situation; it was perfectly built up in this novel to carry over into the next. A bit of a slow start, but The Demon Trapper's Daughter won me over in the end.

This is a fun and interesting story, certainly a unique take on angels and demons. I liked Riley, and found her situation intriguing and compelling. I certainly want to read the next book to find out what happens next.

There were a few inconsistencies that bothered me. Riley is training to be a demon hunter. Her dad was a demon hunter. Why hasn't she learned some basic self-defense? I'd think that her dad would want to keep her as safe as possible, because there are other dangerous things in the world besides demons. It felt a bit contrived that she wouldn't know how to defend herself against humans, but she can bring down demons that no one has taught her how to capture. I'd rather see her know how to defend herself, know that she's out-matched, and then retreat rather than not know and let her fear drive her away. As a result, her character wasn't completely consistent. One minute she's all kick-butt badass and the next she's meekly surrendering. It didn't fit for me.

The other thing that really bothered me was the dynamic between Riley and Beck. Their animosity felt a bit contrived. If Riley's father had explained Beck's actions at a few key moments, then this animosity wouldn't exist. I'm not a fan of conflict that's around because someone won't explain what's going on.

As a result, there was so much time spent on Riley and Beck that the ending felt a bit rushed. I was really wishing there had been less of the Riley/Beck thing and more of what's going on with the demons. That was truly interesting, and I'm very curious to see what's going to happen next.

The last thing I want to comment on is the tone of the book. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but this book sounded like both YA and adult fiction. The narrator changes from Riley to Beck--Riley is a teenager and Beck is in his twenties. So, very different voices going on. Plus, there are several references to sex, sex toys, suggestions of sexual violence, soliciting a minor, and other sexual references. So, I wouldn't suggest this book to teens under, say, sixteen or so.

From page one Jana Oliver managed to hook me right inot the story of Riley, who is a Demon Trapper's Daughter and a rising Demon Trapper in her own right. The one difference between her and other Demon Trappers, she's the only female one. Beck is her father's apprentice and they don't always get along. So when things go wrong one evening and Riley is left on her own she remains suspicious of Beck and his reasons for helping her.

So while dealing with regular life, Riley also has to deal with a new teacher, and one she doesn't even like. The benefit is one of his apprentices is Simon who Riley finds attractive and is attracted to her as well.

But all of that is really in the background. The book is about Riley coming to terms with her father's death and what it means for her future. It's also about her desire for revenge and her methods to try and stop whatever is going on with the demons in her hometown of Atlanta.

I really like the character of Riley, she's tough but not invincible and she knows this (though it takes an episode or two for her to fully realize it). I also like that even though she is a demon trapper, she also is a normal teenager who has crushes, the current one on Simon.

The story moves along well balancing the world creation that occurs in the first book in a series with enough action and plot to make the story move and interest the reader from beginning to end.

Tied up neatly for the first book, but some loose ends left open, I will be looking forward to the next book in this series. Ms. Oliver has created a solid world and interesting characters, even the ones you don't like as much as others. But Riley, Simon and Beck are definitely interesting and I am hopeful there will be a love triangle in the future. I'm not sure which boy I would go for, both have some great qualities. But Riley who knows her mind will know the one that is best for her.