Demon Driven
By: John Conroe
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
Series: The Demon Accords, Book 2
Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 10-27-15
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Book Blurb
It’s been seven months since Chris Gordon met Tanya Demidova, and a lot has changed. He’s stronger and faster and has the senses of a vampire and the appetite of a werewolf. But even as he settles into his new position with the Special Situations Squad and his relationship with Tanya, new threats appear. From south of the border, north of the city, inside the NYPD, and the federal government. But the hardest fight Chris will face is with himself. Sometimes the demon inside is the most dangerous!
My Review
Note: This is book 2 and it mostly works as a stand alone novel but is definitely better if you’ve read book 1.
Book 1 was just OK for me, not great. Book 2 doesn’t wow me either. In this book, Chris’s powers have grown exponentially. This made the plot predictable and boring. Nothing and no one can really stand up to Chris and he hasn’t even tested the full limits of his powers. It’s too much in too short a time. I never really worried about Chris getting hurt or his friends and family being slain.
The ladies are still in the backseat for this story. They don’t really affect the plot other than Chris worries about his girlfriend Tanya. We do finally get to see the lady vampires fight a bit but Chris is still the main focus. In general, the story refers to the adult females as girls and that always bugs me. If it was just Chris doing it, I would say it’s part of his personality. Alas, it’s all the male characters, giving the story a sexist feel. I do appreciate that Gina Velasquez doesn’t fawn over Chris like all the other female characters. However, her role in this story is pretty small.
There’s also this Native American aspect to the story. We were introduced to Okwali, the spirit bear that follows Chris around, in book 1. Okwali gets a bigger role in this story and he is a fun character. Chris’s physical appearance has changed from book 1, which is explained as his powers have grown. So hes gone from a Caucasian man of Irish heritage to looking Native American with his darker skin. I’m not sure what to make of this. So far, Chris is not aware of any Native American heritage in his family. Is this melanin envy? Cultural appropriation? I’m not sure but I hope the series explains it better.
The action scenes are written well though I wish there were more of them. This book is definitely more paranormal romance than urban fantasy. A lot of time is spent on the main romance and on Chris going on and on about his looks and why he doesn’t like his body. 3/5 stars.
The Narration: James Patrick Cronin continues to do a good job of narrating image-obsessed Chris. I still like his Russian accent for the vampires. He also has some harsher voices for the Loki werewolves and the government agents. His female voices sound like ladies. The pacing was good and there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.