Narrated by Liv Anderson
I do a lot of series reading and love getting to know characters as I follow them over the course of several books. I find myself getting pretty invested in how things will turn out for those characters I especially like. This is exactly how I feel about Detective Kara Gillian, a police officer I first met in Diana Rowland’s Mark of the Demon
Life is beyond complicated for Kara. She’s a small-town cop with a huge gift and more responsibility than one woman should ever have to handle. She’s struggling to solve two difficult cases, trying to sort out her feelings for Federal Agent Ryan Christoph, and dealing with the fact that a demonic lord wants her to become his exclusive summoner. Some might call this last a great honor, but Kara is scared to death. Demons do nothing without good reason. What is Lord Rhyzkahl’s reason for demanding this of her?
Four people are dead. At first, the two couples seem to have no connection to each other – at least, no connection anyone but Kara can see. Since she has the gift of other sight, she is able to see things other people cannot. All four of the victims have had their life essences ripped away. Who or what is strong enough to do such a terrible thing, and will Kara be able to stop them?
Once again, narrator Liv Anderson did a stellar job. She is the voice of Kara Gillian. Whenever I think about the detective, it’s Anderson I hear. Because the book is told from Kara’s point of view, I was pleased to discover Anderson’s obvious comfort with the role. Even though Kara was born and raised in Louisiana, she doesn’t speak with an accent. Although I appreciate well-performed accents, Anderson’s narration was compelling enough that their absence did not take away from my enjoyment of the story.
Anderson is called on to portray several different types of demons. She distinctly voices each and none remind me of something one would expect to find in a cartoon or badly done horror movie. Demons don’t sound like humans. However, they are definitely believable, rather than laughable, characters. This is a huge point in Anderson’s favor.
Rowland doesn’t hold back when it comes to violence and gore. I wasn’t bothered by this, and Anderson didn’t seem to have any trouble with it either. I’ve heard narrators sound a little squeamish when describing especially violent scenes, but Anderson didn’t miss a beat. She portrayed Kara’s concern without getting out of character.
I really enjoyed the blend of sensuality, mystery, and paranormal elements in Blood of the Demon. I still wonder who Kara’s true love interest is, since she’s drawn to both Ryan and Rhyzkahl in different ways. Maybe Secrets of the Demon
Shannon
Narration: A
Book Content: A
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence: Graphic
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
I love Diana Rowland’s White Trash Zombie series on audio and I’ve been curious if this series is good on audio. Thanks for the info, I’ll have to add this one. :-)