Monday, December 6, 2021

#Review - Demon Riding Shotgun by L.R. Braden #Fantasy

Series: Magicsmith Universe
Format: Paperback, 389 pages
Release Date: November 30th 2021
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Possessed by a demon since she was eleven years old, Mira Fuentes maintains a fragile alliance with the snarky soul who shares her body. Together they hunt down unstable Rifters-- demon-controlled humans bent on causing chaos in the mortal realm. But when a routine hunt leads to a powerful Rifter with plans for Baltimore, Mira quickly finds herself in over her head and at the top of the city's Most Wanted.

Recently retired from the PTF after losing his partner, Ty Williams now works for the Baltimore PD and keeps his distance from cases involving magic. But when a person dies of clearly magical causes and the PTF doesn't have any agents to spare, Ty is the closest thing the department has to an expert. Saddled with a new partner he doesn't want and a mountain of self-doubt, it's his job to track down a suspect who looks suspiciously like the one-night-stand he brought home from the bar last night.

Mira will have to set her trust issues aside and enlist the help of a man determined to uncover her secrets if she hopes to learn the identity of the demon's host and prevent the human race from becoming meat puppets for the denizens of the Rift.

Demon Riding Shotgun, by author L.R. Braden, is a story that takes place after the events of, Of Mettle and Magic. In this world, Demons dwell in the Rift which is chaotic energy that connects all the realms. Demons can't manifest without a physical body and that's when a Rifter is created. Mira Fuentes is a rifter, a human possessed by a demon. But unlike other rifters, Mira and her demon found a way to share a body since she was 11 years old without it being destroyed. The demon preserves her free will and lets her make her own choices, even bad ones

Mira and her demon have a symbiotic relationship which shows with a bit of humorous dialogue along the way. One of the more curiouser aspects of Mira is the fact that she prays using a variety of prayers while also making cuts in her skin to keep track of all the lives that she's taken trying to free humans from demon possession. The author reminds readers that Mira played an important part in the final battle that took place in Baltimore. Now, we return to the same city where Mira is tracking down Riders who managed to escape. 

The story really takes off when a routine hunt leads to a powerful Rifter with plans for Baltimore. Mira quickly finds herself in over her head and at the top of the city's Most Wanted after being involved in two incidents. Enter Ty Williams formerly of the PTF (Paranormal Task Force) who left the job after losing his partner and is now a Detective in the Baltimore Police Department. When a person dies of magical causes and the PTF doesn't have any agents to spare thanks to the events of Of Mettle and Magic and its sorcerers being sidelined, Ty is the closest thing the department has to an expert. 

Saddled with a new partner he doesn't want and a mountain of self-doubt, it's his job to track down a suspect who looks suspiciously like the one-night-stand he brought home from the bar last night. Ty must decide whether to trust his instincts and believe Mira is trying to stop the real bad guys. Ty’s intuition, confusion, grief, guilt, and drive to do good are raw and compelling. He clearly struggles with PTSD, magic, small places and unnecessary partners, but he’s never portrayed as weak or incompetent because of it. 

This was an entertaining story and I wouldn't be shocked if the author kept this world going with new characters. Especially after what happened to Alex and her friends at the end of Of Mettle and Magic





No comments:

Post a Comment