Title: Demon in the Whitelands
Author: Nikki Z. Richard
Genre: Fantasy
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay, Gender Fluid, Intersex, Non-Binary, Pansexual
Publisher: Self
Pages: 300
Reviewer: Xanthe, Paranormal Romance Guild
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About The Book
Sometimes no matter how hard you try, some things cannot be explained.
Sixteen-year-old Samuel, son of devout cleric, has endured shame and prejudice his entire life. Although he is destined to become clergy too, he longs for an ordinary life in the whitelands away from demons and holy roots.
When the mayor claims to have captured a mute demon girl, Samuel is forced to become her caretaker. But as Samuel gets to know the prisoner, he finds her not to be very demonlike. Instead, she is intelligent, meek, and an exceptional artist. Despite her seeming goodness, some more concerning things cannot be explained. Samuel is hard-pressed to reconcile her uncanny strength and speed, missing arm, ambiguous gender, and the mysterious scars covering most of her body.
Samuel forms a deep attachment to the girl with predator eyes and violent outbursts, against his father’s advice. Their friendship could turn into something more. But when Samuel discovers the mayor’s dark intentions, he must decide whether to risk his own execution by setting her free or watch as the girl is used as a pawn in a dangerous game of oppression, fear, and murder.
The Review
Demon in the Whitelands is a post-apocalyptic fantasy novel that leaves the known world here divided into three different states, the Whitelands, the Greenlands, and the Redlands. Politicians are the richest, most powerful, most corrupt and most despicable people existing.
In the Whitelands, we meet sixteen-year-old Samuel, the illegitimate son of the town cleric, a sycophant of the dangerous sort, kissing the town mayor’s boots and the sheriff’s butt. The cleric prays to some ‘god,’ an unheard creature, performs rites in the ‘holy roots’ name, and ‘serves’ everyone.
One day the mayor informs the cleric he had imprisoned a demon and demands that Samuel and his father take a look at the creature who seems to be a girl with her blood-stained dress, her injuries, scars, and a missing arm. When Samuel is commanded to become her caretaker, he forms a deep bond to the girl who turns out to be physically epicene. She refuses to talk but turns out to be a highly intelligent and mysterious artist.
Still, she shocks Samuel by not losing her ability to turn into a bloodthirsty killer with almost superhuman abilities and the skills to fight to the death against several male soldiers. And one day, the subliminally brewing tension of a new building war and fight of the most powerful explodes.
Demon in the Whitelands spends about thirty pages with descriptions and, in my opinion, quite redundant scenes. Next to the main characters of Samuel and his father, the mayor and his son Charles, the sheriff and the doctor and the butcher family, there are not many likable townspeople mentioned. More or less, the entire town depends on the goodwill and the moods of the fat mayor and is appropriately devout. However, I personally think Charles, the mayor’s son, is quite a goodhearted person. So is Samuel, of course. I don’t like the sheriff, though, but had to admit, he had a few good moments in the story.
Considering the book is classified as ‘Young Adult,’ I have to say, there’s are a few well-described blood splattered scenes involved.
I thought the book took a bit long to get into gear. The well-written story is based on a good idea, but the entire plot is a bit meager. In the end, there were too many questions still open.
Still, I love the idea, and I adored the ‘demon girl.’
The Reviewer
Hello all, my name is Xanthe and I am excited to be a reviewer for the PRG.
I read a lot, every night for at least 4-5 hours and I love to get lost in the world that an author has created. The best ones leave you wanting more and at a loss for words to describe just how good it is but I’ll try my best.
I live in a small town in South West England, just me and my dog Bonnie. I work part time in administration and really enjoy my job and the people I work with which I am very aware is not always the case!
I’ll read pretty much any sub genre within the mm genre. Since discovering it a few years ago, I rarely read anything else. One thing I won’t touch is horror, a definite no no for me!
Never ask me what my favourite anything is as I’ll have to give you a list of about ten or twenty things. How am I able to pick one food, book or film out of so many that I love?!
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