MAKE ME
Demon Underground #4
by Parker Blue
Age: Young Adult
Disclosure: Provided by publisher via Net Galley.
No remuneration was exchanged and except as noted, all opinions are my own.
Val Shapiro has a secret she’s desperate to keep—she’s lost her slayer powers.
As the new guardian of the Encyclopedia Magicka, Val expected the books to give her powers to replace those that disappeared after she lost her "V card” to Shade.But the encyclopediaexacts a price for every spell, making the job of guardian a tricky proposition.
When a rogue demon kidnaps Val’s roommate Gwen and Micah, leader of the San Antonio Demon Underground, Val is plunged into the middle of a Solomon’s Choice.The rogue wants the dangerously potent Encyclopedia Magicka in exchange for her friends’ lives; the succubus leader of the Demon Underground in Austin is demanding the books be destroyed rather than let them fall into the wrong hands and wants Shade for herself, swearing to do everything she can to prevent Val’s turning over the books.
The kidnapping isn’t the only crisis Val faces. She’s been betrayed by Fang. Demons and vampires are disappearing.The vamps of the New Blood Movement are forcing Val to keep the terms of her agreement to work for them to combat this new threat. The Demon Underground is challenging Micah's leadership, and everyone is depending on a now-powerless Val to set things right.
Val needs all the help she can get. Even if it means forgiving Fang and spending time with a dangerously sexy cowboy-vampire. www.bellebooks.com
Parker Blue's Demon Underground series (BITE ME, TRY ME, FANG ME, MAKE ME) is a mix of the adult (sex, virginity, death, falling for a cop, being a succubus) and the not-so-adult (vibrating magic books, talking hell-hounds: one petulant King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and one Captain Courageous Jack Russel Terrier). If it weren't for Fang and Princess, Val's life of killing vampires and then being their employee/security, being a demon, rejection by her parents, etc. would kind of suck.
There are many characters in MAKE ME in the series of books (two more books are contracted, and a novella and a short story are planned - Parker Blue Facebook), and two locales: Austin and San Antonio, Texas. The vampires and demons were hard to keep track of.Most of the character definition of everyone but Val and her cousin/mentor/demon underground leader was written into the previous novels.
In MAKE ME Val's word and her honor, has stuck between vampires and demons, nether group is all bad or all good, all right or all wrong. A desire for power is perhaps more corrupting than having it apparently. And, as per genre-norms all magick has its price and sacrifice.
Even though Val is pretty young, she regularly deals with adults and ancient vampires on an equal footing, and she was even part of the police force. Having lost her virginity, or her V-Card, Val's fighting and healing powers are drastically reduced. Her only real weapon now is her succubus' ability to ensnare men. She does have a set of magic books which will teach her what she needs to know in a magical situation: the right spell for the job. But for each one her succubus nature is reduced.
But in many ways MAKE ME feels more YA than than FANG ME. And, she doesn't have an opportunity to hook up with her Shadow Demon boyfriend. At one point she has to feed of a vampire male-friend, Austin and in doing so reminds me of a young Anita Blake, it is the sexiest thing that happens in the book. The cover reflects this "return to innocence" with a Harry Potter vibe.
But in many ways MAKE ME feels more YA than than FANG ME. And, she doesn't have an opportunity to hook up with her Shadow Demon boyfriend. At one point she has to feed of a vampire male-friend, Austin and in doing so reminds me of a young Anita Blake, it is the sexiest thing that happens in the book. The cover reflects this "return to innocence" with a Harry Potter vibe.
But it's hard to have a story about a succubus without some mention of sexy so if you are totally dead set against it for your self or a young adult then, well, while this is extremely innocuous in this regard the subject does come up.
There is the death of someone close to Val and I felt it was brushed over in an "it's sad but let's get back to business" way. Of course if they don't more people will die. Most situations are resolved at the end. This is a fine continuation of the story and leaves room for the series to progress in several directions.
This is a special three volume Galley I received from Bell Bridge Press (10" by 8" softcover). It contains the first three novels in the Demon Underground Series by Parker Blue and I am giving it away. To enter complete the form below. US postal addresses only, 18 or older. Ends Saturday, May 5 at 12:01AM EST.
