Confessions of a Demon: More than just a relationship novel

Confessions of a Demon by S.L. Wright

Confessions of a Demon is what urban fantasy should be and so seldom is. It’s fun, it’s a bit sexy, and S.L. Wright knows how to balance those two prerequisites with enough action and world-building to make this more than just a relationship novel. That’s not such an easy task.

Allay, the main character, is caught up in a struggle for power between two rival factions of demons. She doesn’t realize it at first, but that’s really what it’s all about. Allay is a hybrid demon — she was born human and was accidentally changed into a demon during her teenage years. Her uncommon status makes her something of a celebrity, but not in the typical sense, because everyone wants to consume her instead of just admire her.

Wright’s idea for demons is something interesting. These are no cloven-hoofed, horned, evil beings, but rather they are naturally occurring creatures that happen to feed off of humans. Each demon is unique by virtue of how it feeds. (It’s all pretty clean and there are none of the usual bloodsucking vampires.)

What really intrigued me about Confessions of a Demon was that I kept thinking, “this would make a really cool video game.” For those of you who aren’t gamers, that’s my way of saying that it’s a very workable setting. The characters and their interactions with humanity and each other are well-constructed and I really wanted to explore their world. Wouldn’t it be fun to be a virtual demon? Would you be a good demon who tries to avoid hurting the people you feed off of, or would you be a bad demon and ruthlessly prey on humans?

My sole problem with Confessions of a Demon is that Allay is kind of whiny. She’s smart-mouthed and sassy like most of her urban fantasy heroine peers, but she’s also really conflicted over who she is and if she can live with what it takes to stay “alive.” I didn’t like Allay all of the time, but I still thought Confessions of a Demon was a great read.

If you are looking for a somewhat unique flavor of urban fantasy, Confessions of a Demon is well worth a try — it’s fun and exciting. I’m looking forward to a sequel.