Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Series: The Demon Catchers of Milan, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
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Mia's ordinary life is disrupted in the most horrifying way possible when she is possessed by a hungry and powerful demon--and only saved by the arrival of relatives from Italy, the country her grandfather fled many decades ago. Now her cousins Emilio and Giuliano say the only way to keep her safe is for her to come back with them to Milan, to live, to learn Italian, to fall in and out of love, and to master the family trade: fighting all demons with the lore of bell, book, and candle. Milan is not what Mia expected, but it will change her forever, in this stunningly well-written novel about an American girl who, fleeing an ancient evil, finds her only salvation in her ancestral home.
I will be frank: While I did like this book as a whole, there were some (maybe several) parts which really didn't make me enjoy it as much as I wanted to. When I read the blurb for this one, my expectations blasted pretty high. When I read some reviews, okay my expectations were lowered a little. But I didn't expect it to be lower than what my slightly lowered expectations was. For this review I first want to point out what I liked and what I didn't–
What I liked...
Okay, I LOVED the author's writing. Beautiful, gorgeous and completely out of this world. Her descriptions of Milan made my soul crave for it, and the demon possessions, oh god, nearly scared the hell out of me.
The characters little quirks. It really helped me to identify them. Nonna's cooking (yum, which made my stomach growl several times), Emilio's ability to melt women into a pile of mush, and Nonno's sudden fierceness. For many characters, they were all pretty properly developed!
The idea of the story. WOW. I have never read a book about Demons... I think. Maybe I have, but whatever, this concept is totally new. I loved how history and mythology come together in this one, with a flurry of languages and an amazing setting.
On the other hand...
What I didn't like was that there were too many characters. Too many names to remember, and you don't really connect with the main character. Speaking of which: I didn't enjoy Mia all that much. She seemed kind of plastic-y. Going along with everything, picking up on the traditions, customs and language (oh gods, at super-human speed for this one), whereas a regular person would be super confused. She just annoyed me with her general boredom and her gullibility throughout the novel.
The plot was kind of a downer for me. With such a great idea for a story, it sure didn't seem to contain much stuffing. There are only two or three big things that happen, but most of the book seems focused on Mia learning stuff, people explaining things and just a whole load of descriptions.
Overall, regardless of what I liked and didn't like about The Demon Catchers of Milan, I will definitely be picking up the second book (if there is one... not too sure if this is going to become a series!). I need to see how the story continues– I thought it ended in a good place, but oh well, demons will be demons and will try to possess someone sometime or the other. Now I really got to go to Italy, because my hearts burning for it. *sigh* Kat Byer, how you make me lust for Milan!
