Book review
Written by Kelley Armstrong
Pocket Books hardback
Release date Out now

Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series is known for chronicling the adventures of strong female leads. She has introduced us to werewolves, witches, necromancers and even a ghost/angel, so fans have high hopes for the latest instalment, Personal Demon, which follows chaos demon and journalist Hope Adams…

Hope, who was introduced in her own short story and has since become a key member of the Otherworld, finally gets her own novel, which should be a great thing. Unfortunately it isn’t; Hope’s powers mean she essentially becomes blessed/cursed with visions - pretty pedestrian stuff when compared to the abilities of Paige, Elena, Jaime and Eve.

The story structure, however, is strong – Hope has to go undercover to investigate a supernatural gang in Miami that threatens the almighty Cortez Cabal while tying up loose ends relating to Bitten, one of Armstrong’s earlier, werewolf-centric Otherworld novels.

Delving into the supernaturals’ subculture proves revealing. The gang includes a number of memorable characters and their M.O. of running a club and using it to commit burglary while their patrons get drunk is so mundane it’s almost refreshing. This aspect of the novel feels the most fun, but Hope’s undercover work still involves trips to the local Cabal office and the occasional twist with her on-off werewolf boyfriend-cum-master thief Karl Marston.

Hope shares narration duties with lawyer and Cabal heir Lucas Cortez. This almost makes it appear as if Hope isn’t strong enough to narrate a novel on her own, even if having Lucas do some of the talking does provide more of a god’s eye view.

While the book has plenty of cameos from Otherworlders, Hope is a frustrating lead and the departure from Armstrong’s previous format could either be seen as revitalising the franchise or ruining it, depending on your point of view. Lesley Smith

VERDICT: 4/10
While the premise is sound, Personal Demon lacks the zest of previous instalments.