Dear Reader:
I’ve been trying to come up with clever ways to explain why I like reading Deidre Knight’s books. Instead of clever I’ve decided to go with straight forward; I read her books because I like her writing. Whether Ms. Knight is writing a paranormal or contemporary romance she captures my attention by her skillful world building, interesting and fascinating mythology, and her attention to character development.
A few years ago I was impressed and intrigued by the premise of Ms. Knight’s Gods of Midnight series. As with most series, if the basic foundation and mythology in the first book captures your attention, then you’re bound to be invested in the successive books; and my interest was certainly piqued when I read the first book in the Gods of Midnight series, Red Fire.
In Red Fire we were introduced to Ares, the God of War, who gives the gift of immortality to seven of the bravest warriors from ancient Greece. As a reward for their valiant efforts to keep Greece safe from the overwhelming invasion of the Persian army, these Spartan warriors receive the gift of immortality. Now, over 2500 years later, they continue to fight and protect innocents from the forces of evils. This series is a contemporary paranormal that has engrossing and extremely engaging warriors who have lived for thousands of years, some assorted demons, mercurial Greek Gods, and resolute demon hunters. With every book we get to know more about each of these individuals; especially the warriors who must not only fight evil but the God who created them.
In Red Demon, the third book of the series, we find ourselves immersed in present day Savannah, Georgia with an intimate look at the love and loss between Spartan warrior, Aristos “Ari” Petrakos and southern belle, Juliana Tiades. Juliana was Ari’s one and only true love and on the night they were to consummate their love Juliana committed suicide. Ari has never been the same and has kept his heart guarded while keeping his love for Juliana alive. After her death, Juliana became a ghost, unable to cross over, tethered to this world by her love for Ari. It’s when Juliana makes a deal with a demon to gain her corporeal form that all bets are off. After 100 years apart they are finally together again, and neither the God of War nor a jealous demon hell bent on revenge will come between them. Of course it’s not as easy as all that—and here is where the ‘heart’ of the book lies. TRUST.
Red Demon is successful in ways most books in a series are not. All of the main characters in this series are present and accounted for and they're not just making an appearance and stopping by for dessert. They are integral to the telling of Juliana and Ari’s story as well as to the overall story arc of the series. Each character is part of the larger whole and the larger whole is pieced together by each individual. It’s an intricate dance that is hard to do in storytelling and one that Ms. Knight performs without missing a step. She not only gives you a focused and thoughtful accounting of the protagonists, she also lays to rest some questions from the previous two books (Red Fire and Red Kiss) while at the same time creating tension and conflict for the characters and books to come. For an author that’s a lot to juggle and keep track of—yet as a reader, you fall into this world gently guided by the author relishing each reveal.
So dear reader, If you're already reading this series you'll be excited to find out what happens between Mason and Nik and Daphne and Leo. If you're looking for a new paranormal series with an interesting mythology, seven Spartan warriors living in modern day Georgia, demons, Greek Gods, demon hunters, wit, friendship, and romance, might I suggest Deidre Knight’s Red Demon?
Until next Monday, remember, there’s a book waiting to be read.
Marisa
I'm curious: Do you pick up a series based on the author or because of the mythology? If you're reading a series, are you going to pick up the next book because you're waiting to find out what happens to a particular character? And have you ever picked up a book that's in the middle of a series and gone back to read the previous books?
Marisa O’Neill is an avid reader and a television producer.
