American Monsters (Demon Road #3) by Derek Landy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: Bigger, meaner, stronger.

Amber closes in on her murderous parents as they make one last desperate play for power. Her own last hopes of salvation, however, rest beyond vengeance, beyond the abominable killers - living and dead - that she and Milo will have to face.

For Amber's future lies in her family's past, in the brother and sister she never knew, and the horrors beyond imagining that befell them.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Amber Lamont takes complicated to a whole new level as she becomes the Shining Demon, Astaroth's representative, and together with her companion Milo Sebastian and her ghost of a friend Glen she takes up her most dangerous quest yet as she seeks a way to defeat her parents once and for all, double-cross the Shining Demon, and escape alive.

American Monsters certainly isn't uninteresting, but I think there's a lot more room for adventure and excitement. I didn't get bored while reading it, Amber's 'daily life' had a certain degree of interest. However, I felt that a lot of the 'adventures' ended with the heroes escaping with very little consequence. In my opinion the ending is rushed, and the book in general is void of anything super exciting until two thirds through.

In this book, Amber changes a lot, especially when compared to the original Amber Lamont of book one, Demon Road. This is a necessary change backed by character development, which I liked. She learns a lot more skills and with the help of Milo gains control of her demon self.

I liked the final chapter, but some of it's preceding chapters weren't to my taste. Maybe it's just my expectations, but besides a few vicious fights there appears to be little double crossing from anyone other than Amber. I mean, surely someone would've found out about her plans and hatched something to stop her. American Monsters is a relaxing, gentle read, and I recommend it if you don't mind books with less action and adventure.
Purchase Location: ~HarperCollins NZ provided a review copy~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of heroines with flaws.

Desolation (Demon Road #2) by Derek Landy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: THE EPIC NEW THRILLER CONTINUES.

The second book in the mind-blowing new supernatural thriller from bestselling author DEREK LANDY, creator of international sensation Skulduggery Pleasant.

Reeling from their bloody encounter in New York City, Amber and Milo flee north. On their trail are the Hounds of Hell – five demonic bikers who will stop at nothing to drag their quarries back to their unholy master.

Amber and Milo’s only hope lies within Desolation Hill – a small town with a big secret; a town with a darkness to it, where evil seeps through the very floorboards. Until, on one night every year, it spills over onto the streets and all hell breaks loose.

And that night is coming.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Desolation continues right where Demon Road left off. Having cheated the Shining Demon, Amber and Milo are on the run from the hounds of hell, five demonic bikers who will stop at nothing to bring them back to their master. Their only hope lies in a small town in Alaska called Desolation Hill, rumoured to be able to keep out the demons.

When they arrive, nothing is as it seems. They are told they must leave before the town festival happens. Curious, Amber and Milo start sniffing around, to no avail.

Desolation is told from three third person perspectives, two of which introduce two new character sets that are quickly entwined in the plot. Amber, as always remains the main narrator.

Glen is a very minor character in Desolation, but I feel as if he may be the source of some issues with the plot. He appears briefly near the end of the book, yet isn't mentioned again.

Derek Landy is a skilled writer, always making the plot twist and turn to confuse his guessing readers. I can't wait for book 3, American Monsters! The ending of Desolation was unexpected, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
Purchase Location: I received a copy courtesy of HarperCollins NZ.
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of adventure, mystery, and action.

Demon Road (Demon Road #1) by Derek Landy
Publisher: Harper Collins
Goodreads Summary: Full of Landy’s trademark wit, action and razor sharp dialogue, DEMON ROAD kicks off with a shocking opener and never lets up the pace in an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America. Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers: they’re all here. And the demons? Well, that’s where Amber comes in...Sixteen years old, smart and spirited, she’s just a normal American teenager until the lies are torn away and the demons reveal themselves.

Forced to go on the run, she hurtles from one threat to another, revealing a tapestry of terror woven into the very fabric of her life. Her only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be…
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Action-packed, dark and thrilling are the perfect words to describe Demon Road. Before reading it, I'd only read a little bit of Derek Landy, in the form of one of two Skulduggery Pleasant books, which I read a long, long time ago.

Meet Amber Lamont; a short, plain girl often called ugly by others. I really liked Amber from the start, mainly because unlike most heroines, her flaws go beyond her personality and include her looks.

Milo is also a very intriguing character. At first, he is mysterious and powerful, but he soon becomes an important ally, and slowly the mystery of his past is unveiled.

I've read a few books involving Demons, but none anything quite like Demon Road. The 'Shining Demon' is unlike any other Demon character I've met in a book.

I was constantly guessing at the plot, and I was slightly disappointed when I got a lot of it correct, I felt that Amber could be slightly over ignorant. However, I am definitely still going to give Demon Road 4.5 Stars.
Purchase Location: I received a free copy courtesy of HarperCollins NZ.
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of Derek Landy