Review: Demon Eyes, by Scott Tracey

Author: Scott Tracey

Title:  Demon Eyes

Series: Witch Eyes (#2)

ISBN: 9780738726458

Publisher: Flux (October 8^th 2012)

Disclaimer: Copy received for review

Buy your copy: Paperback | Kindle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Demons don't die without a fight...

After destroying the demon Lucien, Braden—son of Belle Dam’s most powerful warlock, Jason Thorpe—doesn’t need the power of his witch eyes to see that everything in his life is turning against him: friends, family, and even his visions. When disturbing nightmares of Lucien’s return haunt him, Braden discovers that the simmering feud between the city’s two witch dynasties is fast approaching its explosive boiling point.

While struggling to come to terms with his attraction to Trey, Catherine Lansing’s son who should be his mortal enemy, a diabolical plan starts to unveil before Braden’s eyes. Young women are disappearing from Belle Dam, and as he investigates, Braden is forced to explore the dangerous unknown power within himself. But when the truth about his family is revealed, Braden must pay a terrible price.” GoodReads’ blurb

Last year, I fell for Witch Eyes (review here). It was a fast read, it was original, it had well-developed characters, and there was a wink to Romeo and Juliet to boot. It was perfect, and as such it was incredibly difficult to life up to it in a sequel. Demon Eyes is another book I loved, another peek into an interesting world where I’d be scared to live but would love to explore nevertheless. The only not-so-smooth part was, perhaps, the one part that utterly bought me in book one: the love story.

But let’s take it one thing at a time, shall we?

 The plot has thickened considerably. At points, I’ll admit, I had to step back, take stock, and wonder “okay, exactly what is happening here?” Not because the actions were illogical, or because the way everything was presented was confusing, but because I kept thinking: “there is a bigger picture here... where is it hiding?” I got bits and pieces. Mostly, I figured out what was going on demon-wise. I also figured what was wrong with Braden’s eyes. What I didn’t know, not until it slapped me on the face, was the role Belle Dam itself plays in the story. I thought of the city as the spot where the story took place, and that any weird happenings could be blamed on the number of warlocks living in there. It turns out I had it all wrong, and I think you’ll enjoy the discovery as much as I did.

The secondary cast is still very much secondary. I liked Troy’s sister, for example, for her way of standing up for Braden and for still caring for him. I liked his shifter buddy, because his attitude was plenty fun and it’s not every day you find a shifter who isn’t a were-anything. I even had a healthy dose of ...not-quite-like-not-quite-dislike for the little journalist, getting in so much trouble only because she thinks that finding out the truth is her right. And I still think that Jason Thorpe has reasons for being who he is, and that they’ll be revealed on time. On the whole, it’s a satisfying bunch. If I get them and analyze them one by one, they’re still a little unknown-but that’s to expect! The story is focused elsewhere, after all. I just feel like some of these guys are playing really important roles without us even realizing until the fact is upon us. Which could also be good news--after all, life has a tendency of surprising you, of being more than you thought based on a first glance.

Braden himself has changed in ways I understand and support. I even get his more questionable choices, and I’m fairly sure I’d have gone down that same route. There was something awfully imperfect and relatable in the way he clung to his lovestory with Troy. In spite of everything, of all the mixed signals, of the rejection, he still wants him.

And therein lies my issue. Mixed signals, anyone?

Troy, who felt incredibly real in book one, read a bit cartoonish here. He alternated between wanting Braden, to pushing him away, to grabbing him ever closer, to... It was too much of a roller coaster, and at times I wished Braden would tell him to get lost. Thankfully, when things really took a turn for the worst—wait, that’s an spoiler. I mean to say, he kind of redeems himself. I’ll be waiting for the next book to see how it plays out before clapping or screaming on that one, though.

What I don’t need to wait for, is to say that this series is great. The first book pointed to an excellent, original new world and Demon Eyes has kept up the expectations in most aspects. So, would I recommend this series to you? Yep. If you like supernatural, romance and mystery, then you probably need to read this.