A review by rellimreads
The Outlands Demon by Anna Durand

  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

KoboPlus

DNF @ 34%.  1.5 ⭐️

This is book 2 in Anna Durand’s The Devil Outland’s series. 

While book 1 was fun despite being short and ending abruptly, this one didn’t work for me.  There were time/location jumps that took paragraphs or most of the chapter to figure out what was happening.  I think it would have been really helpful if sections introduced the location/year if Durand wasn’t going to add it to the story.

You don’t have to listen to book 1 to understand what’s going on in this one in terms of background.  Likely because Durand focuses quite a bit of the story on Charlotte’s parents, Nathaniel & Kylie.

Zaen'imuth/Zane’s motivation is revenge against her parents for killing his father…for reasons?  He didn’t like his father and the revenge doesn’t seem it will gain him anything and then once he meets Charlotte - Zane doesn’t really do anything but jump back and forth from different times in her life and to the Outlands and back.  Again, for no discernible reasons or ones that don’t make sense.  eg. He’s spent months living in the US to learn the culture, but needs to visit a witch for a spell that makes him know what to do/say - except he still doesn’t know what to do.

They dream about and internally lust after each other, but a 1/3 of the way in and the MCs have barely spent any time together, the only conversation they have is awkward and everyone’s motivations are murky.   🤷🏻‍♀️

Narration:
This was my first time listening to Dane Anderson and Evelyn Rose.  I enjoyed both performances.  Anderson has the perfect deep, gravely voice for a demon.  Rose is a good match for a 23 year old and also does a good, smokey voice for Zane.  I’d definitely listen to both of them again.