The Demon's Librarian [Paperback]

Lilith Saintcrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2009

Demons are preying on schoolchildren in her city, so Francesca Barnes does what any red-blooded librarian would do-she does some research and goes hunting. But the books she finds in a secret cache don't tell her the whole story. Chess has no idea what she's just stepped into or just how special she is. Orion is Drakul, part demon, and a loyal servant of the Order. He doesn't expect a motorcycle-riding librarian to be messing around with demonic forces, and he doesn't expect her to smell so damn good. But Ryan's got bigger problems. His partner has disappeared, and the forces of Darkness are rising. Now Chess is Ryan's only hope of finding his partner, and Ryan is Chess's only hope of survival because the demons now know Chess exists and that she is the heir to a long-lost power that could push back their dark tide. If Ryan can keep her alive long enough, she just might be the key to destroying the demons completely. But Ryan doesn't know he's been betrayed by the very Order he serves. And if Chess does, by some miracle survive, he won't ever be able to touch her again. . .

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: ImaJinn Books (February 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933417447
• ISBN-13: 978-1933417448
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lilith Saintcrow lives in Vancouver, Washington, with her two children and assorted other strays. She has been writing since she was nine years old. Find her on the web at www.lilithsaintcrow.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Demon Hunting Librarian, March 17, 2009

By 

Kathy E. "Kathy" (Bristol, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Demon's Librarian (Paperback)

I have not been a big fan of Lilith's writing since after Working for the Devil. Everything after that first Dante Valentine book never seemed to measure up for me; however, this was a fantastic read. Chess is a librarian with a double life. She stumbled upon a secret room within her library with a hidden treasure of sorcery books. Taking advantage of her secret cache, Chess picks up wielding magic, which seems to be a natural talent for her. She's a smart book worm by day and a demon hunter by night. Unfortunately, her extracurricular activities have caught the attention of the Order and more than a few enemies. The Order is an organization that has existed secretly for hundreds of years, comprised of demons and humans and everything in-between. They protect society from the evil demonic entities who would rather use society as one big buffet. Ryan, who works for the Order and is half demon/half human, has been sent to investigate the death of an enemy who was killed without being sanctioned by the Order. When he finally figures out that Chess is the unsanctioned hunter, things start to get messy. Ryan senses a magic in Chess that hasn't existed in hundreds of years and realizes that Chess must be protected at all cost. Chess has been marked by the enemy for death. Unbeknownst to the Order, she is a valuable asset and would weaken them considerably if the enemy were to succeed. Ryan's demon has mated w/ Chess, even if she isn't aware of it. He becomes her protector from the dark forces that pursue Chess relentlessly. Chaos is rampant, war is brewing and lines have been drawn. Ryan is betrayed by the order but together he and Chess team up to defeat the enemy. This solid urban fantasy is loaded with preternaturals and is full of sexual tension with a hint of romance. The story flowed nicely and was very exciting with not a moment to waste. This is apparently a stand-alone book but it would be a great series about Chess and Ryan's part in the Demon wars. I highly recommend this book.

I also recommend:
The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, Book 6)
In the Blood
Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine, Book 1)
Hotter Than Hell (Hell on Earth, Book 3)
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2)

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Complexity, July 5, 2009

By 

Librovore (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Demon's Librarian (Paperback)

Ms. Saintcrow packs more complexity into a shorter span of words than any other writer in this field, and this novel is a clear example of her abilities. This is not a book you read once and hold all of the subtle twists of plot and characterization. I've finished the fourth reading and am still uncovering relationships that I'd passed previously.

For those (and I am certainly one) who really, really liked the Dante Valentine series, this world's learning curve is steeper and probably a bit disconcerting due to expectations about what demons should be, based on the prior story. Also, whereas that series dealt with the interrelationships of a very small group of characters, Chess and Ryan fit more comfortably into the larger context and have more tangible lines of experience that anchor them to the external world. That said, Ms. Saintcrow certainly doesn't shortchange the personal aspect: The romantic scenes are well executed and the relationship develops along a comprehensible and realistic path. (I can't stand books where the supposedly astute, intelligent and has-it-together heroine hates the hunk and then suddenly jumps into bed with him; the suspension of disbelief stretches into a suspension of sanity.)

If I had to pick a deficiency in the Dante series, it was that the story was pretty much Dante's alone; we weren't given opportunity to see why the other main characters behaved as they did or the motivations they ascribed to Dante's actions. In 'The Demon's Librarian', motivations are more clearly set out. We see the conflict of both central points of view and can observe how those viewpoints change as the characters relate to each other and how new information about the world affects Chess's attitudes and actions.

In sum, an excellent story that I hope is the foundation for a new series. Buy the book and read it two or three times and you'll agree.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Oddly entertaining, July 5, 2009

By 

T. M. Gonzalez (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Demon's Librarian (Paperback)

This is the first book I've read from this author and I found it overall enjoyable, but a little odd. It took awhile to get used to the book being written in third person but with constant long thoughts from the characters written in italics. I also imagine this author had a bet with someone on how many times she could get away with using the term solar plexis in a single novel, as I've never seen this term in a novel before, and it must have been in this one 4-5 times.

Overall I really enjoyed the story. I related to the librarian finding herself in a situation that is far outside the usual scope of her duties. It would have been nice to see her a little earlier though, because I'd have liked to see her surprise and wonder as she first discovered the unusual cache in her library and first realized the demons were real.

Lastly, this was written like it was somewhere between a serious romance and a novel for teens. I was shocked at the amount of cuss words (because I initially thought I'd bought a young adult novel), then I kept expecting steamy sex scenes (based on the rest of the content it seemed inevitable), which never materialized.

I might try this authors other books. This one just left me scratching my head a bit.