I recently discovered the first book in this adult paranormal series Shadow Marked, which I reviewed here, http://abookwormshaven.com/2010/12/20/book-review-for-shadow-marked-by-anna-j-ev..., and really fell in love with the idea of this world. Therefore I was really excited, and grateful, when the publisher mailed me this book which is the second book in the series. I think it is a good idea to read Shadow Marked first, so you will have a back story to everything going on in this world, but if you just read Demon Marked alone you would be fine. Enough is explained to you that you would not be lost, but I would suggest reading Shadow Marked first.

Onto the story, I have grown to love the mystery elements that weave through this series. Anna does a wonderful job of keeping the reader engaged and always wondering what awaits you around the corner. I have never liked being able to tell right away how a book is going to end and with this novel what you see is definitely not what you get. There are some elements to it that you will be able to guess at, of course, but the ones you can’t make the story that much more exciting. I really thought I had a couple of elements nailed, but nope, Anna surprised me again. Which just made me love this book that much more.

As for the main characters, I really liked Emma. She is a feisty girl who has seen the dark side of life on more than one occasion. It is actually the more sinister nature of her personality that has helped to keep her alive all these years. She has a demon dwelling in her, just like her sister Sam did, but her demon feeds off evil. Therefore her morals need to be a little more pliable than the average person. Andre on the other hand would fall under the softer side of life category. His family is the mob, but he has kept his hands relatively clean by being a lawyer and just bending the law a little here and there to help them out. The term I would use to describe this man would be “metro-sexual.” He gets his eyebrows waxed people! I had to laugh out loud when I read that in the book, sorry Andre. Not really a guy I would normally get into, but somehow Andre makes it work. I don’t even know if I can describe how he manages to win you over, but he accomplishes that task quite nicely. You soon forget that the man has perfectly groomed eyebrows and just focus on his general hotness.

I have to admit, this book captivated me a little more than the first one did. Just means they are getting better as they go right? I prefer Jace (the guy in the first one) to Andre , but the story line of Demon Marked held onto my interest a tad tighter then Shadow Marked did. Overall both books are awesome though and definitely worth reading. I am not sure where this world is going to go from here and I have not heard word of a future book, but I know I would really like to see more. I hope Anna has more story swirling around in her brain and writes it down so we can visit the demon filled streets of New York once again. ( )