Review of Demi Mondaine by N. R. Mayfield
A.E. Jackson Review Score: 3 / 5 Ravens
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CONTENT WARNING
This novel will NOT be for everyone. There is a bit of adult language and some themes or character actions that may trigger readers. Consider this your Content Warning.
As the novel opens, Demi Mondaine is a member of the Army Reserves working the American-Mexican border. She’s as much ‘one of the guys’ as any soldier in the unit. Soon the crew find themselves wrapped up with an arm of the Mexican cartel, and quickly thrown into a military action supernatural thriller. No - I did not see that coming!
Good dialogue throughout is used to build characters and each character’s interesting backstory. The fast-paced action keep readers engaged. Current social concerns, like human trafficking, are blended with supernatural vigilantes to deliver a satisfactory tale.
Life at the fringe of society was all Demi had hoped for after her years of military service yielded nothing but nightmares, dust-covered medals, and a chilling moniker—the Butcher of Khost.
When Demi’s days of drinking and self-loathing are interrupted by a pair of border-hopping witches, she finds herself pulled into a world of shapeshifters, ghosts, and monsters. Can Demi harness her old demons and put them to good use… or is she just another monster lurking in the dark?
This collection of twelve stories follows Demi Mondaine and her fellow supernatural entity hunters as they take on cartel coyotes, a hypnotic curse, and the mother of all ghouls. When a demon slips free of Hell, it may just be more than even Demi and her crew can handle.
It is the dialogue that carries the storytelling in these fast-paced shorts. Many of the scary stories are brief, with more exposition and narration than the Demi Mondaine-focused sections. Still, the short stories are fun - even if a little shallow.
The disjointed stories start to get pulled together in one full narrative midway through the novel. Things that seemed disparate come together well and propel the reader forward with curiosity.
This is a fun, romping adventure with a tough-as-nails lady-soldier becoming one of the toughest demon slayers alive. Overall there was satisfying character development and a complete story arc. Readers will enjoy watching Demi Mondaine grow and become a complex well-liked, but hard-to-love character.
The author N.R. Mayfield is somewhat of a mystery. There appears to be no website, social profile, or even Amazon Author Bio listed.