Book Review — The Demon of Renaissance Drive

Title:  The Demon of Renaissance Drive
Author:  Elizabeth Reuter
Genre:  Urban fantasy
Pages:  Oversize paperback 209
Published:  2011
ISBN:  978-1-936564-25-5
Publisher:  JournalStone
Opening Lines:  "As the houses in Hell went, Annabelle's was lovely: wide, spacious, tastefully decorated.  The large living room windows gave her the same ol' view of the fire and carnage and let the stink of burning human flesh drift through her halls, but no home was perfect."

"After six thousand years the succubus Annabelle finds relief from her dull life in the companionship of a damned soul named Harry, until the Kings of Hell decide they disapprove of Annabelle and Harry's bond.

"Unfortunately, even escaping to Earth isn't enough to keep the pair safe.  Somewhere between dodging a dangerously inquisitive psychologist and fighting Satanists out for Harry's life, Annabelle realizes running is no longer an option.  She must return home and make a stand.

"Whether she survives or not, at least she isn't bored anymore . . ."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts:  Honestly, I couldn't get through this book.  I struggled with it for a couple of days, and I finally decided to give up the battle.  It was a very tough decision, because I received this as a review request.  However, after finding myself skipping over large chunks of text to try and make it through, I decided I couldn't give a fair review.

The book is extremely flat, the characters are two dimensional, the setting isn't even given much time, and the dialogue is forced.  I have read many reviews stating that it gets better once Annabelle gets the help of the psychologist; however, I didn't see the change.

There seems to be a rather large back story with the new King's ruling and the contention between demonesses and succubi; however, the author never took much time to describe that.  It is possible that she goes into more detail as the book progresses; however, I felt it was a disservice to leave it out of the first 100 pages.

All in all, what I read was not enjoyable.  Honestly, it was downright forgettable.  I think the author had an interesting concept, but failed on the execution. 

Rating: