Book Review - The Demon Re-Born by Samantha Johns

The Demon Re-Born 
(The Repentant Demon, #2)

by Samantha Johns

Published 2013
133 Pages

So, here I am, sitting in my leather chair, feet propped up on the ottoman... a beer on a small table adjacent to me, and my trusty gen3 iPad charged up and ready to display the best the internet has to offer. Do I browse for comics? No, tonight I am reading the second book in the Repentant Demon Trilogy. It's shorter than the first, so I should be able to complete it in... three beers? I read better with beer. Please don’t ask why.

I can state unequivocally that I enjoyed the first book. I have very fond memories of a new concept, whereby a demon wants to do good, and to prove himself worthy of God's love. So it should be understood that my anticipation runs high. Hence, the reason for my lackadaisical approach to this second installment. 

At the end of book one, the demon Calumnius was transformed into a man, and given exactly one year to prove himself deserving of entering God’s kingdom. That’s where we start off in book two. Waking up in an unsavory place, with the utter disgust of being human, Calumnius struggles to understand his new body. Interestingly, the angel who transformed him gave him just what every newly minted human male needs: a perfect body, and the good looks of Superman (right down to the bluish-black hair, and a small curl at the forehead).

Growing up as a heterosexual male, I often dreamed of looking like Superman (and for the record, I absolutely do not look anything like the Man of Steel). What fun it would have been to be so terrific looking, and to pillage the forest of the female game. Fortunately, I didn't write this book, and that's not the direction this story takes us. Instead, the author takes the upper road, and creates a clever way to almost 'protect' Calumnius, now called Cal, from such diversions. Cal is reintroduced to Abigail (the human who was the seed of his desire for repentance and transformation), who shelters him while he explores his humanity. During the process, Cal feels all the emotions, bodily functions, and conflicts that make us who we are. And that is precisely what this book is about.

The author purposely slows down the narrative, whilst subtly prepping the reader for something more for the final chapter. And while Cal, as a human, has his intellect intact, it is the intellect of a demon... a demon who has watched humans, and existed for millennia. As such, Cal has been given a special ability for understanding all languages, including those that are extinct or used only in very special sects. And it is this ability that drives the evolution of a secondary plot which, I assume, leads us into book three. I won’t give it away, but it falls within the realm of biblical underpinnings, and hints at a distinct message the author is sending. 

This second installment is shorter than the first book in the series. It flows better, and relaxes the reader -- there weren’t any jolting surprises. And while at times it felt almost too slow, it gives the clear impression that there is far more to come. Three beers later, I can say that I enjoyed The Demon Re-Born.

Available on Amazon

Read our review for the first book in the series!
The Demon Calumnius

Reviewed by Matt
★★★★
4 STARS