The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer

Book:  The Demon Catchers of Milan

Author:  Kat Beyer

Publisher:  Egmont

Date:  August 28, 2012

Source:  Publisher via Netgalley

My grade:  B+

Mia's ordinary life is disrupted in the most horrifying way possible when she is possessed by a hungry and powerful demon--and only saved by the arrival of relatives from Italy, the country her grandfather fled many decades ago. Now her cousins Emilio and Giuliano say the only way to keep her safe is for her to come back with them to Milan, to live, to learn Italian, to fall in and out of love, and to master the family trade: fighting all demons with the lore of bell, book, and candle. Milan is not what Mia expected, but it will change her forever, in this stunningly well-written novel about an American girl who, fleeing an ancient evil, finds her only salvation in her ancestral home. (Cover and description from www.netgalley.com)

Initial reaction

Are you freaking kidding me?  It just stopped there????

Title and Cover

The title is very catchy and I think will immediately draw in readers who go for this genre.  The cover wasn’t bad, especially since the candles are relevant to the plot.  I thought it was sort of pretty.

What’s the Story

First, let me say that the setting in this book is AMAZING!  I loved Milan and the Italians and all the culture of Italy!  Watching Mia master Italian and study the history of Milan was at least as interesting as the demons.  I feel like I learned a lot of passive knowledge about Italian culture and it just strengthened my resolve to learn to speak Italian someday.

Now, on to the plot.  I didn’t feel that the story dragged, because I couldn’t believe how quickly I read this book.  But when I got to the end, I was all “That’s it?”  I know there is a second book planned, but it felt like there was no wrap-up in this one.  It felt like this book was really setting the stage for what will come in the next one.  Now, that’s not necessarily bad, but I would have liked to see something else happen at the end, I’m just not sure what.

However, the premise was exciting.  I loved the whole demon possession thing and the family of demon catchers.  That was a really cool idea.  I also liked the way the methods have been passed in the family for hundreds of years.  The plot background was very well-established in this book and it held my attention really well, even though at the end it felt as if I had not moved far in terms of the story.

The characters were great.  I loved the big Italian family and Nonna and Nonno were just adorable!  I read a review where someone was grossed out about Mia’s “crush” on her cousin, Emilio.  I didn’t really see it as a crush as much as she was aware of the fact that he was very good-looking and thought that it was too bad he was her cousin.  There was never a hint of a romantic relationship between them and honestly, they were cousins that were so far removed that it wasn’t really a taboo thing.  I think she just appreciated his good looks and his personality.  ::shrugs::

I have to say that I DID miss some romance in this story.  I’m hoping there might be some in the next book.  I’m not a straight-up romance reader, but I like to have some sort of romantic interest in the plotline.  Plus, I’m dying for Mia to grow into her own skin and really start flirting with some Italian hotties! : )

I really liked Mia as the protagonist and I think we will see great things from her in the next book.  She was likeable and believable and it was nice to see her become more self-confident when she was out from under her sister’s shadow.

Songs

Come Back to Sorrento by Frank Sinatra

No book that is so full of Italian culture is complete without a Frank Sinatra song in the soundtrack, right?

Setting Sun by The Chemical Brothers

Creepy video!

Exorcism by Killing Joke

And of course…..

Theme song from The Exorcist

The final grade

My final grade is a B+.  I think this book is setting me up for what I hope is one roller coaster ride of a book in the next installment.  Even though this books wasn’t boring, I would have liked a little more meat to the story.  I’m crossing my fingers and anxiously awaiting the next installment.