I've been a long-time reader of this author. I've enjoyed many, many of her books, but Demon Leap is extraordinary. Owens has been writing Urban Fantasy for some time, and her creativity and world-building skills are top notch. However, with Demon Leap, there is something new and exciting to this story and I'm not sure I can quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's Arrow, the lead character. There's a vulnerability to her that makes you root for her without pitying her. Contrasting her with Elliot, her new coworker, you can see this difference. Both have issues with self-esteem and loneliness, sure, but Arrow has something a bit more. An edge or a core of titanium that is just below the surface. It's intriguing and makes me want to keep following her anywhere to see what she can really do.

The rest of the characters are quite intense. Most of them are creepy or downright repellent, in the good and fun way. Some of them are interesting and I want to know more about them, right along with Arrow. But all of them are dynamic, even the ones that are two-dimensional ( I mean that literally. There is a patch of concrete that communicates.)

The story is well-thought out. This isn't a cookie-cutter story line. Like any good novelist, Owens is pulling from the current fears and concerns of the world, weaving them into a very compelling story of deceit and intrigue, cover-ups and rebellion. This is a story most people can buy into and enjoy while also being given that slight hollowness in the gut that indicates it hits a little close to home. This makes it real and solid and something I completely fell into without a single hesitation. The resolution of the story was incredibly clever and I admit I said, “Aha! Yes, of course! I totally forgot that!” out loud.

There are enough baited hooks in this story for me to be very keen on the next Specials book coming out. I am eager to continue down the rabbit hole and keep up with some of these characters (and wait with bated breath for the hoped-for downfall of some of the nastier ones, of course.) I would happily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Urban Fantasy.

I am a big fan of Ms. Owens’ Moonlight Dragon series, and I was excited to see a new series written by her. The first thing I have to say is how original the plot is in this book. One of the big things is a hotel where things aren’t what they seem, and the rooms of the hotel hold many monsters, some of which aren’t friendly. To tell the truth, I’m not sure if “normal” people stay there or not, but that isn’t really relevant to the book. Also, the magic that the characters use are slightly different than what I’ve seen in paranormal/urban fantasy books. I really enjoyed the fresh take on magic. As I’ve come to expect from the author’s other books I’ve read, this book was well-written, the characters were engaging and sympathetic, and the action was great. For fans of her other books, I found this one to be a little bit darker. I am certainly not complaining as I really enjoyed it and it isn’t really that dark, but I wanted to warn those who like more light-hearted books. If you are a fan of urban fantasy, give this one a try! Highly recommend! Thanks to the author for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed. This same review will be posted on both Goodreads and Amazon.

DNF @ 50% (154 pages). I just wasn't that interested in the story and I was bored. Arrow has no idea what's going on so it just felt like random stuff was happening to her rather than a plot that was moving forward, the idea behind the magic was interesting but wasn't particularly consistent. The world building wasn't great, the characters were a bit flat and the book just didn't grab my attention.