DNF at 25%. It's been over four years since I received this ARC. I gave it a go and have decided it is not for me. It interested me then and no longer does now.

THE GOOD DEMON was the sort of book that I almost loved and probably would have had it been presented in another medium (maybe a graphic novel or even show/movie). I liked the overall story and that it wasn't your typical supernatural story. And the subject wasn't one you often see in this way either (i.e. demon possession). But I wasn't 100% sold. The pacing was off for a good chunk of the book, making the whole story drag, and I never felt the characters were really fleshed out. They never came off as quite believable. An interesting read overall, and like I said, I'd definitely have loved to see the story presented in a different format because I think it would have worked better.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for sending me an advanced e-copy of “The Good Demon” in exchange for my review.

I love reading thrillers and horror books, but I tend to stay clear of possession story-lines as they really creep me out. For the same reason, I was skeptical to read “The Good Demon” as I thought I would not enjoy it. As I did not have very high expectations of this novel, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would have!

To begin with, the story is really not your typical gory, horror, possession story-line. It is actually haunting, beautiful, creepy, and mysterious tale all put into one. I loved the concept of how Clare, the main character, misses her spirit “Her” and wants to be possessed again. Moreover, I really enjoyed Clare as a character overall, and the different emotions she goes through. I loved her flashbacks with ‘Her’, her complex relationship with her family and her first love with Roy. It was interesting to read how she goes through different emotions while trying to solve the mystery of who the ‘One wish Man’ is, how he is connected to Kevin, and how he can help her get ‘Her’ back. We gradually see Clare grow into a mature person during the course of the story.

That is not to say that the book doesn’t have its scary moments. One particular scene that sent chills down my spine is when Clare gets locked in with Luther Simpkins. I don’t know why, the image of him coming after her was terrifying. The where also other gripping moments like when Clare meets Gaspar, or when she sees Miss Mathis without her glasses. I was at the edge of my seat with Kevin’s flashback and how he connects to the Paradise Society. There are just so many things happening in this book and each chapter offers something new and intriguing. The author has done an amazing job in giving equal importance to the plot and the interaction between the characters. I would like to check out his other novels to see if they are equally good

Overall, I really enjoyed “The Good Demon” a lot and would give it 5/5 stars for its unique take on possession.

This had a really great premise! And I thought the execution really lived up to it. I had some quibbles here and there, but overall a really enjoyable, engaging book!

Loved reading this! I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book is so much more than I first thought! So good!

If you want dark, broody teenage angst this is your book. There is magic in the air and most of it is ominous in Jimmy Cajoleas novel The Good Demon. If you take the idea of being at one with yourself and by representing all your emotions (including the bad ones) as yourself, plus a demon that lives inside of you, then this will intrigue you. Two questions then come to mind: What happens when someone takes that demon away? And what would you do to get that part of yourself back?

Comparisons
There are some very good metaphors and comparisons in the context of The Good Demon that relate directly to what I recall it being like to be a teenager. There are also moments where I feel like the demon is displaying what I want to even do today (like smack someone for being a jerk). This unique take on our extreme emotions being acted out by a demon that controls our body (when it chooses to) is a great example of what things like rage, anxiety, stress and other mental health issues can cause. Where it's really no longer us as the person making a rationale decision to act. Instead it's the disorder itself taking over. I loved the parallels that could be found in Cajoleas Gothic story. The ending really is the icing on the cake here to all the comparisons, moments and struggles throughout The Good Demon.

Dark and Creepy
There is no doubt this is a young adult horror novel. We meet demons (of course) and magical occult figures that are likely not out to make your life better per say. Easily my favourite part of the book is the One Wish Man. I imagine Doug Jones playing this role (were this a movie) where the One Wish Man has long, unnatural fingers, is lanky in height and overall just seems a bit too odd to be entirely human. As I adore the work of Jones in many TV shows and movies this really enhanced my experience of the One Wish Man. I so rarely see characters as real life people but this one was just so distinctly described that I knew it couldn't be anyone other than Jones.

Friendship
It's difficult to have friends when you are in a dark, foreboding space. We've all seen this either first hand or witnessed someone else do it. Someone sabotages the friendship for no real reason other than they need to lash out at someone. Cajoleas does a good job of setting up our lead gal with the preacher's son in an unlikely, yet perfect, friendship. It also opens the door for each of our main teens to react to one another as both friends, possible romantic partners and as diametric opposites of good and evil. There is also a final test to this friendship that has no bearing on 'love' or romance that I really liked the spin of.

Overall
If you'd like to read a Gothic teen book this definitely fits the bill. Just know that there is a lot of implied, and obvious, mental health disorders addressed including: depression, anxiety and expectation stress. There is a 'first time' sex scene in it but it's nothing graphic in my opinion.
While perhaps not a five star book I would say that Cajoleas has brought us a unique teen perspective to looking at our inner voices and determining if they are our own or those of a demon.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

If I needed to choose only one word to describe "The Good Demon," it would be unique. I didn't find it overly creepy but it does pack a few chills and the idea that someone would want their demon back was intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages.

I was fascinated by the concept for this book. Typically when we think of "demon" possessions we think of things like The Exorcist, The Exorcist of Emily Rose, or Constantine. (Some of these I can't watch because I wake up at 3 in the morning trying to convince myself the blankets on my bed aren't moving).
 
The Good Demon follows Clare, the - until recently - host of a demon she called "Her/She." A month prior to the start of the story She was removed from Clare via exorcism, though as non-Catholics they didn't call it that. Clare has never felt so empty, and misses Her so much. She was Clare's Only. Clare finds a cryptic clue from Her that brings Clare hope she can be united with Her again. What follows is Clare's journey through the dirty underground of her small southern town - with the help of the exorcist preacher's son. When she learns the price of getting Her back, Clare begins to question everything. What is she willing to give up to get Her back?

Cajoleas does a great job of getting the reader to cheer for Clare and Her. I spent the majority of the book encouraging Clare to do all the questionable things she needed in order to get Her back. Steal from the Greek thrift shop owner? Do it girl! Sneak out of the house - alot? Of course! Walk right up to the door to the house of a suspected dark magic/witch/overall bad guy town overlord and ask him WTF is going on? I mean, I wouldn't, but you go right ahead; I'll cheer for you from the main road. Follow the scary AF path in the creepy woods behind the recently sacrificed bird to get to the house where you might get Her back? Girl, you crazy...but I LIKE IT!! 

I convinced myself of some things before I got half way through the book. Things I "knew" were going to happen. Clare was gonna get Her back. Clare was gonna fall for the preacher's kid. Clare, Her, and preacher's kid were all going to end up happy together. Now all I needed was to watch how Cajoleas made all that happen. Only, it didn't happen. I mean, it sort of did, and definitely didn't. I know, I'm making it confusing, but I don't want to give anything a way. Let's just say the ending wasn't quite what I had expected, but I was okay with it. It didn't leave me angry or frustrated, nor did I spend countless hours sobbing on my couch. Granted I didn't bubble over in zealous excitement, but still.

Overall, I give it a "Satisfying" out of 5.

Stefanie Rae

I had a hard time understanding what this book was trying to be. Mystery? Romance? Horror? The reader was just dropped into the story. Usually, the "exorcism," or whatever you choose to call it, is the highlight of a horror story plot. But when The Good Demon began, all of that was already over. I am glad that the author revisited some of those scenes in flashbacks to fill in the reader. It definitely made the story better.

By the end of the book, I decided that The Good Demon was horror, but I wasn't scared at all while reading it. It was more eerie and dark. How disappointing. It was a bit of a roller coaster, too. First the main character, Clare, felt one way and then another about everyone and everything around her. However, she always seemed disconnected from all that she observed - except, of course, her demon - which only caused me to feel no connection to Clare at all. Furthermore, I was not invested in her mission. Why would I root for a main character to get a demon back??? No good can come from that.

Overall, it was a fast read, and somewhat suspenseful, but not my favorite.

Thank you to netgalley I received this as an ARC. I also recieved this from the publishing company as an ARC in paperback. I enjoyed it very much was good solid read. Solid 4 Stars for me!

A fresh take on the possession story. Teens will relate to main character Clare and her struggles with parents while coming in to her own. Clare is a believable character and I admire her willingness to do whatever it takes to get back her one and only friend - her demon. Being an avid horror fan (and an adult reader), I could see the twist coming, but I will still definitely recommend this one to teenaged patrons of my library.

This was an excellent twist on the possession/exorcism story. Any fan of Supernatural or horror will get on board with The Good Demon, feeling as connected to Her as Clare is. Clare herself is spunky, entertainingly crass, but also endearingly soft. The romance thrown into the mix makes the tale more human, as magic swirls around every corner and darkens every page. Anybody who lives in a small town and hears whispers of conspiracies will be rewarded. Definitely recommended for fans of the genre.

I'm not normally a horror fan or a YA fan, but I was intrigued by the premise of a formerly possessed girl wanting her demon back and decided to give The Good Demon a try. Boy, am I glad I did! I devoured it all in one sitting on a dark and stormy night (cliche, yes, but perfect reading weather).

The metaphor of demon possession = drug addiction could be a little heavy handed at times, but that's pretty much my only quibble with this book. It was that perfect kind of creeping terror, of something's-rotten-beneath-the-surface atmosphere that I love in my spooky books. And I really appreciated the ending - you could see the characters were on the road to healing, but everything wasn't magically all better. Highly, highly recommended

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I was really looking forward to seeing how this author would create a "good" demon, and was pleasantly surprised, and even sympathetic towards the character and her separation from her demon. But I was not expecting the twist at the end that tangled all the webs together at the end. Magic, witches, town corruption and demons.

The Good Demon starts in the aftermath of an exorcism. Unlike most stories that involve demonic possession & the removal thereof, this time our main character Clare misses her demon. Her best friend is gone now, and Clare finds herself desperate to get her back. Little does she know that her small town hides more secrets than she knows about, and her quest to get her demon back will only expose her to the darker more twisted things that hide behind closed doors, and bring them all to the light.

Clare was a really fun character to read about. She is a bit of a kleptomaniac, hates her stepdad, and has nothing to do around town now that her demon (always referred to as 'Her') was taken from her. But the preacher's son, present for the 'removal' seems like a good person to keep her attention while she seeks out ways to bring Her back, though it may be a case of being careful what you wish for...

The Good Demon was a cute (for a horror book at least) read that definitely has you guessing on whose side anyone is at any time. While reading as a grown person had me yelling at the teenage main character that she was making bad decisions based on how grown up she thinks she is, I definitely think this would be a good read for those who still have a firm grasp on their sense of teenage rebellion. As long as they're down with demons, obviously.


The Good Demon is available everywhere books are sold.

The good demon is a Southern Gothic for a new generation. This coming of age tale about a once possessed girl ripped apart from her demon is at times horrifying and gorey. But it is also heartfelt and genuine. There are elements of dark fantasy woven through out as well. The end result is akin to a twisted fairytale. A must read for any scary story lover who wishes to see a new spin on the possession sub genre.
https://www.genrejunkies.com/33-horror-fantasy-the-good-demon-by-jimmy-cajoleas/

A fun read that's sure to be a hit with fans of THE UNDEAD GIRL GANG and WHEN LIVE GIVES YOU DEMONS. Recommended buy for YA collections where supernatural stories are popular

From a very young age, Clare has been possessed. Named Her, Clare and her demon are closer than sisters. They are each others' Only, never envisioning a life apart from each other. Until the day the Reverend and his son tear them apart, exorcising Her and forcibly separating them. Now, Clare is desperate to reunite with her demon. With the help of the Reverend's son, Roy, Clare begins the quest to get Her back. Following cryptic clues left by Her, Clare is drawn into the dark side of her seemingly sleepy little southern town, discovering satanic clubs, ritualistic murder, and a mysterious figure known only as the One Wish Man. But the more deeply Clare dives into into her town's horrifying past, the more Clare begins to wonder - is bringing Her back worth the price?


The Good Demon is set in a small southern town and has a dark, gothic feel to it. Clare comes from a troubled family and her friendship with Roy, the Reverend's son, is fraught with issues of religion, trust, and intimacy. The book also takes a look at the themes of faith, addiction, grief, and co-dependency through Clare's family and her friendship with Roy. Definitely for those who like Supernatural and enjoy twists on horror cliches.

The Good Demon isn't a scary book by all means, but it is instead a dark, gothic book involving a lot of the religious side of demons and how lonliness can affect a young girl's life.

I really enjoyed this book. Going into it, I thought it was going to be more of the exorcism type of read, and while it did contain a quick "deliverance," this isn't our typical possession storyline. The main character is dealing with a lot of lonliness and self-doubt in herself which has been comforted by her demon that takes over her thoughts and, sometimes, body. Then she meets a boy who is kind of in the same boat but with a different upbringing, and together, they find peace with each other.

I will say that with the Roy character, I wished we got to view more inside his head at the very end. I was wishing the ending wasn't his true nature, but sadly, I was left in the dust. And honestly, I appreciated that in this story.

This is a very dark book that does have an attempted sexual assault scene, so if you are sensitive to this material, you may want to proceed with caution. But, I will say that it isn't a very detailed account, and in the end, nothing gets too physical in the writing. But of course, my perception will be completely different than everyone elses.

There are other dark themes such as having drug-addicted family members and emotionally abusive people in the household. The world around the main character is constantly bogging her down, and it was interesting to read as she tries to rise up in her situation and her journey to find the one true safety in her life: Her. Or, at least she think she is..

But this book also contains the puzzle in trying to find her seperated friend, and the discovery of something evil that may have been happening in her own "quiet" hometown. I really enjoyed reading all of these aspects packed into a fun, quick book.

I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars. This book is perfect for readers who want a demonic possession book without it being scary. And you really are getting that intimate, other side to the possession story that isn't touched on in other novels. There are moments that bring out more of the creepy writing style, but overall, I wasn't freightened while reading this book. But, I will say that my heart was racing at the end. Such a high-stakes plot twist that left me both sad and excited for her.

Again, I highly recommend this book as a quick, Fall read, especially if you want the darker book without the scary features.

An ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a weird, fun book. A Southern Gothic atmosphere and a supernatural storyline with elements of horror and fairytale made this a pretty unique novel. I can't really think of anything I've read like this before. The characters were fleshed out and complicated. The instances of real squicky horror were well-measured. Most of the tension comes from the unease Clare feels while she works to uncover the frightening truth about her hometown.

You could argue that the prose gets a little purple-y and overwrought, but since it's written in the voice of a mopey teenage girl it actually feels appropriate, and I identified with Clare's spooky-nerd-with-a-poet's-heart personality. I, too, spent time as a precocious youth, reading esoterics while listening to Cocteau Twins and feeling like the loneliest girl in the world, so Clare's flowery descriptions and her insistence that Roy is special because he can participate in contrived metaphors read true to character.

I liked picking out all of the different things She (the demon) could be a metaphor for - childhood, imaginary friends, creativity, love, grief, faith, toxic relationships, burgeoning sexuality, self-esteem and self-worth, etc. If I didn't know for a fact this book would be challenged from here to eternity, I would call it a great pick for a high school classroom. There's a ton of themes and motifs to be parsed here.

I wanted a little more from the ending, which is the only reason this didn't get 5 stars. Everything is resolved, I just wanted a little more dessert after the thick slab of meat the rest of the book offered. I really enjoyed reading this one.