trigger warnings for mentions of miscarriage , rape, and slavery

I have long been a fan of Bujold, starting with the Miles books, but never got around to reading any of her Penrick and Desdemona books until this one. While this is the latest book in the series, I had no problems at all jumping in and enjoying both the world and the characters. Because Otta, a frightened six year old girl, has to have so much explained to her, the characters were able to introduce the world, the magic system and the society without it feeling like info dumps or encyclopedia entries.

Penrick is such an entertaining brat of a character, and his wife, Nikys, is an excellent foil to him, grounded and pragmatic. The two of them are loving and supportive parents who have recently suffered a miscarriage, and when Otta is tossed into their laps, both of them are quick to embrace her — even knowing that they might have to let her go.

Otta is six, and her personality is pretty much … child. Slightly traumatized child, since she was thrown overboard when it was understood that she was the one causing the fires to spread on the ship, and now has no idea if her family is alive or not. She’s also bonded to a baby demon who can give her magic, but who, itself, has no control or idea what its doing, or even an ability to communicate.

It’s interesting, watching Pen and Nikys bond with Otta while Desdemona, Pen’s demon, seems to slowly be embracing the idea of being mother to Otta’s demon — something that has never happened before, one demon taking such an interest in another. (It helps that Otta’s demon is, in essence, a newborn.) It’s a charming story, a charming world, and the characters were, themselves, equally charming.

The writing is so effortless, the pacing is perfect, and I’m now off o go find the other Penrick books. Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for granting me a copy of the ARC.

I intensely dislike the cover with Penric sitting with Otta. He looks like a teenage female babysitter.

This is another lovely little story in the life of Penric and his family. No drama but wonderful storytelling.

With the disclaimer that I have read no other books in this series (though I have read several by the author) this was a very enjoyable read. The novella is very, as the hip readers say, cozy. Plot is happening, the stakes are high, but the action is soft and not dramatized. The story is exactly what's on the tin.

That said, major props for excellent world building, character development and general tenor of the book. Even though I have not read any other Penric and Desdemona books I was able to jump right in, understand the world's mythos and keep up with the who's who of the series. This is quality writing and evolves from McMaster Bujold trusting the reader to keep up. So many books add endless exposition to keep everyone up to date, while here the narrative immerses the reader and makes the wold self-explanatory. I love that.

With a ton of character development, mythos and magic in a short novella, this is a five-star read. I cant wait to read through the rest of the series.

This was a great book! The story was well written and I enjoyed the writing style very much. I would highly recommend reading this book.

This was a strong twelfth book in the Penric & Desdemona series, it had everything that I was looking for and enjoyed from the series. The characters had that feel that I wanted and expected from the previous books. Lois McMaster Bujold has a strong writing style and left me wanting to read more.

I have enjoyed virtually everything Bujold has ever written and get her books immediately upon release. Demon Daughter is no exception and I read this Penric tale as soon as it was released. I am always pleased when the handsome and beautifully produced Subterranean Press Editions are released and I invariably add them to my electronic editions.

This volume is a bit slower and more somber than other Penric tales, lacking in the frequently antic adventure that makes the series so delightful. It is still very well done and poses some knotty moral challenges for Penric and his conjoined demon, Des. I enjoyed the thoughtful tone and slower pacing, though I did find heroine Otta somewhat unconvincingly mature for a six-year old. Nevertheless a winner for me and a strong edition to Bujold's wonderful body of work.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a candid review.