Review: Soul Thief by Jana Oliver

Soul Thief by Jana Oliver

Paperback, US, 339 pages

Published August 30th 2011 by St. Martin's Press
Source: Giveaway Win
Buy the book:  Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Riley Blackthorne is beginning to learn that there are worse things than death by demon. And love is just one of them…

Seventeen-year-old Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. As if that’s not enough, there's Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad.  With all the hassles, Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether.
But as Atlanta’s demon count increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can't last forever… 

 Yep, I dove right into this one immediately after finished book one. Oliver's world really opens up in the latest escapades of Riley and the Guild.

We enter in right at the point that Demon Trapper's Daughter ended and the Guild's world is turning upside down quickly. Everything they've known is slowly disappearing right before their eyes and their insecurities begin to show. All the characters struggle with this in some form or fashion in the book. Oliver does an amazing job writing and organizing the sequence of events. We get to see and learn about more the world and processes that rule Riley's life. The necromancers addition to this book is definitely a welcomed plus. And if you think the ending to DTD was enough to make you want the next book, this ending will show you levels of that you've not reached yet.

 Riley shows us that even a tough chick can have moments of weakness. However, it is usually the ways in which you deal with these issues is what defines you. This is definitely the case for Riley. Sometimes it is difficult to remember that she is a teenager, until something breaks her and she wants hot chocolate!
A slew of characters take action in the book. Some we have met before, but only in passing. Peter gets to stand up and put his "big boy" britches on this time. I liked getting to see him grow up in these situations. Ori. Oh dear, Ori. There is trouble and temptation in its greatest form, but he sucks you right in and you will love his scenes. Especially those between him and Beck. Beck was again my favorite part of the book. The story could be told solely form his POV and I would be happy. I had hoped to see more interactions between Beck and Riley in this book. Unfortunately, I understand Oliver's path for them at this time and they just need to deal with their issues before anything can grow. I did come to like a couple of other characters that I had not expected to. Mortimer, the necromancer, reminds me of Alfred from Batman. The man just has class.
Oliver holds true to form with the second book of the Demon Trappers Series. I can't wait till I have time to read the third and then anxiously await the release of the fourth!