2.5 rounded 3

This book didn't click for me. I'm not really sure why. I liked the first chapter (which is why I picked it up in the first place). By 55%, I considered stopping, but I was already past the middle, so I kept going. I liked Jesse as a character, and that's it. That may be why the book seemed overly long.

An important note: the book is well-written, and I'm confident it has a readership out there.

This is a short review, but I don't think it's fair to the author to keep listing things I didn't like, so I will let the next reader be the judge of that.

Red Demon felt like the perfect book to read after the high of watching K-Pop Demon Hunters

As a biomedical engineer, I thoroughly enjoyed the science tied into the worldbuilding/ the SBO lore and loved the women in STEM representation in Mira’s character. The narrator/ MMC Jesse is also great representation of bisexuality, without seeming forced or falling into problematic tropes. If you’re looking for smut, be warned that this book only has one real ~spicy~ scene towards the end, but it was entirely worth it. As with other readers, I felt that the end was a bit lackluster but I understand that was the necessary conclusion to this story. Jesse’s “chosen family” storyline feels reminiscent of Fang Runin’s journey with The Cike (and I loved every bit of Asher and Jesse’s interactions!) so if you enjoyed The Poppy War, highly recommend Red Demon

A fast-paced, fantasy mixed with sci-fi, dark, mysterious book that I think is perfect for those trying to get into the genre! The world building keeps you questioning a lot about the lore but also gives plenty of context to become engaged with the story. Personally (and admittedly partially out of selfishness) I wish the world building was more fleshed out because there were many aspects of the referenced history, current political climate, and character backstories that weren’t able to be fully described either in the glossary or in the actual chapters. I also feel that for the length of the book, I would have preferred the contents of the glossary to be explained in the chapters, though I understand that others may be opposed to too much info dumping. Overall, the story was engaging and I enjoyed the characters. It’s also very obvious how much effort and editing went into this because the writing is great!

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ℝ𝕖𝕕 𝔻𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕟
𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝗶𝗵𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗮

OMG, this book knocked my socks off, kicked them around the room, and put them back on. Red Demon’s storyline is as unique as it is intense.

Red Demon is fantasy mixed with science, including bioengineering. The fight scenes are intense and romance makes an appearance as well. It also holds fast to the importance of trust in relationships.

The plot zips right along and I found myself completely immersed in the story, so much so that it took me a minute to remember where I was when I stopped reading. This is a book I didn’t want to put down.

I really liked this at the start but unfortunately I grew bored fairly quickly and DNF’d at 25%

I’m usually good with slow-paced SFF stories but this one was just not hooking me with the characters or any sense of plot.

Starting strong, the uncomfortableness for the reader was very prominent. I was actually scared and my heart felt like it was in my throat. The emotional pain from the characters really comes through with the way the book is written. Not only that, but the way tension is built can literally be felt. The culture and spirituality created is absolutely amazing! I really enjoyed the unique names even though they were a bit hard to pronounce at times. I would love to read more stories from this world and can’t wait for more!

First of all I feel that the writing in this book is excellent. What a great debut novel and can't wait to see what this author does next!

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me at 24% in and I will explain why. I don't think it is a flaw of the book, I am just not the reader for it. Rating 3 stars because I do feel that it is very well done and the level of story telling I've experienced in this first 24% does not warrant less stars, however I am not engaged enough to keep reading.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the unique aspect of getting the MMC's POV with the FMC being the "enemy" (let her be the villain for once, as a treat!!). However the book was a too sci/fi for me and a lot of the world building was going over my head. I craved more dual POV from the start. I know there will be a romance subplot but as a reader I really thrive off getting tension/banter as soon as possible in the story as it makes me invested and needing to know will they/won't they/how will they. I was shocked to learn how young Jesse was (14) as I envisioned him a lot older and this kind of shifted the story for me. I can stretch to relating to a male POV's but stretching to then relating to someone so young was tough.

I do feel like there are many readers out there who would LOVE this book. I feel like this could be a good read for those who typically read dystopian lit to dip their toes into fantasy.

3.5*

This was a beautiful debut by Sill Bihagia. The writing in this was absolutely beautiful. This book has so much slow burn in terms of character development and plot - which I loved and felt that it gave the book so much heart.

The worldbuilding was admittedly a bit confusing and overwhelming at times but the pacing was perfect for me and there was so much nuance and care given to each character. However, the first half of the book was much stronger than the latter in my opinion and left me feeling like I wanted more from the ending. It felt a bit rushed considering the careful pacing of the rest of the book though this may be cleared up in the following books in the series.

The heart of this story lies in Jesse's journey, his resilience and his found family.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Victory Editing and Oria Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Extremely ambitious world-building in this sci fi fantasy debut.
Jesse’s entire village (and family) mysteriously drops dead and any survivors killed by the Red Demon. Jesse escapes, determined to discover the truth and kill the Red Demon.

<b>Step one: survive the night. Step one thousand: kill the Red Demon. Somewhere in between, I’d do what Iden suggested: find other Chaeten, avoid Asri, get help from the empire.
</b>
In this world, there are two human lines who nearly wiped each other out rather than acknowledge their shared humanity. The Chaeten fled the death of their planet, coming as refugees. The Asri - the native humans, couldn’t agree if the Chaeten were coded human enough. Through the last few generations, the Chaeten changed their genetic code to belong.

I do wish this was explained more as things that seem too complicated are explained away by latent genes and Asri ‘magic’ - tech that no one really understands.

Jesse is a bi disaster. An honourable loyal friend, and unwilling to bend on his principles.
He discovers and cultivates a found family and the relationship between Jesse and his new ‘Brother’ is the epitome of heartfelt bromance.

The tumultuous feelings of Jesse is increased by the first person narration, however I have to admit to thinking of Jesse as a girl until 20%. Whoops.

I did find the ending too easy and slightly unsatisfying. This is a book one, so I am hopeful the world and lore will expand and deliver a satisfying story!

All in all, this is an impressive debut with a few teething problems.

Arc gifted by author.