By day, Maxine Kiss is a super-powered demon hunter with inhuman strength and intricately tattooed, armor-plated skin. By night, the tattoos peel away and become a pack of deadly demons standing between Maxine and the creatures from across the Veil. When the veil drops, it’s up to Maxine and her demon “boys” to round up the horrors that slip through before they can gather enough strength to destroy the world.
With prose that alternate between being poetic and fragmented, Marjorie M. Liu builds a secretive, hypnotic plot around a realistically flawed woman who holds onto her humanity by sheer force of will. Although not particularly endearing, Maxine is oddly familiar, giving voice to very normal and human fears in a world made up of demons and magic. Though the language can get a little tough to slog through at times, keep reading, if only for the chance to watch Zee and the boys enjoy the human world they’re bound to protect.
Fans of The Iron Hunt might also enjoy Ill Wind by Rachel Caine. Although there are no demons in Caine’s novel, there are djinn, which are even cooler.
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