The Spirit Eater
The Legend of Eli Monpress – Book III
Rachel Aaron

Orbit (Little, Brown)
2 December 2010 / ISBN 9780356500126
Fantasy
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

Master thief Eli Monpress hopes that he can lie low in a small coastal village following the momentous events described in The Spirit Rebellion (also reviewed on this site). However, soon things start getting interesting again when Slorn’s daughter, Pele, turns up. Her father has gone missing and she needs Eli to help her find him. Then Sted turns up wanting a rematch against Josef, and Nico discovers that the demon inside her is getting rather too lively…

I just can’t seem to get enough of these books. They contain so much that is desirable in a good fantasy: an interesting system of magic, lively characters you want to discover more about, lots of action, humor, a page-turning plot, and lots of imagination. This time we get to learn some more about many of the various series characters, meet some new ones, and the action heats up even more. Eli isn’t doing any thieving this time which shows that this is not going to be a series where every novel follows a set pattern, and Nico is more center stage as she battles her demon.

There seems to be something happening on every page, and although this is not a doorstop it contains more to entertain than many other books twice as long. It reminds me of why I started reading fantasy to begin with: a chance to explore invented worlds, meet characters I want to get to know better who can do amazing things, and marvel at magic and larger-than-life adventures. Yet this is not a retro novel, and you will find all the things that are currently fashionable in the genre, including more than one anti-hero and lots of demons. Neither it is a trilogy in the time-honored fantasy tradition as the back of this edition gives a taste of book IV, The Spirit War. I can’t wait!

Reviewer's Note: