Servants of the Storm

by Delilah S. Dawson

After her best friend dies in a hurricane, high schooler Dovey discovers something even more devastating--demons in her hometown of Savannah.

• ISBN10: 1442483784
• ISBN13: 9781442483781
• Publish Date: 5 August 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[emruth13]

This book is so good! I couldn't put it down!!

[Katie King]

**I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

**3 stars**

I was REALLY excited when I heard I got approved for Servants of the Storm. The super creepy cover combined with natural disasters and dead best friends really sold me on this idea. I was a little worried about the love triangle that was forewarned in the synopsis, but I figured it was just the hook for the Twihards. Overall I enjoyed it, but the execution was less than perfect.

Don't get me wrong - this is a CREEPY book. I read this a lot at night and often after putting it down I would be afraid to sleep near the edges of my bed. It's not so much an in-your-face scary as a subtle scary that just kind of sneaks up on you when you roll over and turn the light off. Or maybe I just have an overactive imagination (I wouldn't be surprised). The world-building is pretty well done - at times I felt like I could almost picture Savannah, despite never being there. On the other hand, it's also pretty confusing. Supernatural phenomenon in this book consist of greater demons, lesser demons, distal servants, cambions, imps, ghosts, and drugged kids (maybe that was a one time thing). Why are they all here and what do they want? Just to exist and cause mayhem? We never really find out. There's all these rules and rituals and traditions, but none of them really get explained or even really shown their relevance to the story. Sometimes I wished I had someone to sit me down, take my hand, and explain everything to me.

The pacing was weird. In the first 40% nothing exceptionally paranormal happens, just little things that could easily be passed off as Dovey going crazy. Then we get dragged on this directionless quest for 55% more, and the last 5% is like WOW! ACTION! STUFF HAPPENING! Ironically, I enjoyed the first 40% the most because some of the paranormal stuff that happened later felt like oh-thats-right-this-is-paranormal-lets-add-some-demons filler.

Our heroine Dovey was an okay character. She's of mixed background (I believe...not quite clear) and a lot of the people she interacts with are African-American. Yay, diversity! At one point she "must" pretend to be in love with Isaac (why isn't exactly clear) and how she acts made me uncomfortable. I'm all for female sexuality and expressing it, but this was SO far out from who Dovey really is that I didn't like it. It was way too forced and overly sexualized and Dovey was basically one foil wrapper away from banging Isaac right there in the trailer park. It felt like someone told Dovey to act like the most desperate prostitute in the world.

Speaking of romance, the love triangle wasn't very pronounced (YAY!) but when it was there it was awkward. I didn't feel any chemistry between Dovey and Baker or Dovey and Isaac. There's some kissing going on, but I was just like, "Let's get back to demon ass-kicking..." Baker was pretty annoying and clingy through the book, and I couldn't understand Isaac's appeal. Definitely not going to be any long-lasting relationships with either of these too.

As for the ending, I liked it. And by that I mean the last 4 or 5 pages were really good. I sort of saw it coming from a distance but I wasn't quite sure it would go that way. The final clash right before the very end certainly had a lot of action but some of it was just really convenient. Demon magic covers up everything automatically - large gatherings of teens, concealed weapons, pools of blood, and even gunshots! Wow, they should sell it in stores or something! Then there was the random ghost and special powers...ugh, move on.
 
Summary
A character actually says "It's all coming together" at one point, and I could not disagree more. At no time did I feel like I was "getting" this book. :/ The lack of background information is confusing, yes, but the book is still enjoyable. The romance is comparably subdued to other PNR and the plot was fairly interesting. I'm definitely interested in a sequel!

[kimbacaffeinate]

The characters are strange and intriguing and while at no time did I adore them I sure as heck admired them. As Dovey’s head clears from the fog, we find a tenacious, headstrong, loyal friend who isn’t afraid to hunt down clues and find answers. Baker is sweet and while not fleshed out his loyalty to Dovey and their childhood friend Carly makes him lovable. Isaac is a mystery man, and a charmer. He held my attention; I loved peeling back his layers. Ooo the villains in this tale could be the result of Tim Burton and Stephen King chatting over coffee. Creepy, part fantasy and part paranormal they will make you shiver. While I did not love this story, and still question it, I felt compelled to read and was never sure as Dovey and the others were unreliable narrators.

Servants of the Storm has aspects of fantasy, paranormal, urban fantasy and a touch of horror. Southern Gothic and atmospheric Dawson slowly takes us into this world through Dovey’s eyes. The tale unfolds at a pleasant pace notching up the tension and suspense as we go. Things would heat up and have me biting my lips, and then the scene would end, and I would release my breath as Dawson begins all again.  One of the most enjoyable aspects of this story is the beautiful, descriptive writing. Dawson’s depiction of the storm and aftermath brought it all to life. She vividly described the villains and climatic scenes in such a way that I was there in its midst. The ending is good, and bad kind of like how horror movies end. Yep. *pulls out hair*

If you are looking for a unique southern gothic tale that will have you thinking then grab Servants of the Storm. Dawson provided a creepy atompshirc tale that kept me engaged and left me pondering.

A copy was provided by publisher in exchange for unbiased review.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer