Review: The Demon Race by Alexandria Warwick

Title: The Demon Race
Author: Alexandria Warwick
Publication: September 18th 2018 by Wolf Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Purchase Links: Amazon 
Rating: 4/5★

A race across the desert.

An unimaginable prize.

It occurs once every thousand years: the Demon Race. A test of will and strength, it is a race across the Saraj, a fight for the prize of a lifetime. And it is the key to Namali Hafshar’s freedom.

When shy, seventeen-year-old Namali learns of her arranged marriage, she flees home and enters the Demon Race for the chance to change her fate. But to compete, she must cross the Saraj on a daeva, a shadow demon that desires its own reward: to infect her soul with darkness.

Namali soon learns the desert holds more dangers than meets the eye. The only person she can trust is Sameen, a kind competitor seeking his own destiny. As her affection for him grows, however, so too does the darkness in her heart.

In this race of men and demons, only one can win. But the price of winning might be more than Namali is willing to pay.

When I read the synopsis of The Demon Race I just knew it was something I had to read. A race that occurs every thousand years with a wish as its price, a desert fantasy inspired by the Middle East, a young heroine fleeing her arranged marriage by entering the race, and of course demons. Yasss!

Another surprising thing with this book was that some parts were quite dark and it was definitely something that actually makes you think. Especially in the way of how a lot of women still don't have a voice and the author definitely did a great job on slowly giving Namali (the heroine of the story) more power and self confidence to decide her own life and future. 

Let's talk about the author's writing next. It. Was. Gorgeous. I think most people know that I'm a sucker for a book with beautiful writing that also has exquisite detailing. And that is just what this story had so that was just another amazingly possitive thing for me. I couldn't get enough of it. Also, the action-packed scenes were heart stopping and very well written too. I loved those!

I'm also going to address the romance because I think most readers would like to know a little about that. Namali does meet someone she grew close to but it wasn't necessarily a romance heavy book. At first he's more of an ally and friend than anything else. There's a little romance, which I really loved. But the story focused mostly on Namali's personal journey and of course the dangers of the race. 

Overall, The Demon Race by Alexandria Warwick was definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year. I had expected to like it for sure because I adore these kind of books but I didn't expect it to be as compelling and addictive as it was. It's a book I'll definitely be recommending to all my bookish friends for months to come.

About the author:
Alexandria Warwick is the #1 fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Demon Race is her first novel.
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