The most recommended demon books

This one is the closest to my own areas of research. Strickland and I are both medieval art historians interested in how images not only reflect cultural ideas about othered peoples and the production of otherness, but also how images are central to the generation of these ideas. In this well-illustrated book, she examines a wide range of medieval Christian images that demonize groups—particularly Jews and Muslims, but really, all those who were not normative European Christians. I’ve returned to this book’s arguments many times over the years, and every time, I learn something anew.

I have read a few of this writer’s books before and, because I had finished them in a matter of days, was drawn to The Piper’s Children – his first novel in The Unsolvable Crimes series – and was in no way disappointed.

The guy is a superb wordsmith. He always knows how to pace a story and hooked me from the first sentence. The characters are, for want of a better word, cool. The story, leaning on an old folk tale, is intoxicating. And the crime/s and investigation/s are nicely constructed to keep you guessing.

There is nothing trite here. The book reads as it plays out. I loved it and immediately moved on to the second in the series. 

This book hit a lot of the right notes for me in a way that is very hard to explain.

As someone who enjoys action-oriented novels that show apparent progression aspects and extraordinary abilities, I thought this book was an amazing example of a simple story done very well. This book doesn’t redefine a genre but executes a storyline well.

The characterization of the main character is also very interesting. Off-putting, frustrating to follow at times, and likely neurodivergent, the main character’s thought process is interesting to follow as you learn about him and ‘watch’ him interact with what is a very limited cast of characters.

I often like to think that the ‘rule of cool’ is also just as important as a well-executed narrative, and I think this story does that in spades. The uniqueness of the abilities, the execution and creativity, and the confined narrative made this a… show more.

What if a society blessed one form of magic use while all but criminalizing the other? Marnie Becker was born a witch in this world, which puts her forever at the margins. She tries to stay (mostly) out of trouble—until it finds her in a big way.

I absolutely love that magic here has a scent, from a hint of maple syrup to a reek of burnt meat. And that her love interest, Bran, declares, “You are never more beautiful to me than when you fix my math.” And that Marnie starts to believe she could help change her country for the better.

Bacon is a writer in love with language. Her prose is fluid, spontaneous, and consistently engaging, and she sparks characterisation in deft, painterly strokes. Serengotti is a literary crime novel, although it’s much more than that.

It examines culture and displacement, what happens when things turn sour, and how to right yourself. It’s a story of truth and consequences, a puzzle enough to puzzle yet not to confuse. Here, Bacon mines her African-Australian heritage and finds a rich seam. The work is infused with details that push the story forward, enhance the text, and create an environment of understanding.

Whilst much of her work is speculative, this is not the case here, but it matters not. Bacon shows us that magic can exist in the every day without embellishment. Serengotti awaits your exploration.

Black Diamond is definitely the darkest and scariest choice out of my five picks. There’s magic, demons, ghosts, and rituals, but it stops short of horror and stays in the fantasy category. The characters are so well written, portraying the more annoying aspects of the youngsters, that you might find yourself getting cross or frustrated with them. But the mystery and magic will have you rooting for them to succeed, and you will get caught up in their journey, trying to uncover the truth of the English mansion and its occupants.

Severn is a demon who has gained the trust, friendship, and love of the guardian angel Mikhail for the sole purpose of vengeance.

But after ten years of pretending to be someone he is not, he realizes he has turned into one of the angels and his arch-enemy became his greatest love.

Oh, boy, where do I start with this one? Primal Sin is one of the most dramatic M/M fantasies I’ve ever read.

From beginning to end, I was certain this pairing would never be allowed to be happy. Severn is a complicated, bordering on tragic, protagonist and Mikhail is someone you often want to punch, but eventually warm up to.

It’s impossible not to fall in love with them and the stellar world-building.

An absolute enemies-to-lovers roller coaster and I’m all for it.

I’m not a big romance fan, but Roberts deftly mixes good and evil and witches and demons into a purely solid and real setting which brings the magic to the forefront and relegates the romance part of the plot to a secondary character. Set on Three Sisters Island, an old legend is brought to a conclusion in a wild climax. I loved all three books in this series.

Now here is a fantasy mixed with Rom-Com like you’ve never known before. I laughed and felt my heart throb the entirety of this book.

Sometimes it’s good to step away from the morally gray love interest and fall for the sweet one. Velis is a hot genie who becomes attached to his “master” (the conjurer of his genie lamp). Dolly is a heavily self-disciplined girl with a tragic story. With a deep need of mending her struggle, Velis is the supportive, compassionate, and respectful love interest perfectly capable of such a task.

Add in a hot genie bad boy brother and you have a dramatic story worth reading.

Conroe has a talent for creating interesting characters, as Chris Gordon, the main character in this book, illustrates. He has violet eyes, a perfect physique, and enough sexual chemistry to overwhelm most women. Yet he is at best standoffish with them.

I was puzzled by this pattern until I realized his motivation. He lives a dangerous life, exorcising demons and driving them back to Hell. He doesn’t want to subject a woman to that kind of risk. It’s lucky that he finally encounters a woman who can deal with such risks—Tatiana Demidova, a vampire princess.

One of the things I like about Conroe is the introduction of that kind of twist—at a point when Chris doesn’t even know vampires exist. A demon hunter and a vampire wouldn’t normally make a plausible couple, but Conroe creates a different kind of vampire, one capable of good. His fresh take on old themes… show more.