Demons Lie

I’ll be honest: I went into *Demons Lie* expecting another demon-romance retread, but what I got was a masterclass in *un*romanticizing the supernatural. Ficklin’s Aria Dupree is a protagonist who feels *earned*—a witch who’s been broken by the system she was supposed to uphold, and whose power doesn’t come with easy answers. The story’s strength lies in its refusal to soften its edges. When demons lie (and they *always* lie), the stakes aren’t just emotional; they’re physically and psychologically brutal. The body horror elements—like Aria’s magic literally burning her from the inside out—are handled with a rawness that’s rare in YA fantasy. Jillian Yetter’s performance is *exceptional*, but not in a showy way. She doesn’t over-emote; instead, she lets the text’s tension simmer beneath the surface. Her Aria sounds like someone who’s spent years biting back screams, and the demons? Their voices are slick, unctuous things that’ll make your skin crawl. My only critique is that the mid-act twist—while clever���feels slightly rushed in execution, as if the audiobook’s breakneck pacing didn’t leave enough room to savor the betrayal. And while the ending lands with impact, I wished for a beat more breathing space to process the fallout. That said, the production quality is flawless: no distracting edits, no uneven audio levels—just six and a half hours of tightly wound, demon-infested tension. If you’re tired of YA fantasy that pulls its punches, this is the audiobook for you.