The Demon of Stonewood

Book II of the Stonewood Trilogy

Fiction - Fantasy - General
326 Pages
Reviewed on 09/01/2013
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Jeremy Hayes was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, in 1974. He started creating his own characters and writing his own stories by the age of 9. He is a boxing fanatic having been an amateur boxer and is now a professional boxing judge. In his spare time when not watching boxing, or reruns of Lost in Space and Rocket Robin Hood, Jeremy tries to find time to write some of the many stories floating around in his head.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

The Demon of Stonewood is the second book in Jeremy Hayes' Stonewood Trilogy. Harcourt the thief, using his magic mask, is now disguised and living as Weldrick, the leader of the Thieves Guild. He has turned the Guild's primary focus on defeating the demonic cult that is secretly led by Krommel, the chief magistrate. Wearing another disguise, Harcourt feeds information to Captain Dornell, his former nemesis and later friend, who believes Harcourt is dead. Harcourt also keeps a vigilant eye out for his beloved Krestina, who is now a priestess but still mourns Harcourt's passing. Harcourt is torn at deceiving these two friends and plans to reveal his true identity to each of them. These plans go awry, however, as the Cult's activities reach a new level: once five special hearts are harvested, the demon Lucivenus will be freed from his imprisonment.

Jeremy Hayes' epic fantasy The Demon of Stonewood is action-packed and exciting. While Hayes gives enough background from Book One of the Stonewood Trilogy, The Thieves of Stonewood, readers really should read the books in order -- this series is that good -- you won't want to miss out on a thing. Harcourt, Dornell and Krestina are fabulous leading characters, strong and determined, and they're well-supported with a cast of supporting characters like the bounty hunters Evonne and Vrawg, the wizard Fezzdin and his cat, Lex, and Na'Jala, the former gladiator.

The plot of The Demon of Stonewood is well thought out, highly original and beautifully scripted. I enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book. It's filled with battles, magical spells, great companions and endless adventure. The Stonewood Trilogy is shaping up to be a knockout epic fantasy trilogy, and I'm very much looking forward to the next in the series.

Jean Hall

Fearsome magic, an evil lord, heroic thugs, and an improbable romance give this story many twists and turns. Jeremy Hayes continues his trilogy with the second book called The Demon Of Stonewood. There are long-swords and daggers wielded by the Thieves Guild enforcer Randar against the Demon Cult members. The Cult murders innocent citizens of Stonewood in order to gather their bloody hearts. The hearts will be used in a secret ritual to release their captive evil Lord Lucivenus.

Many battles take place in the wealthy kingdom of Stonewood which has a medieval setting. But this is not the real world of old, there are forces at work which are not found on earth. Fezzdin the Fantastic is a wizard who helps the king rule, and he clearly sides with the Thieves Guild. Although the Guild takes their fair share of coins, they help keep order in the underworld. The kind priestess Festina mourns the loss of her secret love Harcourt, who has donned a magical mask. His unexpected survival is revealed and they are brought together.

Sympathetic characters like Festina and Harcourt are important but this story is a battle of good and evil. Jeremy Hayes in The Demon Of Stonewood emphasizes the overall plot rather than character development. The plot moves along at a good pace from battle to battle with small numbers of fighters. But the characters have fun too at the Ogre's Den tavern. The simple formatting and generous spacing of the text is a nice backdrop for a complex story. The Demon is released but his fate may be finally determined in Book Three of the trilogy....

Melinda Hills

Harcourt has a tough job living a lie but he does it with great skill and success. A basically good man in charge of the guild of thieves, Harcourt, in the guise of another man, leads the battle against the cult that has infiltrated the highest levels of the government in The Demon of Stonewood: Book II of the Stonewood Trilogy by Jeremy Hayes. In a city where many people and things are not what they appear to be, Harcourt joins forces with a royal soldier and an escapee from prison to save a young priestess with whom he has fallen in love and the city that has been his home. The cult has increased in strength, recruiting many followers, including members from the royal guard. With a tremendous amount of skill and luck, and the dedication of fellow thieves who hold Harcourt in the highest regard, he and some friends meet the challenge of frustrating the goals of the cult’s High Priest in the very throne room of the castle.

Heroism is at its best with Harcourt and his associates as they try to rid the city of the evil cult members. Daring battles, magic, secret tunnels, and inhuman creatures pit the thieves against the cult and both against the soldiers. Loyalty is hard to come by for many of the characters who have never been responsible for anyone but themselves, but in order to defeat a common enemy, thieves and soldiers join together to protect the King of Stonewood and try to prevent the return of the demon Lucivenus. This is a fast paced story with plenty of twists and changes in the tide of the battle.