"A clever concept with appeal to readers of original contemporary fantasy"

• ASIN: ‎ B0C3KHTR7G
• Language: ‎ English
• Print length: ‎ 133 pages
• Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

The BookViral Review:

A conceptually original novella from Rori Thornton and Book 1 in the Demon King’s Gardener series, In Which a Demon King Does Not Have a Romantic Interest in His Human Gardener is an intriguing contemporary fantasy.

Far too many plot points and literary devices have commonalities in contemporary fantasy with far too many titles feeling predictable and familiar. But this is something Thornton has neatly managed to sidestep. Crafting a succinct plot that quickly gets to the crux of the story it’s fair to say Thornton’s not an author to labour in the detail when it isn’t warranted but does have a colourfully dynamic and incredibly visual imagination that seldom lets up!

If you are looking for a Contemporary Fantasy read that follows a generic “Magical powers revealed, true selves explored” template, In Which a Demon King Does Not Have a Romantic Interest in His Human Gardener isn’t one of those stories but neither does it fall back on trite and tired tropes or overreach, except for a brief interlude of Dendrophilia, for the shock factor. Perhaps more importantly Thornton doesn’t give us protagonists predictably mired in love knots that obfuscate their own character development.

Invariably novels rise and fall on the strength of their characters and here Thornton introduces us to the Demon King Jurao and the human Braelin who has inadvertently crossed into the demon realm and has been secretly tending Jurao’s fearsome garden for the best part of ten years.  Add more than a little humour and captivating backstories and both characters have broad appeal. 

As their unusual relationship flourishes, much to the astonishment of the Demon King’s household who are convinced they are having a romantic relationship, Thornton’s narrative offers plentiful opportunities to linger. There are a host of wonderfully described supporting characters, including this reviewer’s personal favourites Feyl, who can’t believe a human could win at Ascension and Jurao’s aunt Nevve. A nice addition to Thornton’s novella is The Side Story: The Blacksmith And Her Nephew which further explores Jurao’s backstory and sets Thornton’s readers up for the books to follow in The Demon King’s Gardener series

A very clever concept which will appeal to readers of original contemporary fantasy, In Which a Demon King Does Not Have a Romantic Interest in His Human Gardener is highly recommended!