The Demon in the Wood

 The Demon in the Wood

Sneak Peek and Review by Krishna Jaswal 

“There is no safe place. There is no heaven. Not for us.”

The Demon in the Wood is a graphic novel prequel to the novel Shadow and Bone (which is what I wrote about in my first blog that you should go check out!). In Shadow and Bone, one of the main villains, the Darkling, is a rare and powerful Grisha. Grisha are people who can manipulate energy and elements to use as powers. He has the power to use shadows and is an amplifier of others’ powers when they touch him while using their powers. The Demon in the Wood takes a blast to the Darkling’s past to see what he was like before he was the Darkling. The graphic novel also takes us back into the past of Ravka (where Shadow and Bone takes place) and the first steps of the Darkling’s power. 

The story starts with 13-year-old Darkling, who is using the fake name Eryk, and his mom Baghra, who is using the fake name Lena. During this time period, Grisha were hunted for their powers causing Eryk and Lena to move around from camp to camp. Eryk and Lena are hunted and on the move even more than other Grisha since their powers, shadow control and amplifier, are uncommon and rare. The story also highlights that Eryk is scared of the dark, not letting his mom take the lantern to go to scout out the camp first. After she comes back, they go to the camp together where they meet the Chief and settle down for the time being. Although Eryk is still hesitant and cautious towards other people in the camp, a girl named Annika and her little sister Sylvi approach him. 

Not only is Eryk cautious about making friends because of his rare power but also because it's hard for him since he and his mother are constantly moving around. Sylvi however is curious and insists on seeing Eryk’s shadow powers which is the complete opposite of what usually happens. Normally people shy away from him because they’re scared of his powers. Annika and Sylvi are weaker Grisha which causes them to be bullied by some other Grisha users in the camp. One day Eryk sees it happening and defends Annika and Sylvi against those bullies. Because of this, Annika and Eryk touch hands causing her to learn that he's an amplifier; what Eryk feared the most happened. Annika however swears not to tell anyone. 

How will this accident make or break Eryk into the dark, evil, complex, and hidden character he is in Shadow and Bone? Was he right for being cautious? What possibly could happen to turn the boy who was afraid of the dark into the dark man people in the future will be afraid of? What happens that makes him create a whole new world for Grisha? Guess you’ll have to read to find out :)

The Demon in the Wood came out in 2022, a while after the main trilogy was published. When I came across this graphic novel, I was pretty interested. Normally graphic novels aren’t my thing but I was intrigued by the plot of the novel. The Darkling is a very deep and complex character; just calling him the villain doesn’t do him justice. The graphic novel helps dig up and dive deeper into his character and what made him turn out to be the way he is in the trilogy. The graphics are also pretty cool and depict the characters well! The only thing I would change is to make the novel longer. It went by too fast! Overall I would rate The Demon in the Wood 9/10!