Name: Shelby Goodwin's review of The Savage Peak by Jon David
Item: The Savage Peak
Rating: 4
Author: Shelby Goodwin

Jon David

When a young demon and her mentor are forced to abandon their sanctuary on a far-off world they must return to the realm of Hell.Never having been around her own kind before, the young Morgalla is thrust into an alien culture. She struggles to adapt and find her place.Through an act of fate she is drawn to a world populated by demon and a strange alien people. There is an uneasy trust between them and war is on the horizon.Morgalla must choose a side.

The Savage Peak

Shelby Goodwin

First off, I want to thank the author for sending me a copy of this awesome book in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed below are entirely my own.

From the very first chapter, this coming-of-age story felt like home, reminiscent of many of my YA high fantasy favorites, but with a dark demonic twist! I haven’t read a third person fantasy novel in quite a while, so this was a welcome change of pace for me.

I instantly loved Morgalla! She’s endearing in an extremely relatable way. When I first read the premise for this novel, I pictured the kind of protagonist as we so often see in dark worlds such as this one--the stoic, battle-hardened heroine. However, Morgalla’s compassion is what shines through in her character, despite her mysterious upbringing and the horrors of her past.

I absolutely adored Morgalla and Delilah’s relationship. It strikes me that I cannot think of a single other female mentor in any other YA series I’ve ever read! It’s always wonderfully refreshing to have strong female bonds like this with messages of badass girl power at the heart of a high fantasy tale.

The world-building was beyond cool, with portals to and from so many realms, it felt multilayered and endlessly intriguing. I cannot wait to explore more of this world in the subsequent books!

Tatiana Alvarez 

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy. Actual rating 3.5. 

I always appreciate origin stories and this is what this book felt like. Morgalla is a young demon who grows up alongside her teacher, away from Hell. By nature, demons are cruel and never show weakness. They don’t back down for battles and take pride on how many kills they have. 

But not Morgalla. 

She’s different. She’s soft. Everyone seems to think it’s a bad thing but her. She doesn’t belong in Hell, and even though she can change her appearance to look human, she doesn’t quite belong amongst them either. 

Although written in third person, I do feel as if I was inside Morgalla’s head as I was reading. I could sense her discomfort and tension she carried with her as she struggled to find a place to fit in. I think the author did a great job at capturing her in that sense. 

The writing is good. I know some people have complained about that in other reviews, but I felt as if the version I was reading was polished and edited. There are numerous fight scenes throughout the book. Although not my favorite thing to read, they were extremely well written. 

I think this series has a lot of potential and it will be fun to see where Morgalla goes! Especially since the book ended on a cliffhanger.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Demons being demons. I like it!

It’s easy for demons to be “de-demonized” in YA. Perhaps it’s because of the age range, but they act more like morally gray characters with a secret soft side than what you expect from a creature from hell. The Savage Peak, however, doesn’t fall in this category. The author managed to keep this book a YA, but the demons in this book were undoubtedly evil. They thrive on violence and selfishness. Even Morgalla’s mentor, Delilah, is oftentimes cruel towards those she deems lesser. She tries teaching Morgalla how to be ruthless and brutal, and tries to impart a view of the world that Morgalla doesn’t agree with. 

In fact, the only kind demon in this book is Morgalla herself. From a young age, she and Delilah seek sanctuary in a different world. For reasons unknown to Delilah herself, she’s tasked with raising this child in safety, away from Hell. Therefore, Morgalla doesn’t grow up with her kind. Whilst training with her mentor, she learns kindness and respect from the locals. But when things become dangerous for Morgalla and Delilah on this world, they’re forced to return to Hell. Morgalla hates everything about it and despite her best intentions, she winds up making one too many enemies. It’s while running away from some of these enemies that she accidentally goes through a portal that leads to another world, one that isn’t Earth but is inhabited by humans. Here, Morgalla uses her recently-discovered ability to morph into a human to blend in, and she must be careful to hide her secret. These humans hate demons, and have been enslaved to them for a long time. 

I really liked Morgalla’s character and her development throughout the story, especially towards the end. I feel like the experience she’s had with the humans and everything that led to it gave her that necessary boost to find herself somewhere in between being the person she wants to be and being the one she needs to be to survive Hell. Plot-wise, my favorite moments were the ones spent with the humans. The story turned somewhat mysterious and exciting as Morgalla learns of the demon lord looking to strike a deal with the humans. The worldbuilding was also very interesting. The concept of different worlds rebelling against the demon dominion holds potential for a great story in the upcoming books. 

I recommend this book to people who enjoy darker YA, and a story with demons. 

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy. Opinions are my own.

Shelby Goodwin &
The Savage Peak by Jon David

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Shelby Goodwin &The Savage Peak by Jon David

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Shelby Goodwin &
The Savage Peak by Jon David