A dystopian tale whose time/era is fuzzy, although it hints at being sometime in the future following a technological collapse. The country is divided into three giant 'states'. Samuel, bastard son of a disgraced cleric is shunned by many as a result of his father's sins, although it was his mother who paid with her life. He's never touched by his father since touch by a cleric, or touching one is a sin resulting in severe punishment. He's firmly on the path of becoming a cleric himself until the mayor of his small town experiences a series of thefts. The mayor's reaction is to surround his home with policemen and order large, lethal traps placed in the pine woods. When a mute girl who is missing part of an arm is caught in one of them, Samuel seems to be the only one able to relate to her. This is the beginning of a hard right turn in his life and planned career. Read this fascinating story to see how that happens. Zei, the girl caught in the trap, might be a monster, but if so, she's a very sympathetic one. The book ends in a satisfying way, but with a glimpse of more to come. ( )

This was an interesting read. It really kept me enthralled. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in science fiction fantasy.

*I received a copy of this book for free. The review is my own, honest and unsolicited. ( )

Demon in the Whitelands—Library Thing Early Reviewer
Seemingly set in an unfamiliar, post apocalyptic backdrop, this story is populated by an angry and power-hungry mayor lording it over a timid, hope-starved multitude. It centers on a misfit teen that is frustrated by the secrets around him as well as his own lack of self worth. He doesn’t understand the society or it’s expectations; he can’t get the answers he seeks, and he doesn’t want the life that has been preordained for him. He seems like a gentle soul, but he is later provoked into murder (which might be made believable if given a deeper exploration of his internal struggles). Add to the mix some non-human character that the teen lavishes all his efforts upon to redeem only to witness it savagely murder without a qualm. He ends up isolated with the creature he befriended and trusts despite its nature.
There are a lot of issues in this story—maybe too many. The story telling is basically sound albeit a little bit choppy at times. “Agape” seems to be a favorite word appearing far more often than it ever would in regular context.
I think the author is a decent storyteller who has simply overloaded the reader’s plate. Less is more. Fewer issues and more character development could strengthen this read. ( )

Demon in the Whitelands by Nikki Richard is not at all what I expected. If you like dystopian fiction, you will like this. If you don’t like dystopian fiction, you will still like it. Something has happened to cause major division in the world, but we are not subjected to a long dissertation of how things went wrong or whose fault it is. We are placed in a world where things are just how they are. The people are normal and act according to normal human behavior; some are selfish and some are generous, some kind and some cruel. The author has done a good job handling these people and letting them tell their story, particularly Sam, whose angst is the thread we follow. I enjoyed this book, and particularly the end in which, despite all that is still up in the air, our hero has his feet on the ground and possibilities in front of him.

Demon in the Whitelands is literally about a demon found in the Whitelands, however, thought out the book we get more of everything else but the demon in the Whitelands.

The dystopian fantasy follows Sam aka Samuel who cannot touch anyone, no one likes to look at him let alone talk to him. The reason being he is a bastard and that too of a cleric. The story takes on as the small scrawny kid becomes the town's biggest criminal and saves a bunch of people but also ends up causing a lot of death.

Hats off to Nikki z. Richard for establishing a fantasy world without forcing it down her readers. It was a treat, however, it took a very long time to get to the interesting part. While the pacing is a bit slow at the beginning it picks up really well towards the end. I was aware the book will end with what could happen next but it has a very satisfying end. I wanted to know more about the Demon but having to get to know Sam and read through his character Arc was just as interesting.

If you have the patience to get through a book that has some promise in the end and the next one this is the one for you! ( )