Morgan Kingsley knows all she needs to about demons – raised in a Spirit Society family, her parents support the willing hosting by humans of demons, and thanks to their non-stop brain-washing her once-beloved brother Andrew is ridden by one. Morgan’s greatest fear is being taken over by one, and she works as an exorcist to free those poor devils unwillingly possessed. It may be legal to volunteer to host a demon but if they take you over unwillingly they will be exorcised, resulting in the death of the demon and, unfortunately, destroying the mind of the host four times out of five.
When Morgan’s called to Topeka to read the aura of a child believed to be possessed and, if necessary, exorcise the possessing demon, she’s far from eager. The city is far from her usual stomping ground, and her fears that cops unfamiliar with standard precautions are guarding the child host prove to be well founded – the freed demon tries to enter Morgan’s body. She wakes in a holding cell but for some reason was not possessed by the rogue demon. When she discovers that this is because she’s already hosting a demon, one more powerful than any she’s even heard of, everything Morgan thinks she knows about demonkind is blown away.
The first in a series, The Devil Inside combines well-crafted world building with a convincing plot and a strong, albeit significantly flawed protagonist. This is not to say that it’s an unqualified success, and for me Morgan raised the greatest issues. Not only does she frequently act or speak without considering the consequences, thereby endangering herself and others, her multiple unconsidered issues began to grate after a while. They’re all linked to her pathological fear of being powerless: there is no room in her mind for anyone voluntarily choosing to host a demon, and despite protestations from those who do host she cannot believe that this may be a connection the hosts value and find rewarding.
Without going into any plot spoiling, two central characters have a very strong BD/Ds/SM relationship that involves bullwhips, among other disciplinary tools. Despite being powerfully sexually aroused by both the idea of two men together and the (wholly consensual) scenes, Morgan flat out doesn’t approve. That said, I found the sex scenes jarring; there’s nothing particularly graphic, I just found them… unnecessary, or just plain too much, and, not being usually averse to pornography, I don’t know why.
I would have appreciated learning a little more about Morgan’s upbringing, particularly what made her not only so morbidly afraid of being powerless but also what determined that her attitudes would be so antithetical to those of the rest of her family. Perhaps we’ll see more of this in the sequel, which I’ll definitely being hunting out. Because, despite the predominantly critical tone of my review, I found Black’s world, the power struggles (demonic and human), and Morgan’s character compelling. – Alex
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