The Savage Peak

Author: Jon David
Publisher: BHC Press
Year of Publication: 2020

I found this book on NetGalley and realized it was a prequel to an existing trilogy called the trilogy of Morgalla. I had not heard of this series before, but the premise of the prequel had me interested. I actually prefer to read the prequel before the start of a series because I find that I have a better appreciation for the characters and their journey during a series. Or if it’s a prequel that elaborates on the world’s history I found the story to be more enriching. This is the main book series that Jon David has written and you can explore more about this series at his website.

The premise of this book is what had me interested in writing a review. The story is about a young demon from Hell named Morgalla. Strength, reputation and kill count is what a demon prides themselves on and Morgalla does not fit the mold. She is empathetic and has an appreciation for other’s lives, no matter what species. Morgalla has been taken off world to train and study, so she does not have the experience of growing up in Hell or understanding of demon culture. When she returns to Hell Morgalla does not fit in and soon gets a target on her back. She finds her self in yet another world, away from Hell, where she is forced to face her empathetic nature and the need to survive.

It took me a bit of time to get into this book because I received an ARC and some of the editing and sentence structure was hard to grasp, but as I continued to read on it seemed the editing cleaned up and had a better flow. I liked that the setting was different from typical YA fantasy series set in magical world’s. I am glad someone decided to tackle creating a believable version of Hell that wasn’t extremely dark and was able to connect demons to other worlds. David was able to create multiple vivid worlds and multi-dimensional characters in a short book. I would be interested to see how Morgalla’s dynamic and relationship with her father, Zorach, develops and how other character’s play a role going forward, like Delilah (Morgalla’s mentor) and Vex (Morgalla’s rival).

The solo journey that Morgalla embarks on in this book is a good start to developing her character and understanding of the world. Morgalla is torn between her morals and must challenge her beliefs in order to do what is best for people she considers her friends. This is the first time Morgalla has been on her own and has been able to make her own decisions. It’s a good short coming of age story to set the path for Morgalla’s future struggles and I have a feeling she is going to face a huge battle back in Hell.

I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 and I want to pick up the triology of Morgalla in the future when my “to be read” pile shrinks a little. I am interested to see what happens to Morgalla in Hell and how she navigates being different and challenging the demonic culture. I think we’ve only just begun to see how strong Morgalla could be, as she is just at the start of her journey and starting to discover herself. Morgalla may be small but she be fierce!