Book Review: The Demon Star by Jesse Aragon
ARC provided by the publisher—DAW Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by Kieran Yanner
The Demon Star by Jesse Aragon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fantasy
Pages: 448 pages (Hardcover Edition)
Word Count: 157,000 words
Published: 28th July 2026 by DAW Books (US) and The Broken Binding Publishing (UK)
The Demon Star has great potential to become one of science fantasy readers’ favorite ambitious debuts of the year.
“Darkness is refuge. Chaos is clarity. Power is freedom.”
If you’ve been following my reviews, you might have noticed that in the past few years, I’ve been diving into more science fantasy novels. Do not get me wrong. I have always known I’m a big fan of the sub-genre. But recently, especially thanks to The Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio, I’ve been more active and intrigued in searching for more and more awesome science fantasy novels to read. I am not ashamed to admit my interest in reading The Demon Star was ignited instantaneously by the cover art reveal. The cover art is illustrated by the incredible Kieran Yanner, who some of you might know from his work on the US edition cover art for the The Sun Eater series. The cover art of The Demon Star immediately became a small window to the key characters and the rich and mystery-infused world-building contained in the novel. After reading it, I am pleased to say The Demon Star will be regarded as one of the memorable science fantasy novels that will find its home in the heart and bookshelves of the genre reader.
“How strange a thought, that it could be possible to love someone so completely, unconditionally, for no other reason than that they were.”
The story in The Demon Star takes place on a ruined planet oppressed by eldritch gods. In this place where faith placed upon the gods is totally crucial, a rebel leader forces his own son to become the vessel of a god-killing demon. Caught in this conflict spanning millennia are our two main characters and unlikely allies. First is Ysira Naktis. Ysira was a human sacrifice destined for that. But unlike the thousands “harvested” each year, she beat the odds and survived. What she brought back with her could rewrite the fate of her civilization. And when Ysira’s son is chosen for demonic possession, she is faced with a choice. Leave him to his own fate to allow him to harness cosmic power at an unspeakable cost, or doom millions to save him. In this perilous journey of survival, she finds an unlikely ally in Brother Jacen Kheris, the other main character, who was once a gifted exorcist but now is an addict desperate for purpose.
“Faith was a leap in the dark, the chasm between mystery and truth, and such a leap required resolve. Faith was the will to do even the unspeakable— for the sake of a dream, for the promise of peace, for the shadow of a hope of a better future.”
A new science fantasy debut with ambitious world-building is something I find to be relatively rare now. Generally speaking, having been reviewing SFF books for almost a decade now, I miss the era of seeing new epic fantasy and science fiction not rooted in romantasy being published. Aragon has mentioned that The Demon Star is her love letter to the classic science fiction stories like Hyperion by Dan Simmons, Dune by Frank Herbert, and Star Wars, to mention a few. The fragments of these classics are clearly reflected in her book through the expansive world-building. If there’s one color that determines the tone of The Demon Star, it would have to be red and black. You will understand why the more you read the book. From the red-environment planet, the bloody actions, the demon-haunted canyon, the cultists, and the exorcisms, The Demon Star is one heck of a debut that blends science fiction, epic fantasy, and some horror elements into one package.
“Everything a demon learns, it learns from us. What we’ve become is a horror of our own making.”
It felt easy for the mystery of the culture and the world in The Demon Star to engage my curiosity to keep reading. To find out more about the history and secrets of the world. And believe me, there are secrets to be unravelled here. However, the other standout in The Demon Star is the morally gray main characters, Ysira and Jacen. I wouldn’t necessarily say they’re some of my favorite characters in speculative fiction. Honestly, I don’t think I even liked the characters’ relationship with one another as much as I liked the world-building. But I would be lying if I said I was not invested in their story and how they navigate the ruthless ordeals ahead of them. This, in my opinion, is more important than whether I love the characters or not. If I don’t feel intrigued by the character’s journey, then the reading experience would fall apart. From the inner conflicts and violent external wounds, Aragon does not shy away from placing her characters through trauma and a crimson path. Ysira, in particular, is on the horrible receiving end of this. I found her determination to save and protect her son to be relatable. Do note that this is not a happy book. Darkness unquestionably triumphs over light in tone. But it would be inaccurate to state the narrative in this book was devoid of hope.
“If a god was something they made, then perhaps faith must be, too. Not an immutable trait but a series of choices, day after day, even when one might never live to see them bear fruit. So let this choice be the first. He would stay. He would try. He would hope. He watched them, the prophet and the mother of his god, a deep weariness settling into his bones. They watched the stars.”
When it comes down to it, what I liked most about The Demon Star has to be the world and the immersion I got from reading it. The action sequences, once it gets going in the halfway point, is practically non-stop to the end of the book. I did hope, just a little bit, that we have more room to let the characters sits, contemplate, and develop further before we jump to the next conflict. However, these are minor issues. Well-written action scenes, to me, always felt like the stakes were there, and they could make me see the events in the texts unfolds as if I’m in the room right there with them. Fortunately, I got that from reading The Demon Star. The action sequences were properly crafted and structured. The revelations about the gods and the world were superbly executed, too. Everything from the second half was a constant twists and turns that kept me captivated to the end of the novel.
“The gods were meant to embody deliverance from suffering, but there was no shortage of pain here.”
I’ve been intentionally keeping most of my review vague regarding the details of the story. But I do think this is for the better. Future readers should attempt this debut with as little knowledge as possible, as I did. In The Demon Star, Aragon successfully achieved the golden balance of drama, actions, and extensive world-building in a fascinating debut that blends sci-fi, fantasy, and horror seamlessly. At the moment, I have no idea whether this would become a series or remain as a standalone novel. But whatever Aragon writes next, I look forward to seeing how she will further develop her storytelling skills after this superb debut. The ending definitely left room for more stories in this world, after all. If your preference of genre is fantasy or sci-fi tinged with horror, you simply cannot go wrong with trying The Demon Star.
“All our lives we’ve lived in shadow. We do not fear the dark. We endured beyond the end of our world before, and we will again.. And the stars will know our name.”
You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
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