Demon Thief, the second book in the critically acclaimed Demonata series by Darren Shan, continues the story of Lord Loss, his minions, and introduces the exploits of a "new" group of demon hunters as they battle their way through the demonic world that parallels our own.

Shan, already well-known for his popular Cirque du Freak books, once again brings violence, gore, and bloody heart to a series that is geared toward young adults.

A prequel to Lord Loss, the tale details the adventures of a young boy, Cornelius "Kernel" Fleck, who has, since he could remember, see moving patches of light where others could not. Considered "freakish" for this odd ability, he learns to stifle the knowledge of his talent from his classmates and his family, although this doesn't keep him from playing with the lights only he can see. Indeed, he seems to have a special knack for creating new patterns out of the patches of glowing light, and can even manipulate them, like puzzle pieces, to open inter-dimensional doors.

He also has a brother who seems to bite everyone (except him...mostly). So one day, when a demon appears and begins slaughtering his fellow school chums and steals his baby brother Art, Kernel decides that, against his self-perceived cowardice, that he is ready to join a mysterious group of people who hunt demons in order to retrieve his younger sibling.

Turns out, Kernel Fleck isn't all that bad to have around as a demon hunter as his true abilities and importance to the survival of the universe are revealed.

While Demon Thief lacks perhaps some of the shcok value of Lord Loss, Shan again allows for the reader to continue a rich, fascinating, disturbing, and entertaining journey into the Demonata. He sheds more light on the home turf of Lord Loss and even gives us a hint of a young Uncle Dervish from the previous book.