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Series · horror

Demon Road

by Derek Landy

The Demon Road series by Derek Landy has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Demon Road (2015).

Books
3 books
First published
2015
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: Demon Road (2015) — then read straight through in publication order.

Cover of Demon Road, the first book in Demon Road

Reading order

The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.

  1. Demon Road

    Novel

    View book

  2. Desolation

    Novel

    View book

  3. American Monsters

    Novel

    View book

About the Demon Road series

Sixteen-year-old Amber Lamont's ordinary American life ends the night she learns her parents are demons who plan to eat her -- and that she's half-demon herself, with a monstrous side of her own she's only beginning to understand. Fleeing across the country in a stolen car with two fellow teenage outcasts, Amber is pulled into a road trip through a hidden, horror-soaked version of America: cults, serial killers, monsters wearing human faces, and a shadowy criminal underworld that all want a piece of what she's becoming.

Derek Landy, best known for the fast, funny Skulduggery Pleasant books, turns noticeably darker and more violent here -- Demon Road is pitched at older YA readers and leans hard into road-horror and body-horror territory rather than Skulduggery's banter-driven adventure. The trademark wit is still present in the dialogue, but the stakes and gore are considerably higher, and Amber's arc into monstrousness is played with real menace rather than played for laughs.

The trilogy tells one continuous, serialized story across three books, escalating from a survival road trip into a fight against a literal demonic empire, and closes out completely with American Monsters.

How to read this series

Read the three novels in publication order -- Demon Road, Desolation, American Monsters -- as a single continuous story. Each book picks up immediately or shortly after the previous one's cliffhanger, so this is not a series that supports skipping around or starting mid-trilogy.

No other Derek Landy reading is required; Demon Road is entirely separate from the Skulduggery Pleasant universe, though fans of his voice and pacing there will recognize the same instincts turned to darker material here.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Demon Road trilogy?

Three: Demon Road (2015), Desolation (2016) and American Monsters (2016), telling one continuous story.

What order should I read Demon Road in?

Publication order: Demon Road, Desolation, American Monsters. The books flow directly into each other.

Is Demon Road connected to Skulduggery Pleasant?

No. It's a separate, darker YA horror series by the same author, with its own cast and world.

Is Demon Road finished?

Yes, the trilogy concludes with American Monsters (2016) and no further volume has been announced.

Is Demon Road appropriate for younger Skulduggery Pleasant readers?

It's pitched at an older YA audience than Skulduggery Pleasant, with more graphic violence and horror content, so it's worth checking content warnings before handing it to younger readers.

Reading order last verified .