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Demonic Devourer #1
Demonic Devourer 1
Devour. Level up. Repeat.
Awakening in an abandoned lab with no knowledge of the world, Evelyn is empowered by a system that grants her bloody magical powers in exchange for finishing missions and consuming her enemies. She knows one no matter the cost, she will advance. She’ll manipulate allies and spread demonic corruption with a smile if that’s what it takes to level up.
Her first mission is to escape the lab's other newly born creations. But once she steps foot into the world outside of the lab, she must contend with people who forbid her existence and who will work to eradicate those with her powers from the face of the planet.
The outside world may be vast and deadly, but Evelyn will be deadlier. Don't miss the start of this action-packed series from Aaron Shih, a fast-paced litRPG progression fantasy novel featuring weak-to-strong progression, demons, an intricate magic system, and a whole lot of blood.
Awakening in an abandoned lab with no knowledge of the world, Evelyn is empowered by a system that grants her bloody magical powers in exchange for finishing missions and consuming her enemies. She knows one no matter the cost, she will advance. She’ll manipulate allies and spread demonic corruption with a smile if that’s what it takes to level up.
Her first mission is to escape the lab's other newly born creations. But once she steps foot into the world outside of the lab, she must contend with people who forbid her existence and who will work to eradicate those with her powers from the face of the planet.
The outside world may be vast and deadly, but Evelyn will be deadlier. Don't miss the start of this action-packed series from Aaron Shih, a fast-paced litRPG progression fantasy novel featuring weak-to-strong progression, demons, an intricate magic system, and a whole lot of blood.
569 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 2023
361 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Shih
14 books37 followersAaron Shih is a Chinese-American college student who is currently wondering why bios are supposed to be written in third person.
He writes progression fantasy and litRPG alongside everything that catches his fancy.
He writes progression fantasy and litRPG alongside everything that catches his fancy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 31, 2025
This is an isekai without the isekai. EV3 (later Evelyn) wakes up in a test tube in an abandoned lab with a system and the quest to devour the others "born" with her to grow stronger. This sets up her drive to grow and become stronger with the unspecified background that she's pretty much amoral and power driven. So it's not portal fantasy (isekai) but it has aspects of it due to memories and judgement that originates outside of the character's base circumstances. Anyway, good for a power fantasy, not so great for the character, right?
Only, the author does a pretty good job with the characterization, too. You see, she isn't without some guidance. She doesn't have memories, as such, but her creators have gifted her with worldly knowledge. Language, survival skills, cultural background, and basic system things like classes, traits, and skills. So she is making relatively good choices and her plans don't suck. And bonus, once she encounters people, she isn't a mindless killing machine and can navigate social situations without the fish-out-of-water gaffs. She experiences kindness. And betrayal. And has a chance to develop "allies" that she invests in. In other words, she forms a foundation for thinking beyond mere transactional utility and potentially a foundation for cooperation and even friendship.
So it's a power fantasy with a protagonist who is figuring out her own motivations and what she will and won't sacrifice for. And I enjoyed it more than a little.
I had two things holding me back from complete immersion. First, the author gets bogged down a bit during action scenes. It's bad enough that Evelyn gets in so many fights where she's completely outclassed, but each sequence includes both her decisions and analysis even as she's in the midst of duking it out with her life on the line. I actually skimmed entire paragraphs in the middle of some of the later fight scenes it was so pronounced.
Second, it got a little old with her being completely outclassed by forces hunting her for her nature and origin. It was frustrating the couple of times Sapphire shows up and just plot bombs the story. And I hated them even more when they became PoV sections in the epilogue where we see them conspiring and scheming. It struck me as unnecessary and "extra"; intrusive in a way that detracted from my enjoyment and nearly to the level of not wanting to pick up the next (because the foreshadowing made me groan a bit).
In the end, I'm calling it four stars and admit that I almost certainly will pick up the next. I hope it keeps the best aspects of what I enjoyed, though the prognosis isn't good.
A note about Chaste: There's a completely left-field attraction pair-up but no shenanigans ensue. So this is fairly chaste.
Only, the author does a pretty good job with the characterization, too. You see, she isn't without some guidance. She doesn't have memories, as such, but her creators have gifted her with worldly knowledge. Language, survival skills, cultural background, and basic system things like classes, traits, and skills. So she is making relatively good choices and her plans don't suck. And bonus, once she encounters people, she isn't a mindless killing machine and can navigate social situations without the fish-out-of-water gaffs. She experiences kindness. And betrayal. And has a chance to develop "allies" that she invests in. In other words, she forms a foundation for thinking beyond mere transactional utility and potentially a foundation for cooperation and even friendship.
So it's a power fantasy with a protagonist who is figuring out her own motivations and what she will and won't sacrifice for. And I enjoyed it more than a little.
I had two things holding me back from complete immersion. First, the author gets bogged down a bit during action scenes. It's bad enough that Evelyn gets in so many fights where she's completely outclassed, but each sequence includes both her decisions and analysis even as she's in the midst of duking it out with her life on the line. I actually skimmed entire paragraphs in the middle of some of the later fight scenes it was so pronounced.
Second, it got a little old with her being completely outclassed by forces hunting her for her nature and origin. It was frustrating the couple of times Sapphire shows up and just plot bombs the story. And I hated them even more when they became PoV sections in the epilogue where we see them conspiring and scheming. It struck me as unnecessary and "extra"; intrusive in a way that detracted from my enjoyment and nearly to the level of not wanting to pick up the next (because the foreshadowing made me groan a bit).
In the end, I'm calling it four stars and admit that I almost certainly will pick up the next. I hope it keeps the best aspects of what I enjoyed, though the prognosis isn't good.
A note about Chaste: There's a completely left-field attraction pair-up but no shenanigans ensue. So this is fairly chaste.
October 13, 2023
Started off somewhat promising
For its genre, of course, which means I was already being very lenient with a self-published litrpg. Sadly, by about halfway through it became evident all it had going for it was the initial idea with no follow up.
The world is just a mess. Demons, mages and travel between worlds, people in sci fi power armor shooting modern day guns while riding trains between 19th-century gold rush towns and medieval cities made up of garbage-strewn narrow alleys and featureless pubs. Eventually it becomes evident none of it actually fits together, random ideas are just thrown out then forgotten about.
The system that defines the genre is equally garbled. There are classes and skills but we never see the same one twice. Then there is gaining experience, rarity, tiers, class evolution, skill progression and so much more that absolutely never works the same way twice and explicitly happens on the whim of "the system," i.e. author. It's just a bunch of words that means absolutely nothing.
The characters are not. They have no personality, goals, desires or characteristics that ever last more than a single scene. The only sort of consistent things are the MC's goal to get stronger which is just meaningless and everyone being an asshole.
Then it gets even worse and about 75% we enter an endless "action scene" of the same few sentences being repeated ad nauseam for dozens of pages. I tried skipping through but so little happens and the little that happens makes so little sense that I just gave up.
For its genre, of course, which means I was already being very lenient with a self-published litrpg. Sadly, by about halfway through it became evident all it had going for it was the initial idea with no follow up.
The world is just a mess. Demons, mages and travel between worlds, people in sci fi power armor shooting modern day guns while riding trains between 19th-century gold rush towns and medieval cities made up of garbage-strewn narrow alleys and featureless pubs. Eventually it becomes evident none of it actually fits together, random ideas are just thrown out then forgotten about.
The system that defines the genre is equally garbled. There are classes and skills but we never see the same one twice. Then there is gaining experience, rarity, tiers, class evolution, skill progression and so much more that absolutely never works the same way twice and explicitly happens on the whim of "the system," i.e. author. It's just a bunch of words that means absolutely nothing.
The characters are not. They have no personality, goals, desires or characteristics that ever last more than a single scene. The only sort of consistent things are the MC's goal to get stronger which is just meaningless and everyone being an asshole.
Then it gets even worse and about 75% we enter an endless "action scene" of the same few sentences being repeated ad nauseam for dozens of pages. I tried skipping through but so little happens and the little that happens makes so little sense that I just gave up.
September 15, 2023
Interesting start
This isn't a bad story, but it's not a great one either. It's fairly weak in some aspects and while I did enjoy it I think it's similar enough to another story, Salvos which is just an all around better book.
This isn't a bad story, but it's not a great one either. It's fairly weak in some aspects and while I did enjoy it I think it's similar enough to another story, Salvos which is just an all around better book.
September 15, 2023
antihero? maybe?
She's had a rough go of it but little Eve had grown on me. As her companies have grown on her. Reminded me of Salvos a bit but wow the pace is fast and brutal. Enthralling and highly recommended.
She's had a rough go of it but little Eve had grown on me. As her companies have grown on her. Reminded me of Salvos a bit but wow the pace is fast and brutal. Enthralling and highly recommended.
September 7, 2023
Great Start
I really enjoyed this take on the progression genre. The MC is perfect in her growth and learning, and we learn about the rest of the world through her. I lived the violence and gore. Super stoked to read the next volume.
I really enjoyed this take on the progression genre. The MC is perfect in her growth and learning, and we learn about the rest of the world through her. I lived the violence and gore. Super stoked to read the next volume.
September 7, 2023
This is a fast paced thrill ride.
But it has the start of a very complex setting. This will continue to be a five star series if it can combine the two without muddling the finer points.
But it has the start of a very complex setting. This will continue to be a five star series if it can combine the two without muddling the finer points.
August 30, 2023
This is the first book I've read by this author.
Evelyn is a demon. Sort of. She's born in a defunct lab along with a dozen other demon babies. Going into this book I had no idea what to expect, but one thing I hadn't anticipated was one demon baby killing and eating all the rest. The book is graphic in detail.
I'm not really into horror of any kind, but I stuck with the book. Evelyn eventually leaves the lab and finds herself in a world she doesn't understand. She has a tendency to attack and eat first and ask questions later. Sometimes she doesn't even bother with the questions.
I won't spoil anymore of the book. The editing is very good, and the stats are plentiful. Having said that, I doubt I will read book two. If you're a horror fan, rejoice because this will be right up your alley. I made it through book one. I don't think I could make it through book two. 5/5*
Evelyn is a demon. Sort of. She's born in a defunct lab along with a dozen other demon babies. Going into this book I had no idea what to expect, but one thing I hadn't anticipated was one demon baby killing and eating all the rest. The book is graphic in detail.
I'm not really into horror of any kind, but I stuck with the book. Evelyn eventually leaves the lab and finds herself in a world she doesn't understand. She has a tendency to attack and eat first and ask questions later. Sometimes she doesn't even bother with the questions.
I won't spoil anymore of the book. The editing is very good, and the stats are plentiful. Having said that, I doubt I will read book two. If you're a horror fan, rejoice because this will be right up your alley. I made it through book one. I don't think I could make it through book two. 5/5*
September 26, 2023
Strong start, then flops hard
Strong monster evo start, then it gets muddied down and diluted with a bunch of world building that gets thrown down the reader's throat in a poor manner. I'm not sure why things couldn't have stayed simple, as it would have turned out much better.
Strong monster evo start, then it gets muddied down and diluted with a bunch of world building that gets thrown down the reader's throat in a poor manner. I'm not sure why things couldn't have stayed simple, as it would have turned out much better.
April 4, 2024
Started out well. I enjoyed the idea of following a villain character whose only motivation is getting stronger, literally killing and devouring anything and everything without remorse.
The problem is that in the entire first book nothing meaningful happens besides the killing and getting stronger part. Everything just feeds into that one goal the MC has. The people she meets either want to kill her, so they die and fuel her growth or she meets characters that immediately look past her body count and become her allies. No character introduced in the book adds anything meaningful to the initial premise. Maybe this wouldn't be an issue if we found out what the MC is getting stronger for.
The world building is practically non-existent, the power system makes no sense and does whatever the author wants it to do.
The ratio of fighting to anything else is also not to my taste. If you like fights going on for pages upon pages, then you might like this. I need breathers. And some of these encounters could have also just been hand-waved away.
I finished the first book by skipping through the last third (the final big fight) because there was already too much fighting for me before that, then it was nothing but fighting starting at that final fight.
The problem is that in the entire first book nothing meaningful happens besides the killing and getting stronger part. Everything just feeds into that one goal the MC has. The people she meets either want to kill her, so they die and fuel her growth or she meets characters that immediately look past her body count and become her allies. No character introduced in the book adds anything meaningful to the initial premise. Maybe this wouldn't be an issue if we found out what the MC is getting stronger for.
The world building is practically non-existent, the power system makes no sense and does whatever the author wants it to do.
The ratio of fighting to anything else is also not to my taste. If you like fights going on for pages upon pages, then you might like this. I need breathers. And some of these encounters could have also just been hand-waved away.
I finished the first book by skipping through the last third (the final big fight) because there was already too much fighting for me before that, then it was nothing but fighting starting at that final fight.
March 19, 2025
A survivor story that doesn't waste time.
This book moves at a fast pace. The slowest part is the beginning, and after that things keep going. There's no big exposition dumps, and not much worldbuilding. The focus is on the protagonist and everything she does to survive (and improve).
If I were to point to a weakness, it would be that the social connection between the protagonist and her ally also moves fast and has very little development to support it. They barely socialize, but they do fight together, and for a book like this that's meant to be enough.
If you're looking for LitRPG about someone enduring, fighting desperate battles, and growing stronger, this is a good choice.
This book moves at a fast pace. The slowest part is the beginning, and after that things keep going. There's no big exposition dumps, and not much worldbuilding. The focus is on the protagonist and everything she does to survive (and improve).
If I were to point to a weakness, it would be that the social connection between the protagonist and her ally also moves fast and has very little development to support it. They barely socialize, but they do fight together, and for a book like this that's meant to be enough.
If you're looking for LitRPG about someone enduring, fighting desperate battles, and growing stronger, this is a good choice.
September 14, 2023
The endfight is way too long.
Skilling during fights gets lame quickly. Just getting what she needs, when she needs it is boring. Planning and creative usage is better.
Out of ressources, but not, nearly empty, but not... Man you can just say, that she is not exausted for telling that she is exausted to actually matter.
Would have been better for the wall security guy to chase her all the way to the city to be the hardest human fight instead of the earth guy that comes from nowhere and doesn't give me any reason to actually care for the fight. Better, if the "stubborn chaser" gets a meaningful fight, than just the next guy in line only introduced to die.
Skilling during fights gets lame quickly. Just getting what she needs, when she needs it is boring. Planning and creative usage is better.
Out of ressources, but not, nearly empty, but not... Man you can just say, that she is not exausted for telling that she is exausted to actually matter.
Would have been better for the wall security guy to chase her all the way to the city to be the hardest human fight instead of the earth guy that comes from nowhere and doesn't give me any reason to actually care for the fight. Better, if the "stubborn chaser" gets a meaningful fight, than just the next guy in line only introduced to die.
July 15, 2024
Well, I almost finished the book but the more it progressed, the more I felt I wasn't the target of this "fast paced"/action book.
EV3 has to fight from the very first minutes of its life, and as the book says, devour again and again. This inevitably leads to a kind of emotional vacuum over the whole book, where the MC's constant sociopathic behavior reveals little interest for me.
All the potential psychology (as in Martha Wells' Murderbot) is replaced by hard-boiled action.
It's like playing Counter Strike after launching Skyrim.
In my opinion, for 16/25 year olds.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
EV3 has to fight from the very first minutes of its life, and as the book says, devour again and again. This inevitably leads to a kind of emotional vacuum over the whole book, where the MC's constant sociopathic behavior reveals little interest for me.
All the potential psychology (as in Martha Wells' Murderbot) is replaced by hard-boiled action.
It's like playing Counter Strike after launching Skyrim.
In my opinion, for 16/25 year olds.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
February 14, 2024
Not really a hero....but a lot of fun
Yeh, the MC isn't really someone you can categorize as a hero, nor is this your run of the mill progression LitRPG story. It leans pretty hard into the horror aspect and doesn't really let up. Most of the victims are portrayed as deserving their deaths, but the weak of heart might find the violence and blood magic a bit much for their taste.
That said, I found myself intrigued by the premise and quite taken with the story. I'm looking forward to the next book!
Yeh, the MC isn't really someone you can categorize as a hero, nor is this your run of the mill progression LitRPG story. It leans pretty hard into the horror aspect and doesn't really let up. Most of the victims are portrayed as deserving their deaths, but the weak of heart might find the violence and blood magic a bit much for their taste.
That said, I found myself intrigued by the premise and quite taken with the story. I'm looking forward to the next book!
May 14, 2025
It is different from other litrpg adjacent stories I have read and that kept me interested. The story progresses fairly quickly and it is fun. Evelyn is an interesting character that I'd like to spend more time with though I do worry about the level of lore and chosen one stuff already being revealed.
October 8, 2023
Very good start
Great story... Drive, depth... Crunchy skills and classes and stats.... World creation.. Highly recommend
JD Glasscock
Author of the Series Blood Brothers, the Dream, and Embers & Ash
Great story... Drive, depth... Crunchy skills and classes and stats.... World creation.. Highly recommend
JD Glasscock
Author of the Series Blood Brothers, the Dream, and Embers & Ash
April 19, 2024
Very good
I'm a little late to the party on this. I really enjoyed this book. The MC is a breath of fresh air. The whole book is a breath of fresh air.
I'm looking forward to the next one.
Highly recommended.
I'm a little late to the party on this. I really enjoyed this book. The MC is a breath of fresh air. The whole book is a breath of fresh air.
I'm looking forward to the next one.
Highly recommended.
September 25, 2023
I really liked the start of the book but it escalates to fast.
Basically its a Comic book without the pictures.
Each chapter hast to be bigger, more brutal or the stakes higher...
Basically its a Comic book without the pictures.
Each chapter hast to be bigger, more brutal or the stakes higher...
October 5, 2023
Good Start
Bit shaky in both pacing and progression, but I liked it and I'll be reading book 2 when it comes out.
Bit shaky in both pacing and progression, but I liked it and I'll be reading book 2 when it comes out.
October 30, 2023
Cool
I like the set up. This had a great start and good transition throughout the rest. The next one I can't wait to read.
I like the set up. This had a great start and good transition throughout the rest. The next one I can't wait to read.
October 30, 2023
It was enjoyable
I'm not exactly sure of what to make of this story. It has a lot of potential, but I'm not entirely seeing it in book one.
I'm not exactly sure of what to make of this story. It has a lot of potential, but I'm not entirely seeing it in book one.
June 20, 2024
A story of a villainess. Great story but the mc life is too hectic. Continuosly face danger with her allies. Great read.
June 24, 2024
Great story
I really enjoyed this first book. Great characters and an interesting world. Definitely going to read book two. I highly recommend this book.
I really enjoyed this first book. Great characters and an interesting world. Definitely going to read book two. I highly recommend this book.
July 17, 2024
Riveting
I read the first 10% and was not sure I wanted to buy into the story. I decided to push on another 10% and I looked up from the finished book and realized it was 4:00 AM.
I read the first 10% and was not sure I wanted to buy into the story. I decided to push on another 10% and I looked up from the finished book and realized it was 4:00 AM.
August 27, 2024
Ehh…. DNF
Want to read
April 21, 2025Audible
May 3, 2025
Ok this starts of interesting but is kinda gross and you can tell its just not going to go anywhere but her running around biting people in a strange world 🤔 it's cringe DFN.
May 6, 2025
Between nonsensical world building and extremely repetitive "story", it's simply boring.
didn-t-like-it
August 23, 2025Note to self: naaah.
November 11, 2024
Not the best one but still better than most. Especially after book 1 this series gets interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews