Billy Blacksmith: The Demonslayer

The Blacksmith Legacy #1

by Ben Ireland

Billy has spent his whole life keeping his head down in school and trying to survive the endless parade of foster homes. When a three hundred pound spider emerges from under his bed intent on drinking his blood, Billy discovers he is the main player in an ancient war between demons and humans. With his best friends Ash-lea and Greyson, and a reformed demon as his ally, Billy prepares to face an invasion of demonic spiders and the General that leads them.

Genres: Fantasy

239 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Author of books, destroyer of worlds. Writing isn't so much a job as a compulsion.
Billy Blacksmith: The Demonslayer won the Gold Quill for YA Novel of the Year 2017, presented by the League of Utah Writers.

Reviews

[Viking Jam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.7/5
Review: A short read that encompasses all the things YA. Teen angst, demons and giant portal hopping spiders rounds out the story line. I will say that in our current era of "So it is above, as it is below" brand of secularism, it is not surprising to find writers embracing the"Demons are good" rhetoric. This progressive societal branding only diminishes those who embrace it while programming young minds to accept the negative as palatable and normative.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is a reasonable YA fantasy.

Plenty of action and good characters make it an enjoyable read.

My only question mark would be about the so called adults in the story.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Billy Blacksmith. Orphaned as a baby along with his older brother, Chris - shuffled through the foster system until he lands in the home of Steve and Belinda, the worst foster parents of all time. Overweight and socially awkward, Billy would be in all ways unremarkable except for his one amazing talent. He's a baseball phenom. And he has two amazingly loyal friends, Greyson and Ash-lea, so life's not all bad. That is until the night a gigantic spider crawls out from under his bed and declares its intention to kill him and drink his blood. Good thing he sleeps with his baseball bat close by! As the story unfolds, we discover that Billy Blacksmith, the awkward teenager, is in fact the only thing standing between the demon hordes of the underworld and all human life. No pressure there, right? But with his brave friends and his reformed demon ally Seth, he soon learns that there's more to him - and them - than he could have ever imagined! Things get bad, and then they get worse! And he just got grounded! S0, what's a kid to do when he's the only hope for humanity? An exciting, surprising and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny story. A truly enjoyable read. Highly recommended!

[Joseph Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read. Fun fantasy with likeable, easy to relate to characters. Respect for modern story writing throughout - plausible antagonists with genuine motive, a gripping finale that does much to heighten tension and tie off story ends. Very spooky, with loads of spider squishing action and gore.
A fun afternoon read.

[Victoria Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy Blacksmith is a homerun. If you like young adult epic fantasy, awesome battles, giant demon spiders, and want to cheer for the ultimate underdog as he battles demons within and without to become a more than average hero, then you will love The Demon slayer :D

[B.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Good characters, good premise, good ending. I think any kid would like reading this and plenty of adults would, too. The names got a little confusing at one point - one character has the same last name as another character's first name - but other than having to re-read a few passages, it didn't harm the story.

[Nathan Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different from Others

I have just recently got into fantasy novels. Not realizing that they are my thing. I have to say out of the ones I have read this is my favorite. Instead of dragons, elves, and like. Which are cool. But this is a demon and spiders. With real people that are around them. It actually has a Stranger Things feel to it. Can't wait to finish the rest.

[Alastair McRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I've already started book 2 and I'm sure I'll follow the series as long as it goes. The author writes a good action scene. I don't write, but I think that must be hard because a lot of the books I read have poorly written action scenes.

[Kenneth Ing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Choice

A fast moving pace with great chatacters to root for and remembrance back to those days when we had friends that were so mich more than just that. People you could count on. One of those books I'm glad I didn't miss.

[gordon musgrave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad book

Not a good book very unrealistic in so many ways.The main character was unbelievable and his friends too,I would not recommend this book!

[Trish the Dish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world needs a fun new series to get excited about and this could be it. The threat Billy faces is so huge that I sometimes wonder how he stands a chance. Though his life has not been easy, Billy has a really fun sense of humor to get him through it and best friends that offer him something to fight for. I don't often have time to read for pleasure, but I found the book called to me when I had to put it down because I was daydreaming about what was going to happen next. That says a lot about me because my brain is full and has no time for daydreaming! The marvelous universe the author has created leaves endless opportunities and I can't wait to see what comes out of it next. I just hope Billy is ready for it when it does!

[Kathy Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy relies on his friends to help him through as he discovers who he really is. It isn't a great baseball player.
Ben Ireland has the ability to write great fight scenes. They don't bog down in the action but keep moving in an interesting and understandable way. The dynamics between the various characters make them whole.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had an incredible time reading this. Don't let the giant spider and dark cover fool you into thinking this book is scary or only for boys. Billy is fresh and funny and for everyone.

Billy is an overweight foster kid who finds an incredible talent in baseball. Lucky he can put that bat to use smashing gigantic demonic spiders who thirst to drink Billy's sweet, sweet demonic blood.

This book surprised me - COMPLETELY! It starts strong with the intro to a bat demon, Seth, who is trying to help Billy wake his demonblood, and then dives into a deep mythology of three different realms: Demonic, Angelic, and the Earthly Realm. I was not expecting such depth in storytelling. Ireland weaves in a very well-designed, well-crafted world that mingles with our reality.

At its core is a story of friendship and loyalty, not the enormous creatures seeking to kill Billy, well, along with that. His friends Ash-Lea and Greyson believe in Billy and will stand by him whatever comes. They make a strong team. My heart pulls for the foster kid, without parents or a real home. It's perfect for the teens searching for an unlikely hero, but smart and witty enough for the kid in all of us.

I seriously LOVED this book. I know there is so much more about this world and I'm feverish to get my hands on it. I'm on the Billy bandwagon, and I can't wait for the next one!

UPDATE: Audio release is enormous fun and well-characterized. Listening was a totally new experience. Had a fabulous time.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for Jr. High and young H.S. age.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Blacksmith is not your average everyday YA fantasy novel. It's smart, it's witty, and it's fun. If I can make it through an entire YA novel without rolling my eyes, we have a winner. I really enjoyed the dry humor, and the banter between characters. There's a clever plot too... teen boy discovering he has powers has been done before, but not quite like this. Billy Blacksmith is unique. This would be a fantastic series for teen boys who are struggling to love reading... could be a good springboard. I say series boldly assuming there will be more to come. I hope so... I want to know what happens next!