A Day of Breath

Cox’s wobbly fantasy debut muddles a familiar coming-of-age story centered on Oly Hoskins, the reluctant young Champion chosen to defend her country against demons, with gruesome battles and tiresome royal intrigue orchestrated by evil counselor Wilcon, whose scheming sets potential heirs Fallon and Abner at each other’s throats. After carousing at a tavern, a drunken Fallon encounters Oly at her grisly work and hearts flutter improbably amid the gore. Oly has spent 10 years in isolation guarding the portal through which demons may enter the human world but returns with Fallon to the palace on the customarily demon-free Day of Breath—only to encounter a new kind of demon that has slipped through the portal. Cox toggles between perspectives as the pair work together to combat supernatural foes and enemies closer to home. Excessive amounts of demon ichor and hacked-off body parts distract from Oly’s efforts to overcome her abusive childhood and Fallon’s struggle to accept his royal responsibilities. The resulting plot feels somewhat disjointed, and the characterization remains thin throughout. This disappoints. (Feb.)