Demon Thief: Book 2 [Paperback] Darren Shan

Kernel Fleck has spent his life watching demons tear through windows between worlds. Most people can't see them. He can — and when his brother Art is snatched through one of those windows, Kernel follows. On the other side: a demon universe where reality bends, time fractures, and survival means trusting a creature called Beranabus, an ancient magician hunting the demon masters. This is Darren Shan at his most visceral — less vampire elegance, more raw horror and dimension-hopping chaos. The magic system is strange and tactile, the stakes are immediate, and Kernel's grief over his brother drives every choice. If you loved *Cirque du Freak* but wanted something darker and weirder, this delivers. Book two in the *Demonata* series, but each entry works as its own doorway in.