The Demon Star

by Jesse Aragon

Gods rule this planet. Demons stalk its canyons while Kings beg for mercy. Can three mere humans rewrite its destiny?

The otherworldly religious conflict of Dune, the cosmic strangeness of Gideon the Ninth, and the heart-pounding action of Red Rising converge in this horror-tinged epic science fantasy debut.

Ysira Naktis was a human sacrifice, marked for death. Unlike the thousands ‘harvested’ each year, though, she did the unthinkable. She survived—and what she brought back with her could change the fate of worlds.

When Ysira’s estranged son is chosen to become the vessel of a god-killing demon, she is faced with a choice: allow him to harness cosmic power at an unspeakable cost, or doom millions to save him. She finds an unlikely ally in Brother Jacen Kheris, once a gifted exorcist, now a guilt-ridden addict, desperate for purpose.

From a demon-haunted canyon to a starbound satellite, they must battle their way through cultists, aliens, and the gods themselves. The truths they unearth are deeper and more sinister than anything they could have imagined.

In this cinematic thrill ride, Jesse Aragon plunges us into a world as intricate and inventive as it is brutal.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, Horror, Queer, Science Fiction Fantasy

400 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication July 28, 2026

Reviews

[Jesse Aragon]

This is my debut novel! As ARCs start to make their way out into the world, I’m stopping by to provide some context and content warnings before I dip out of this space forever!

✨ The Demon Star is a science fantasy/space opera novel. In style and content, it’s closer to epic fantasy than science fiction.

👿 I wrote TDS for an adult audience. It's dual POV, characters aged 29 and 32. These characters are intentionally written as morally ambiguous. I do not personally agree with all their actions/opinions/beliefs. CWs below the cut.

🪱 For more information, news, artwork, and memes if you’re into that, you can visit my website, or see the pinned post on my author Instagram!

Happy reading 🙂

CWs (extremely mild spoilers):



This book contains graphic violence, gore, and strong horror elements. There are detailed on-page depictions of human experimentation, torture, cannibalism, child death, and animal death.

The story takes place in a repressive theocratic society, and deals extensively with the implications of that--namely, indoctrination, abuse, cultural erasure/forced assimilation, and depression with a heavy existential component. The narrative as a whole is meant to neither condemn nor endorse religion as a concept.

One POV character deals with severe mental illness, self harm, and alcoholism. Suicide is discussed, with one brief on-page depiction.

A major character, who is a child, struggles with internalized ableism. He is the target of ableist language throughout the novel, including on-page emotional abuse by a parent.

The use of SFF elements like telepathy and possession may prove triggering for readers sensitive to issues of bodily autonomy and consent. Sexual abuse is referenced, but not depicted on-page. One POV character's backstory involves teenage pregnancy and childbirth, as a result of a relationship with a significant power imbalance.

Both POV characters are queer, as are many supporting characters. This is considered normal in TDS's setting. None of the abuse depicted is rooted in homophobia, transphobia, or misogyny.

While the book does include a romantic subplot, this is not a primary focus. There is mild, brief on-page sexual content.

There are a LOT of insects, worms, and spiders in this book.

[Nicholas Perez]

LET'S GO!!!!

[Sara Omer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with compelling and merciless morally gray characters I rooted for, The Demon Star made me feel a sense of wonder I haven't experienced since reading Dune for the first time. For fans of desert worlds, mothers who will elevate their children to godhood to survive and thrive, and worms (Aragon's are much smaller, but just as terrifying). But with tortured, alcoholic, catholic-inspired psychic priests! Demonic possession!?? Apocalyptic reapings organized by alien overlords! Horrors beyond comprehension! This one sex scene that actually killed me (and then resuscitated me)!

My official blurb: Aragorn’s science-fantasy epic infected me with wonder and creeping dread. The Demon Star is a testament to how desperation turns the power-starved into monsters, and in a brutal world oppressed by alien gods, I would bow at Ysira and Jacen’s feet.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checking in at 40%. Stars may change (go up), not likely to go down.

Aragon is a master at setting and action. A lot is packed into the first 200 pages. Ramps up the viscera (literal viscera) and the (necessary, not gratuitous) violence. What I would really have liked more of is the initial layup. We have a very brief encounter with a villain that kind of kicks off the main plot. The motivations and interactions there go by so fast it's a bit opaque. As other revelations do come later, so might this, so I reserve a final judgment.

The two protagonists are compelling, with intriguing pasts. There's more than a little element of a class reunion going on: nearly everyone in the story has a painful and interconnected past that gradually comes to light. (I am trying to be vague to avoid spoilerizing).

I am blown away by the scope and scale of the world building, intrigued by the originality of the fantasy-science, and thrilled to see this book finally nearly out in the wild.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. This post will be updated.

Update: book finished.

Five stars for some seriously bold choices that suspend traditional heroics... I loved the ending, and its choice of narrator.There is a revolution and an epic battle that doesn't shy away from sacrifice. There are some deep questions asked here, and I appreciate the non didactic no easy answers aspect. More than a bit of Dune in some of this, which isn't a bad thing. My biggest point of critique is I would have liked a little more internality that was felt and shown, rather than told. That might be a personal taste thing; to do more would have lengthened the narrative and perhaps slowed down the action. I did find everyone believably flawed and very human. Or well, human-ish ) There is plenty of room for a sequel here, and a lot of questions raised by the ending (although it's a satisfying conclusion, in its own way.) This is not a traditional heroic journey... And that's what I love about it the most.

[Maya Darjani]

I am so ready for this book

[Dr. Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌑 Brutal world, survival at any cost
🧠 Telepaths and aliens
🕷️ Heavy horror elements (and actual spiders)
💀 No real heroes
⛪ Religion as control system
🌠 Exceptional worldbuilding
⚡ Relentlessly paced

📚 Shelf Placement:
Gritty Worlds, Growing Heart

💭 Personal Reflections

While I can't say I like the people in The Demon Star, I will say the plot and world building will propel you through quickly.

Aragon builds Zivora from the canyon floor up, and it feels lived-in and internally consistent in a way debut novels rarely manage. The world runs on two parallel power systems: a Church that ranks humans by telepathic ability, and a monarchy that does the same thing with martial skill. Everyone's goal is power of one sort or another. The question is who and what our dear characters are willing to sacrifice to get it.

The marketing comparison to Gideon the Ninth didn't land for me. What Gideon does, maybe better than almost anything in recent SFF I've read, is make you feel the tenderness underneath all that brutality found in the world building. You understand what's at stake because you've watched people become real to each other in the spaces between the violence.

The Demon Star's plot and pacing is so relentless (and sometimes exhausting) that our characters don't have the time to grow and change much. The three POV characters each have a compelling premise... Ysira, the survivor who kept the world at a distance so long she forgot how to let it back in. Jacen, the addict whose faith in the church collapses and is replaced rather than deconstructed. Seth, the moral anchor watching everyone he loves make choices he can't follow.

The world they are in is so brutally hostile and aggressive there is never much breathing room for them to grow or change. Demon Star puts character arc in the backseat to focus on plot. I will say that Aragon manages to make her characters mostly likeable despite their questionable decisions which allows you to engage in the plot to the end. That said, I didn't feel attached to them by the end as much as I would have wanted to.

🌈 Representation

The world is built around distinct ethnic groups with different histories, appearances, and relationships to power, and it reads as intentionally diverse rather than cosmetic.

POV characters are queer and bisexuality reads as unremarkable in this world. It doesn't factor into plot but it doesn't need to.

Ableism is present throughout the story, intentionally so. One character has both an asthma-like illness and a clubbed foot and is "less than" because of it. We hear his internalized ableism throughout but it never improves or shifts unfortunately (still ashamed to get help walking, etc).

🔍 Tropes & Power Lens

This is a violent, patriarchal, and misogynistic world that caters to masculinity, power and control. Female characters are masculine coded; femininity is not present and any version of mothering is only loosely alluded to and way off page.

Systems in the book exploit individuals to gain greater influence and power. There is a hint of investigating this idea and what we are willing to sacrifice for power, but the dilemma and ethics aren't given as much page time as I would have enjoyed, which is a shame because the bones of something genuinely interesting are there.

⚠️ Content Warnings

Content warnings are non-exhaustive and reflect what stood out to me as a reader.

Graphic violence and gore, body horror, child endangerment, emotional abuse, addiction and substance use, ableist language and violence, threat of sexual violence against a minor.

⭐ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to DAW Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Jada · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC received from NetGalley.

This book blew me away and soared beyond all my expectations, and I sincerely hope it becomes the next big thing. A captivating mix of cosmic horror, morally gray characters, and religious control, The Demon Star left me with a glorious sense of wonder and a tinge of existential dread. The character arcs are fascinating to watch unfold, and with each terrible decision they make, you also understand exactly why they made that decision. Was it justified? Did it make things worse? Would I have done things any differently? Aragon expertly poses these ideas in such a way that the reader can't help but ask them.

Fun Story Elements
● Exorcisms
● Controlling religious system
● Giant spiders
● Telepaths
● Aliens
● Sacrifices
● Ambiguous morality
● Queer rep
● Vast world

The choice of narrator for the last few chapters was genius. Having that character describe their new reality left me wondering if the world was any better off at the end of the book than it was at the beginning. Did they manage to make things better, or did the people that set out to change the world become just as bad as the very enemy they gave up so much to destroy? These are the morally gray characters that I was craving!

Where the novel falls a little short is in the characters' relationships. The plot moves so quickly and is so action-packed that the characters rarely have time to sit and interact with one another. There's a lot of inner conflict, which I appreciate, but I still felt a bit blindsided by the formation of the relationship between a certain pair of characters. They don't seem to fit together at all, and are trauma-bonded if anything, but maybe that was the point. They don't fit and are clinging to each other for some semblance of stability because they've been at each other's side through so much. Still, some lead-up to the development of this relationship and the reasoning behind it would have been preferred, though it would definitely be at the cost of slowing down the pacing.

Lastly, if you're sensitive to body horror, tread carefully! I'm a bit squeamish and usually steer clear of body horror, but the scenes including it were so well-written and I was so invested in the plot that I was able to power through it.

[Sheila Jenné · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book works on so many levels.

Superficially, it's fast-paced, high octane, full of oppression and violent confrontation--the kind of book you would probably enjoy if you liked The Expanse.

But it also goes a bit deeper, with themes of religion, ethical dilemmas, and revenge. The characters are well developed, even side characters I didn't think would be very important. I related most to Jacen, the alcoholic priest who lost his faith a long time ago but hasn't lost his desire to believe. The other main character is Ysira, the mother who gave up her son and is now willing to use him as a tool. The book simultaneously puts you in their heads so that you empathize with them, and also shows exactly how they end up sometimes doing terrible things. There are no easy answers given, no heroes you can unreservedly support.

And on a political level, it handles colonialism in a way that, true to the comps, reminds me of Dune....except that here, the viewpoint is exclusively that of the colonized. It's their battle that matters, not the perspective of the people oppressing them. So while it has many things in common with Dune--a desert planet, unique spirituality, selectively bred heirs to an empire--I wouldn't quite equate them, politically. It's completely free of the chosen one, special white boy narrative that I found so annoying in Dune. Here there are no heroes, just ordinary people struggling to free themselves by whatever means they can lay their hands on.

Read it for an engrossing read that, despite its length, you'll probably plow through fast. But after you set it aside, you may be thinking of some of those themes for a long time.

Trigger warnings: honestly it's hard to think of triggers that *aren't* in this book. There is a particularly large amount of body horror, more than I would usually read at all. I read it anyway because I trusted this author to give these moments the weight they deserve rather than throwing them around gratuitously, which I felt she succeeded at. But if you're a sensitive reader, handle it with caution.

[Sarah Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a world where you get to stay yourself for long. The Demon Star runs on control and the slow erosion of identity. That pressure shows up everywhere, in a world shaped by fear, sacrifice, and power, where every choice carries weight. The story weaves in elements of possession and external influence in a way that ties directly into questions of autonomy and control, constantly pushing on who gets to decide what you are and what it costs to take that power back. Nothing here is simple, and no one is purely good, which makes the entire story feel tense and unpredictable.

There’s also a deeper layer running through all of this around faith, power, and truth. Systems built on sacrifice and belief are constantly being questioned, and the line between gods and something far more dangerous starts to blur. That uncertainty adds a quiet tension underneath everything, as characters begin to confront what they’ve been taught versus what they’re starting to see for themselves.

The characters are messy, complicated, and fully committed to their own motivations, even when those motivations clash. The relationships carry just as much weight as the larger conflict, adding layers of loyalty, betrayal, and survival that keep everything grounded. Underneath it all is a story about autonomy and resistance, about identity, oppression, and the cost of pushing back against something bigger than you. And the scope here is huge. The way this is set up leaves endless directions for where the story can go next (consider me invested), which is a seriously impressive feat for a debut author.

Thank you to NetGalley, DAW, and Jesse Aragon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[C. Kuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first sentence, The Demon Star gripped me and would not let me go. Right away, readers are thrust into the vivid, dark, and terrifying world of Zivora, where aliens rule as gods and demand frequent human sacrifices to be placated.

The Demon Star has one of the richest casts of characters I’ve read in recent memory. Standouts for me are Jacen, a disgraced priest, and Ysira, a sacrifice survivor who would do anything to not feel powerless again. These two are so raw and complex that they jump off the page. They are flawed, messy, and yet the future of the world has fallen on their less-than-capable shoulders. The way they handle this is questionable at the best of times, and that was SO REFRESHING to read. I am a massive fan of characters who mimic reality. I don’t want a perfect hero, and none of these people are perfect heroes. They are equal parts relatable and frustrating, stubborn and capable of change. They fight with the tools they’re given, and those tools are often ill-suited to the job (and at one point also a literal human pancreas.) I both wanted them to succeed and also feared what it would mean if they did. That tension made it easy to turn the page.

There are no half-explored themes here. The Demon Star explores colonialism, religion, morality, and the lengths to which we’re willing to go to escape deeply entrenched systemic oppression.

This is an easy recommendation from me, but do be aware there are some CWs to be aware of, namely body horror, violence, and alcoholism.

I sincerely hope we get more from this world in the future!

[Conor Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I'm afraid he's just brilliant enough to convince himself of any insane thing he wants to believe."

This is just one of dozens of lines that I texted to friends and wrote down in one journal or another. The Demon Star manages to be intricate and approachable, philosophical and entertaining, romantic and brutal. It's a carefully balanced intersection of everything I look for in a story and a wonderful harbinger not only of what Aragon can bring to the genre, but what the genre is capable of.

A perfectly balanced adventure for fans of Gideon the Ninth, The Fifth Season and Dune (but so much better. sue me).

Every time I thought "Oh, okay. This is a slower part so we can catch our breath," the book said "NOPE." Propulsive without skimming the surface, The Demon Star is what I've been craving in Sci-fi and Fantasy. Obviously I loved it, but I truly think this is a book that will be held up next to 'Hyperion,' Asimov and Jemisin. The book treads a new, fascinating path; pulling on everything we've learned from speculative fiction to support the difficult journey.

I fell in love with the characters--in particular the conflicted priest Jacen--, felt immersed in the world and at times, saw the 'villains'' POV?! If you're looking for something that will surprise you, that will have you (fun) arguing with your friends, that will have you craving a sequel: you can't do better.

Get it now, and DM later. I can't wait to talk about it more.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are still nursing a hangover for Suneater (Empire of Silence) and Dune, I have an epic philosophical sci fi debut for you.

When a woman slated for human sacrifice survives, when her estranged son is chosen to become the vessel of a god-killing demon; she must help him harness cosmic power at an unspeakable cost, or doom millions to save him. Oh, and completely rip away the foundation of their world’s faith.

Not only do we have a disillusioned human anomaly survivor, but we have an alcoholic, catholic-inspired psychic priest dealing with demonic possession, homosexual feelings, and a new novice.

There is more darkness than light in his world, this book. It grapples with what faith is, how we show it, and what we make of it to others.

It is also sci fi, so expect revelations and twists that changes world… and world views.
It has world-building with such potential to expand which is exciting.

An impressive debut even if I preferred the first half over what felt like a more rushed latter end. I would have wanted some breathing space for our characters to reflect and develop and connect.

Arc gifted by DAW.

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[Sierra Branham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, I love a thick book that promises to feed my intellect, bruise my heart and take me for an edge-of-my-seat ride that leaves me hungrily diving back in line in the hopes of a round two. The Demon Star delivered on all of that. It’s both meaty in substance and fast-paced in delivery with a cast of characters that feel so real they all now live like squatters in my head—I fear I will never be rid of them, in the best way. Is it problematic that I related as well as I did to Jacen? Probably but alas.

The Demon Star asks the question ‘what is a god?’ and then absolutely delivers in exploring the many different textured answers to that question. It’s a book that grapples with the tyranny that organized religion can become while intimately exploring what faith means to individual people. It’s also about power and awesome eclipses and cool fight scenes and is just really fun—brain worms anyone??

More than once while reading a line managed to gut me with its relatability and incisive commentary. And I arrived at the final page feeling a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts—the most prominent being MORE PLEASE.

[M. Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough both to read a very early version of this book AND to officially blurb it!

Official blurb:

Both epic and intimate, The Demon Star is a piercing examination of faith and tyranny that grips readers by the throat and drags them on a devastating journey to the stars and back. Readers who crave richly painted world building and morally complex characters will be obsessed with this sweeping science fantasy that burrows under the skin and lingers.

BUT ALSO read this one for:

A setting as lush as it is vicious
Psychedelic cacti
Southwestern-inspired world building
Medically accurate trauma
The saddest wet cat man
My favorite murder wife
BUGS

[Rachel Hultquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I say no one is ready for this book and I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL PEOPLE READ IT AND I CAN TALK ABOUT IT АННН. This is so dark and the characters are so morally gray and human and irritating and fascinating and the worldbuilding is so intense and the bugs on this planet are so creepy (it had to be said). Seriously if you have religious trauma, like horror, wish more sci-fi was more queer, and want snarky characters, you'll love this book.

GIVE ME A SEQUEL I NEED IT

🕷️received copy from author🕷️

[Arumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK. I can't wait until it's out and I can gush about it with everyone! Seriously -- you're all going to love it, it's epic and heartfelt and the worldbuilding is truly incredible. Jess is a master of rich thematic storytelling, and I sincerely hope this gets a sequel! PLEASE, I NEED MORE.

[McKinzie Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Please preorder this so I can talk about it when it comes out! Full review to come.