Reviews

The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa

vantxian's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mossybean's review against another edition

3.5

I liked this sequel less than the first book. The plot jumped around a bit too much, and sometimes got stuck in these little eddies of story that took too long

like when they were solving puzzles underneath the island for SO MANY CHAPTERS

. I liked getting Dami’s story though, and I still liked them as a character. I think one issue was that the characters were always facing these life or death situations, so at some point you don’t believe they’re actually in danger, because they always miraculously pull through. Once that suspense is gone, reading those sequences is far less interesting. Additionally, it’s not always interesting to read people think out loud about logic puzzles or strategy. Or maybe just these people. Anyhow, I got bored at parts. I still liked the queerness, the found family, and the magic. 

alt_air's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

cecilia895's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

sashahc's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Now, cuz young teens deserve Pride, too, I have an early YA for you.  "The Diablo's Curse" by Gabe Cole Novoa is about Dami, a gender fluid teenage demonio trying to finish out his contracts so he can become human again.  But this inconvenient and stubborn cute boy with a curse keeps dying....  There are adventures to mysterious isles!  Shipwrecks!  Pirate's treasure!  A wise cracking trans woman who takes no shit.  And a healthy dose of queer teenage longing.  I can't tell you how pleased I am that these books exist for my kiddo.

Gabe Cole Novoa: “I really love writing queer historicals, specifically because it gives a sense of legacy. I think oftentimes it’s easy to forget that queer and trans people have always been here.  And so being able to write these stories and put these characters in, you know, a hundred, 200 years ago helps to add to that narrative to say that even though traditionally, in media, we haven’t seen queer characters in historicals as often. They were there. They existed, and we have always been here."

Gabe Cole Novoa (he/him) is a Latinx transmasculine author who writes speculative fiction featuring marginalized characters grappling with identity. Now leveled up with an MFA in Writing for Children, when he isn’t being nerdy at his day job, or buried under his TBR pile, you’ll likely find him making heart-eyes at the latest snazzy outfit he wants to add to his wardrobe.

miriam_in_life's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

teeticker's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.5

haylee_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was slightly disappointed in The Diablo’s Curse. I loved Dami and Silas as characters. Novoa really shines with their character work, even the side characters are well fleshed out. I loved the idea of a Queer inspired Indiana Jones, but the plot actually fell flat to me. There wasn’t a sense of urgency and everything worked out a little too well. The plot twists also became a little predicable. 

evitaveda's review

4.5

“What you had to do to survive doesn’t disqualify you from deserving a chance to live.” 

After reading The Wicked Bargain last year, I was very excited for this spin-off. Although The Diablo’s Curse is set in the same world, you don’t need to read the first book in order to enjoy this one (but I do think I enjoyed it all the more because I already knew Dami from The Wicked Bargain). 

Dami was obviously an intriguing main character. Their life had changed quite a bit and the adventure they had to go on in this story was really fun. I liked the jump between the POVs of Dami, Silas and Marisol as they all tried to break the curse. 

This book was a fast-paced and fun adventure. I always feel fully immersed in Novoa’s storytelling and there’s something magical about the settings for his stories. His stories also always includes diverse identities and characters exploring who they really are. I love this! 

I cannot wait to read Most Ardently this month. Gabe Cole Novoa has become an autobuy author for me! 

meganelise's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75