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callmeames's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
i loved this book. it gripped me from the very beginning and i absolutely adored the chapters that flashbacked to different times of Dami’s life. I loved Dami in the wicked bargain and had so wished that book had done more with them, so this was great. i honestly liked this one more than the first book.
that said, i didn’t actually care that much about silas and dami’s relationship lol. i know it’s a big part of the book, but whenever they were together i couldn’t help myself from wondering what marisol was doing instead haha.
the ending kind of wraps up a little too perfectly, if you know what i mean, but i still adore this book.
that said, i didn’t actually care that much about silas and dami’s relationship lol. i know it’s a big part of the book, but whenever they were together i couldn’t help myself from wondering what marisol was doing instead haha.
the ending kind of wraps up a little too perfectly, if you know what i mean, but i still adore this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness and Abandonment
Minor: Gun violence, Infertility, and Miscarriage
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Thank you to PRH Audio for the audiobook of this - I desperately need Vico Ortiz to narrate more audiobooks. They were an incredible narrator, and I had so much fun listening to them! They embodied both POVs so well, & I finished this in a few days :D
I absolutely adored this new adult fantasy about Dami and Silas, my babies!!!! Dami is a demon who is trying to un-do every deal they have made so they can tether themselves to Earth and become a human again. They're given a deadline (a year) to un-do over 100 deals, and in six months, they've cancelled all of them except one. They find Silas, who they made a deal with to make sure Silas never dies, but the only problem is, if Dami undoes this deal, Silas will surely die. So, Silas and Dami go on a quest to break the curse that has haunted Silas's family for generations.
The island was my favorite setting, and I had so much fun reading about Silas, Dami, and Marisol as they ventured to find treasure and figuring out how to break this curse. I of course loved the found family, and even though some of the lines may read as cheesy, I think kids need a little cheese, especially kids in compromising circumstances and who always have to earn affection, rewards, joy.
Silas and Dami had such fun chemistry - their banter was sassy, goofy, self-deprecating, and flowed so well. They were both visibly frustrated with the other, but the progression to become attracted to and pulled towards each other was so swoon-worthy.
I loved the parts where Dami ruminated on the afterlife, and how desperately they wanted to be human so that they could be seen and find community - becoming a demon who can only be seen by humans after making enough deals is so isolating, and it is such an interesting commentary on survival and humanity. Dami only found glimpses of joy and connection after making deals that always left humans in a bind, which was challenging for Dami to contend with. They have always felt "bad" and "unwanted," since their mom sold their soul to become a demon as a child, and then, had to live with the connotations of being a demon for their entire life! Dami could never just be, which is what I appreciated about the ending <3
I buddy read this with my friend @readingwithtemperance & I hope they enjoy my annotations & thoughts hehe.
Thank you to PRH Audio for the audiobook of this - I desperately need Vico Ortiz to narrate more audiobooks. They were an incredible narrator, and I had so much fun listening to them! They embodied both POVs so well, & I finished this in a few days :D
I absolutely adored this new adult fantasy about Dami and Silas, my babies!!!! Dami is a demon who is trying to un-do every deal they have made so they can tether themselves to Earth and become a human again. They're given a deadline (a year) to un-do over 100 deals, and in six months, they've cancelled all of them except one. They find Silas, who they made a deal with to make sure Silas never dies, but the only problem is, if Dami undoes this deal, Silas will surely die. So, Silas and Dami go on a quest to break the curse that has haunted Silas's family for generations.
The island was my favorite setting, and I had so much fun reading about Silas, Dami, and Marisol as they ventured to find treasure and figuring out how to break this curse. I of course loved the found family, and even though some of the lines may read as cheesy, I think kids need a little cheese, especially kids in compromising circumstances and who always have to earn affection, rewards, joy.
Silas and Dami had such fun chemistry - their banter was sassy, goofy, self-deprecating, and flowed so well. They were both visibly frustrated with the other, but the progression to become attracted to and pulled towards each other was so swoon-worthy.
I loved the parts where Dami ruminated on the afterlife, and how desperately they wanted to be human so that they could be seen and find community - becoming a demon who can only be seen by humans after making enough deals is so isolating, and it is such an interesting commentary on survival and humanity. Dami only found glimpses of joy and connection after making deals that always left humans in a bind, which was challenging for Dami to contend with. They have always felt "bad" and "unwanted," since their mom sold their soul to become a demon as a child, and then, had to live with the connotations of being a demon for their entire life! Dami could never just be, which is what I appreciated about the ending <3
I buddy read this with my friend @readingwithtemperance & I hope they enjoy my annotations & thoughts hehe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria
Minor: Sexual content
marmaladereads's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
Excellent, fast-paced, edge of your seat, death-defying adventure! This is easily one of those books that you read it in one sitting.
This is a loose sequel to A Wicked Bargain, though I think it could easily be read as a standalone by someone new to the story. It follows Dami, a genderfluid demonio, who has just been freed from their master/father-figure, El Diablo, by the events of the previous book, and is enjoying being human - being able to touch, taste, smell, feel, and walk in the daylight. Unfortunately, in order to make their humanity permanent, they must first go back and cancel all their demonio deals. And they only have a limited amount of time to do it, otherwise they'll turn right back into a demonio.
Silas is a boy suffering under a generational curse of fatal bad luck. Everyone in his family dies young. His deal with Dami is the only thing keeping him alive - sort of. In fact, thanks to his curse and Dami's deal, he has died and been revived over 50 times. So when Dami comes to cancel the deal, he is the only one to refuse the offer - unless Dami also helps him undo his family's curse. Now the two of them must work together to undo the curse, which can only be done by seeking a magical treasure on a deadly and magical island.
Silas and Dami are both such wonderful and loveable characters, it's impossible not to root for them both. They've both been through a lot and don't hold back their snark. Their dynamic is incredibly fun. There is a great enemies-to-reluctant-allies vibe between them before the feelings really develop. We also get to meet Marisol, a clever and resourceful trans girl who helps Silas and Dami solve the island's mysteries.
The island itself is thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. It gave me strong Hunger Games vibes, with the island that is constantly trying to kill our heroes, and then magically resetting itself as if the grand fires or floods or creatures never happened. We also get to learn a bit more of Dami's process of becoming a demonio and a bit more of the lore of this universe.
I already loved A Wicked Bargain immensely, and I think this book outshone it. The characters felt more developed, the adventures more thrilling, and the romance is a much more central part of the plot. Just a delight from start to finish. Make sure to start it on a Saturday morning with no other plans so you can finish it in one sitting.
This is a loose sequel to A Wicked Bargain, though I think it could easily be read as a standalone by someone new to the story. It follows Dami, a genderfluid demonio, who has just been freed from their master/father-figure, El Diablo, by the events of the previous book, and is enjoying being human - being able to touch, taste, smell, feel, and walk in the daylight. Unfortunately, in order to make their humanity permanent, they must first go back and cancel all their demonio deals. And they only have a limited amount of time to do it, otherwise they'll turn right back into a demonio.
Silas is a boy suffering under a generational curse of fatal bad luck. Everyone in his family dies young. His deal with Dami is the only thing keeping him alive - sort of. In fact, thanks to his curse and Dami's deal, he has died and been revived over 50 times. So when Dami comes to cancel the deal, he is the only one to refuse the offer - unless Dami also helps him undo his family's curse. Now the two of them must work together to undo the curse, which can only be done by seeking a magical treasure on a deadly and magical island.
Silas and Dami are both such wonderful and loveable characters, it's impossible not to root for them both. They've both been through a lot and don't hold back their snark. Their dynamic is incredibly fun. There is a great enemies-to-reluctant-allies vibe between them before the feelings really develop. We also get to meet Marisol, a clever and resourceful trans girl who helps Silas and Dami solve the island's mysteries.
The island itself is thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. It gave me strong Hunger Games vibes, with the island that is constantly trying to kill our heroes, and then magically resetting itself as if the grand fires or floods or creatures never happened. We also get to learn a bit more of Dami's process of becoming a demonio and a bit more of the lore of this universe.
I already loved A Wicked Bargain immensely, and I think this book outshone it. The characters felt more developed, the adventures more thrilling, and the romance is a much more central part of the plot. Just a delight from start to finish. Make sure to start it on a Saturday morning with no other plans so you can finish it in one sitting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Infertility
ezwolf's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Dami is a demon who has been able to experience humanity for the first time and now has a limited amount of time before they turn fully back into a demon. In order to remain human, permanently, they have to undo all of the deals they made. Silas' family is cursed to die for stealing pirate treasure and the deal he made with Dami means he can't die, or at least, stay dead. The deal with Silas is the last one Dami has to end in order to be human forever. But Dami and Silas have to make one more deal first.
The Wicked Bargain was one of my favorite books I read last year so I was very excited to read this. This is also the second book by Gabe Cole Novoa that I absolutely loved this year, Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix being the first. I am a huge fan of angst with a happy ending and this is definitely that.
Dami and Silas' progression from reluctant allies to friends to love interests was also fun to read about. I was a little thrown off by the introduction of Marisol so far in to the book, but it worked well and Marisol was a great addition. Her and Dami's friendship was sweet and I liked that they were able to be so relatable for each other.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
The Wicked Bargain was one of my favorite books I read last year so I was very excited to read this. This is also the second book by Gabe Cole Novoa that I absolutely loved this year, Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix being the first. I am a huge fan of angst with a happy ending and this is definitely that.
Dami and Silas' progression from reluctant allies to friends to love interests was also fun to read about. I was a little thrown off by the introduction of Marisol so far in to the book, but it worked well and Marisol was a great addition. Her and Dami's friendship was sweet and I liked that they were able to be so relatable for each other.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria
Minor: Infertility, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Pregnancy
lycangrrl's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Gun violence, Infertility, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria
betweentheshelves'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? It's complicated
4.5
After getting a taste of what human life has to offer, Dami is on a quest to cancel every deal they’ve ever made as a demon. Once they do so, they’ll be able to taste, feel, smell, and everything else that comes with truly living. However, there’s only one person sitting in their way: Silas Cain.
Cursed to die young, Silas made a deal with Dami that he wouldn’t truly die until he was ready. Unfortunately, that means that Silas has been dying over and over again. In order to break the curse, Dami and Silas must find Captain Kidd’s treasure and return it to his grave. But will they be able to survive the journey to get the treasure in the first place?
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of The Diablo’s Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa to review! Novoa burst onto the YA fantasy scene last year with The Wicked Bargain, and he has been on my radar ever since.
This book is technically a companion to The Wicked Bargain; I wouldn’t necessarily call it a sequel because it technically centers different characters. For the most part, I do think this book stands on its own, but you will get spoilers for The Wicked Bargain if you read this one first. And you’ll miss a lot of Dami’s background with El Diablo.
Anyway! I loved this one just as much as I loved Novoa’s first book. What Novoa is great at is writing these characters you truly care about, working against what seem like impossible odds. These adventure stories center queer characters, of all kinds. Dami and Silas were excellent, and we get a third treasure hunter in Marisol. I would definitely read more of their adventures together!
My only complaint is that sometimes, the points of view change without warning, which is a bit disorienting. I wanted that to be a little more clearly outlined. Despite that, Novoa builds well on the world built in the first book, introducing some new magic and new characters.
All in all, if you’re looking for a treasure hunting adventure fantasy centering queer characters, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up in February!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Infertility
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