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readingwithtemperance's review against another edition
adventurous
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
What a fun sequel! Breaking a curse, a dangerous island (hello Lost is calling lmao), and a treasure hunt!
I loved getting more backstory on Dami.Their mother never being able to carry a baby to full term only for El Diablo to snatch Dami away once she could; especially when she WANTED them was so horrible and cruel. I can't imagine growing up the way they did. How terrifying and lonely it must have been.
Silas was such a wonderful character! I really loved him and his banter with Dami. His love/desire to protect his little sister was also so sweet.I HATED how much/how brutally he dies THE TRAUMA. I hope this poor boy dies PEACEFULLY in his sleep at like 110 years old after the absolute best life ever JEEZ.
Marisol was also so incredibly sweet and I love the friendship that blossomed between the three of them.The whole "Dami is loved"! scene had me choking up. And I hope only the best comes from her reunion with her brother! Also ngl I kind of want a book about her journey, just saying.
Now onto the bane of my existence EVE.I knew she was evil but ugh this curse lady was HORRIBLE. I figured she was a witch or a demon or something, but a CURSE!? Wild concept, I didnt expect it. Nice one Gabe!
The ending was so sweet!It made me so happy that Dami got the best of both worlds and got yo keep their transforming abilities (and a great new job!). Juno really is a real one.
Unpopular opinion, but I think I liked this one even better than The Wicked Bargain! It was just so much fun, especially with the never ending clues/trials.
Gabe Cole Novoa is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. This is my 3rd book I've read from them and I've yet to be disappointed!
I buddy read this with my bestie @bookish.millennial and yes Brittany I loved your annotations! This was definitely such a good book for a buddy read.
I loved getting more backstory on Dami.
Silas was such a wonderful character! I really loved him and his banter with Dami. His love/desire to protect his little sister was also so sweet.
Marisol was also so incredibly sweet and I love the friendship that blossomed between the three of them.
Now onto the bane of my existence EVE.
The ending was so sweet!
Unpopular opinion, but I think I liked this one even better than The Wicked Bargain! It was just so much fun, especially with the never ending clues/trials.
Gabe Cole Novoa is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. This is my 3rd book I've read from them and I've yet to be disappointed!
I buddy read this with my bestie @bookish.millennial and yes Brittany I loved your annotations! This was definitely such a good book for a buddy read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria
Minor: Sexual content
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 donโt 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
novella42's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Grief
jkneebone's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Okay so, first things first - I did not realize this was a sequel/companion book, whoops! I went into it with no background on the world, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything until the end, and I was totally able to follow along the whole time. So, something to be aware of lol!
The Diablo's Curse follows Dami, a nonbinary former demonio (a demon who makes bargains with humans and then reaps their souls when they die). Dami was wagered to el Diablo before their birth by their mother, and were raised by el Diablo, but prior to the events of the book (in book 1, even lol) they freed themself from working for el Diablo by killing him, making them human...or so they thought. As it turns out, they won't actually become human unless they cancel all of the previous deals they had made as a demonio. They are eager to do so, and they easily cancel all of their deals except for one.
Silas Cain's family is cursed to die young. A few years ago, dying of influenza, he made a deal with Dami to save his life. Now, he dies and comes back to life almost weekly, but his deal is the only thing keeping the curse from going after his little sister next. When Dami asks him to break the deal, Silas refuses, unless Dami can help him break the curse on his family first.
To break the curse, Dami and Silas must find a centuries-old hidden pirate treasure and return it to the pirate's grave - and they have a limited time to do it before Dami reverts to being a demonio. Their quest takes them to a hidden, magical island off the cost of Connecticut where nothing is as it seems - a sinister village leader, mysterious weather patterns, and plants and animals native to the tropics. With the help of a girl named Marisol, who was shipwrecked on the island several months prior, they have to figure out how to find the treasure before someone dies for good.
This was a fun fantasy read! As I said, I didn't know it was a sequel and picked it up because the title and the summary were intriguing, and I was not disappointed. I thought the descriptions of the island were really strong, and that whole part was delightfully creepy. I liked Dami as a narrator - love a snarky POV - and I enjoyed their interactions and relationships with both Silas and Marisol. While some plot points seemed a little silly (Dami is able to change their appearance/outfit at will, which leads to a lot of materials being created by them manifesting new clothes), overall it hit a good balance of adventure, fantasy, and creepiness (especially with Eve's character). The burgeoning romance between Dami and Silas was predictable but sweet.
As is often the case with this type of book, I felt the conclusion was a little weak. This isn't fair to the author since it's a common type of riddle, but because of how the trials at the end started, it reminded me of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which in this case isn't a good thing.I liked that Dami sacrificed their chance at humanity to save Silas, and I'm glad they didn't have to Reap souls anymore at the end, but I didn't 100% buy that they would actually be happier staying a demonio than living as a human - sure, it allows them to change their appearance, but what are they going to do when Silas ages and eventually dies?
This is a solid historical fantasy/adventure story for readers who enjoy those genres! Minor language and a very brief, non-explicit sex scene, so I would give this to 13 and up.
The Diablo's Curse follows Dami, a nonbinary former demonio (a demon who makes bargains with humans and then reaps their souls when they die). Dami was wagered to el Diablo before their birth by their mother, and were raised by el Diablo, but prior to the events of the book (in book 1, even lol) they freed themself from working for el Diablo by killing him, making them human...or so they thought. As it turns out, they won't actually become human unless they cancel all of the previous deals they had made as a demonio. They are eager to do so, and they easily cancel all of their deals except for one.
Silas Cain's family is cursed to die young. A few years ago, dying of influenza, he made a deal with Dami to save his life. Now, he dies and comes back to life almost weekly, but his deal is the only thing keeping the curse from going after his little sister next. When Dami asks him to break the deal, Silas refuses, unless Dami can help him break the curse on his family first.
To break the curse, Dami and Silas must find a centuries-old hidden pirate treasure and return it to the pirate's grave - and they have a limited time to do it before Dami reverts to being a demonio. Their quest takes them to a hidden, magical island off the cost of Connecticut where nothing is as it seems - a sinister village leader, mysterious weather patterns, and plants and animals native to the tropics. With the help of a girl named Marisol, who was shipwrecked on the island several months prior, they have to figure out how to find the treasure before someone dies for good.
This was a fun fantasy read! As I said, I didn't know it was a sequel and picked it up because the title and the summary were intriguing, and I was not disappointed. I thought the descriptions of the island were really strong, and that whole part was delightfully creepy. I liked Dami as a narrator - love a snarky POV - and I enjoyed their interactions and relationships with both Silas and Marisol. While some plot points seemed a little silly (Dami is able to change their appearance/outfit at will, which leads to a lot of materials being created by them manifesting new clothes), overall it hit a good balance of adventure, fantasy, and creepiness (especially with Eve's character). The burgeoning romance between Dami and Silas was predictable but sweet.
As is often the case with this type of book, I felt the conclusion was a little weak. This isn't fair to the author since it's a common type of riddle, but because of how the trials at the end started, it reminded me of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which in this case isn't a good thing.
This is a solid historical fantasy/adventure story for readers who enjoy those genres! Minor language and a very brief, non-explicit sex scene, so I would give this to 13 and up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Sexual content
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
obscurepages's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.75
Gabe Cole Novoa, you've done it again!!!
This was so, so beautiful from start to finish. And don't come for me please, but I might like this better than The Wicked Bargain? And I already loved and adored that book, so that's a clear sign of how amazing The Diablo's Curse is for me I guess ๐ Or maybe this is just me (a genderqueer person) relating to Dami (a genderfluid character) a lot... Either way, I loved this okay? ๐ฅน๐
Full review soon, and will be posted as part of the book tour hosted by Turn the Pages Tours.
CW: miscarriage, childbirth, violence, blood, death, injuries, gore
Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>
Marking this book as part of my reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/fcf9e7dc-39a5-49e2-9f7d-a243f5073985">#ReadQueerly2024</a>.
This was so, so beautiful from start to finish. And don't come for me please, but I might like this better than The Wicked Bargain? And I already loved and adored that book, so that's a clear sign of how amazing The Diablo's Curse is for me I guess ๐ Or maybe this is just me (a genderqueer person) relating to Dami (a genderfluid character) a lot... Either way, I loved this okay? ๐ฅน๐
Full review soon, and will be posted as part of the book tour hosted by Turn the Pages Tours.
CW: miscarriage, childbirth, violence, blood, death, injuries, gore
Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>
Marking this book as part of my reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/fcf9e7dc-39a5-49e2-9f7d-a243f5073985">#ReadQueerly2024</a>.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Gore, Miscarriage, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
THE DIABLO'S CURSE is set chronologically after THE WICKED BARGAIN, and contains a few brief references to it early on, but it can function as a stand-alone book. While some of Dami's situation was explained in the previous book, the only thing someone would need to know from that is that El Diablo was killed there, and this is about Dami dealing with the results. This means that someone could pick up this book and have a good time without having read THE WICKED BARGAIN, but I do recommend starting with the first book, for both enjoyment and continuity. Dami is an excellent character, and I enjoyed getting their point of view after having seen them through another character in the first book. This time the perspective swaps between Dami in the present day, Silas in the present day, and some interludes from Dami's past working for El Diablo.
In the course of trying to break Silas's curse so that Dami can cancel their deal and become human, Dami and Silas travel to a magical island where the weather is too tropical for the latitude and everything is trying to kill them. They meet Marisol, who joins up with them to try and find the treasure so they can get off the island. I like the setup, and the worldbuilding is very cohesive. The rapport between the three of them is fun in the face of the dire circumstances, and the mix of antagonists is enough to be an impediment but not so much as to overshadow the deathly effects of the real killer: Silas's curse.
It has a storyline which is almost entirely self contained, save that Dami is making moves based on El Diablo being dead, something which took place in THE WICKED BARGAIN. This means that almost everything important is both introduced and resolved here, save for that. This is unlikely to be the last book, but if it is this is a satisfying enough ending that I have closure. I hope there are more, this has the possibility to be a great series of loosely or tightly interconnected books, and I'd happily read more with any mix of these characters.
THE DIABLO'S CURSE is set chronologically after THE WICKED BARGAIN, and contains a few brief references to it early on, but it can function as a stand-alone book. While some of Dami's situation was explained in the previous book, the only thing someone would need to know from that is that El Diablo was killed there, and this is about Dami dealing with the results. This means that someone could pick up this book and have a good time without having read THE WICKED BARGAIN, but I do recommend starting with the first book, for both enjoyment and continuity. Dami is an excellent character, and I enjoyed getting their point of view after having seen them through another character in the first book. This time the perspective swaps between Dami in the present day, Silas in the present day, and some interludes from Dami's past working for El Diablo.
In the course of trying to break Silas's curse so that Dami can cancel their deal and become human, Dami and Silas travel to a magical island where the weather is too tropical for the latitude and everything is trying to kill them. They meet Marisol, who joins up with them to try and find the treasure so they can get off the island. I like the setup, and the worldbuilding is very cohesive. The rapport between the three of them is fun in the face of the dire circumstances, and the mix of antagonists is enough to be an impediment but not so much as to overshadow the deathly effects of the real killer: Silas's curse.
It has a storyline which is almost entirely self contained, save that Dami is making moves based on El Diablo being dead, something which took place in THE WICKED BARGAIN. This means that almost everything important is both introduced and resolved here, save for that. This is unlikely to be the last book, but if it is this is a satisfying enough ending that I have closure. I hope there are more, this has the possibility to be a great series of loosely or tightly interconnected books, and I'd happily read more with any mix of these characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Excrement, Vomit, and Pregnancy
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