Scan barcode
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 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
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
bonriki's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Dysphoria
Minor: Homophobia
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
More...