Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, War
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Car accident
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Death
Minor: Self harm, Suicide attempt
this was NOTHING like i thought it was going to be.
jaysea lynn handled a myriad of sensitive topics with gentle empathy along with appropriate and fierce indignation, her exploration of religious trauma healed something in me, and the relationships she built with these characters made my heart ache and swell.
so excited for the second book <3
Moderate: Sexual content, Religious bigotry
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Classism
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Child abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture
There’s a lot to enjoy here: Lily is a likable, layered character, and her arc from grief to agency is one of the strongest parts of the book. Her dynamic with Bel, the demon general with the voice of sin, is slow-burn and sweet, with an emotional intimacy that builds gradually. Their chemistry is quiet but real.
However, the execution was a little uneven for me. The tone fluctuates between deeply emotional introspection (Lily’s cancer diagnosis and death are treated with sensitivity) and quirky dark comedy (think “The Good Place” meets Supernatural), but it doesn’t always find a consistent balance. Some emotional beats felt undercut by humor, while others felt out of place given the story’s otherwise light-hearted rhythm.
Additionally, the main conflict—the ominous threat to the Afterlife—was too vague and offscreen to generate real tension. We’re told a lot about this danger, but we don’t feel it unfold in real-time. When the characters refer to it later as if we’ve been through a war, it doesn’t quite land, since we were never actually in the trenches with them.
Despite that, the narration was a highlight. Elena Wolfe captures Lily’s compassion and resilience beautifully, while Sean Masters’s deep, smooth tone was spot-on for Bel. They brought warmth and personality to the characters in a way the text alone didn’t always deliver.
This was a creative and thoughtful debut with standout narration and heart. The plot pacing and tonal swings didn’t fully work for me, but fans of cozy underworld vibes, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, and character-driven romantasy may still find plenty to love.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, War
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Classism
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry
Minor: Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt