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A review by triflesandvanities
Deal With The Devil by Bex Deveau
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
3.0 ⭐️
Summary
Olivia has been part of the family crime business pretty much her whole life. To survive, she's had to develop a thick skin and the ability to be three steps ahead of her enemies. Unfortunately, she misses a few key warning signs one night and finds herself dead and enrolled at Underworld University, one of the many possible afterlives a human can have. Now, she must quickly figure out how to stay alive in her new demonic reality, all while juggling her many love interests.
My Thoughts
This was just okay. I enjoyed some of the conversations here, as Olivia's humanity made a significant difference in the lives of her loves as she helped them see how they were deserving of love, respect, and care. There were real moments of tenderness shared between Olivia and her partners that I wish were delved into a bit more.
Some of my initial gripes with this book were the constant reminders that Olivia was Italian. It was truly comical how many Italian phrases were unnecessarily inserted to remind us that Olivia was Italian (*from New Jersey*) and proud of it! As a main character, it was also hard to overlook how hard the author tried to make her "not like other girls". These traits become less grating over time as she integrates herself into the underworld, but they still pop up from time to time.
The worldbuilding also left a lot to be desired, but I could overlook most of it in order to continue reading. But what do you mean... we're dead, but we still have to eat and shower???
Another issue I had was the way the only Black character was described at points and how the attraction the demons felt toward Olivia was essentially the fetishization of her humanness. I think there were ways the attraction could have been written differently to reflect more on Olivia's character rather than where she came from.
I'd recommend this if you want to read something low stakes with a decent amount of spice. I have yet to decide if I will continue with the series.
Summary
Olivia has been part of the family crime business pretty much her whole life. To survive, she's had to develop a thick skin and the ability to be three steps ahead of her enemies. Unfortunately, she misses a few key warning signs one night and finds herself dead and enrolled at Underworld University, one of the many possible afterlives a human can have. Now, she must quickly figure out how to stay alive in her new demonic reality, all while juggling her many love interests.
My Thoughts
This was just okay. I enjoyed some of the conversations here, as Olivia's humanity made a significant difference in the lives of her loves as she helped them see how they were deserving of love, respect, and care. There were real moments of tenderness shared between Olivia and her partners that I wish were delved into a bit more.
Some of my initial gripes with this book were the constant reminders that Olivia was Italian. It was truly comical how many Italian phrases were unnecessarily inserted to remind us that Olivia was Italian (*from New Jersey*) and proud of it! As a main character, it was also hard to overlook how hard the author tried to make her "not like other girls". These traits become less grating over time as she integrates herself into the underworld, but they still pop up from time to time.
The worldbuilding also left a lot to be desired, but I could overlook most of it in order to continue reading. But what do you mean... we're dead, but we still have to eat and shower???
Another issue I had was the way the only Black character was described at points and how the attraction the demons felt toward Olivia was essentially the fetishization of her humanness. I think there were ways the attraction could have been written differently to reflect more on Olivia's character rather than where she came from.
I'd recommend this if you want to read something low stakes with a decent amount of spice. I have yet to decide if I will continue with the series.