A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley

Pages: 432

Publisher: Gollancz 

Released:  30th of November 2023 

Calladia Cunnington curses the day she met Astaroth the demon, but when he shows up memoryless, why does she find him so helpless . . . and sort of hot?

Calladia Cunnington knows she’s rough around the edges, despite being the heir to one of small-town Glimmer Falls’ founding witch families. While her gym obsession is a great outlet for her anxieties and anger, her hot temper still gets the best of her and manifests in bar brawls. When Calladia saves someone from a demon attack one night, though, she’s happy to put her magic and rage to good use . . . until she realizes the man she saved is none other than Astaroth, the ruthless demon who orchestrated a soul bargain on her best friend.

Astaroth is a legendary soul bargainer and one of the nine members of the demon high council—except he can’t remember any of this. Suffering from amnesia after being banished to the mortal plane, Astaroth doesn’t know why a demon named Moloch is after him, nor why the muscular, angry, hot-in-a-terrifying-way witch who saved him hates him so much.

Unable to leave anyone in such a vulnerable state—even the most despicable demon—Calladia grudgingly decides to help him. (Besides, punching an amnesiac would be in poor taste.) The two set out on an uneasy road trip to find the witch who might be able to restore Astaroth’s memory so they can learn how to defeat Moloch. Calladia vows that once Astaroth is cured, she’ll kick his ass, but the more time she spends with the snarky yet utterly charming demon, the more she realizes she likes this new, improved Astaroth . . . and maybe she doesn’t want him to recover his memories, after all.

What I Have to Say 

I wasn't sure how this one would be after seeing Astaroth's character in A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, but it worked better than I thought. The only problem I found was that Astaroth had a complete personality change in order to fall in love. 

It made sense in the plot and he still had some of the same sass and snobbery that the original Astaroth had. And I don't think the plot would have ever worked with the original Astaroth. But I found myself wondering at several points whether amnesia really would have so much of an effect. 

I liked both characters though and the enemies-to-lovers style of their relationship was satisfying., I love this world and I was really glad to spend more time in it. 

Looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book! 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Gollancz for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven (audiobook)

Pages: 406 

Publisher: Electric Monkey 

Released: 7th of July 2022 

Ten years ago, four students lost their lives in the infamous North Tower murders at the elite Carvell College of Arts, forcing Carvell to close its doors.

Now Carvell is reopening, and fearless student Lottie is determined to find out what really happened. But when her roommate, Alice, stumbles upon a sinister soul-splitting ritual hidden in Carvell’s haunted library, the North Tower claims another victim.

Can Lottie uncover the truth before the North Tower strikes again? Can Alice reverse the ritual before her monstrous alter ego consumes her? And can they stop flirting for literally fifteen seconds in order to do this?

Exploring possession and ambition, lust and bloodlust, femininity and violence, The Society of Soulless Girls is perfect for fans of Ace of Spaces, The Secret History and The Inheritance Games.

Trigger Warnings: Animal Death, Blood consumption, abuse

What I Have to Say 

I really liked the atmosphere of the book, but the ending let it down. I wanted more from it. I wanted a solution to the mystery that was as clever and well worked as the premise, but it just felt too easy, they didn't even try that hard to find out who the killer was, it just dropped into their lap. 

Also, not everything was explained. There was a whole bit with the cat that they gave no explanation for at all. It was built up but then was just left completely unexplained. This frustrated me the most because I hate when they just leave stuff hanging in books, it felt like the author just forgot about it. 

The narrators were okay. The two different voices were good to distinguish between the two girls and they did a good job of making it creepy and disturbing, but one of them couldn't pronounce Jekyll and said it wrong several times. 

In all, this book is good if you want just a creepy read, but don't expect much from the ending. 

3 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Electric Monkey for providing me with this copy for review. 

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 256 

Publisher: Lion Forge 

Released: 15th October 2019 

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery. 

What I Have to Say 

My first graphic novel review and it is definitely a must read! A fantastic story of adventure, family and love combined with a gorgeous art style full of colour and magic. It was a perfect combination of the two showing a vibrant world with fully shaped and relatable characters who burst out of the page with every word and image.

There was so much representation in this book and it flowed perfectly into the story. Tam is non-binary which informs so much of their past and relationship with their parents. Nova is deaf, and with hearing aids, which is a fact important to the story and her relationship with Tam, who comments on how Nova has changed hearing aids and that they like the colour. Both Tam and Nova are also Asian-American and their queer relationship is a major part of the story.

One of the things I loved most was seeing how Nova's deafness and magic interacted. How the magic is used to highlight her deafness and her experience of both. My favourite scene was one where the characters linked psychically and Nova talks about the way that she gets a taste from it of how her life could be without deafness. It was done in such a beautiful way, showing the impact being deaf has on her life but without denying how much a part of her identity it is or showing her as some poor trapped, disabled character wanting to be free (a trope that is used so often and is extremely harmful for people with disabilities).

This is such a great book full of magic and excitement whilst also showcasing the intricacies of regular life. Definitely a must read.

My thanks go to Lion Forge and Netgalley for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Evolution by Teri Terry

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 464

Publisher: Orchard Books 

Released: 9th of August 2018 

Into the fire ...

The final part of the trilogy from multi award-winning author Teri Terry.

Shay has followed Xander and joined his mysterious scientific cult at their remote Scottish compound. She's desperately searching for Callie, who went missing before the start of the epidemic that kills 95% of cases, and leaves a tiny number of survivors with astonishing new powers.

Can Shay uncover the truth about the origins of the epidemic, find Callie and perhaps even rekindle her relationship with Kai? Or will Xander's grand plans destroy them all for ever?

What I Have to Say 

I've not been as excited for these books as much as I have for other Teri Terry books, but I honestly don't know why. The books are just as good as the other Teri Terry books I've loved and they pull you in just as much as the others. It's just that when I'm not in the middle of reading them that I've not got that same buzz I normally feel from the books. 

I love these books though! That's the craziest part. I love the characters and all the mysteries surrounding Callie and the origin of the epidemic. I love the conspiracies and Xander's involvement. I love Shay and Kai and the concept. The writing is good, the plot is unpredictable and engrossing. There is absolutely no reason for it to fall flat. It makes me sad that I'm not looking back at these books with the same feeling as the other books. 

But it was a really satisfying conclusion. Everything came together nicely and it was a good conclusion. 

This series was really good and I did really enjoy reading it. It may be that I don't remember it as fondly as the other Teri Terry books, but it was a really great series all the same. I hope you don't let my lack of excitement about it put you off. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Orchard Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

Breaking by Danielle Rollins

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens 

Released: 10th of August 2017 

Charlotte doesn't fit in with her two best friends, or with anyone else at The Underhill Preparatory Institute, her cut-throat school for the rich and gifted. But when those best friends die suddenly, Charlotte doesn't know where to turn.

Were they keeping secrets? Could Charlotte be the reason they did it? Because Charlotte has a secret of her own, and now she must decide how much she will risk to discover the truth.

Trigger Warnings: Suicide, cutting

What I Have to Say 

I thought that this would be more bitchy girls in prep girls cutting each other down, but what I got was so much better than that. There was a lot of intrigue and mystery, but there was also a lot of grief from Charlotte. Grief for the way her mother can't love her, grief for the loss of her two best friends. The first part of it is pretty introspective and it makes you wonder a lot why Charlotte stays at Underhill, despite the fact that there's the mystery of the "drink me" bottle. 

But that's the heart of the story. This is the story about the way that she changes. The way that she gains the confident to assert herself, whether that's just because of the fact that she drank something from a little bottle or the fact that she's finally realising that she can be her own person instead of endlessly failing to be what her mother wants her to. 

I think it's this character that makes the book more than anything else. Charlotte is a product of her mother's desperation for her to be smart and despite her mother being absent for most of the book, she is always there in the background of Charlotte's thoughts. And as Charlotte starts to change, she starts to go against her mothers wishes more and more. 

It ended in such an interesting way too. I really can't wait for the sequel to find out what happens next. 

My thanks go to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 349

Publisher: Chicken House Books

Released: 7th of July 2016

Arianwyn has fluffed her witch’s evaluation test.

Awarded the dull bronze disc and continuing as an apprentice – to the glee of her arch-rival, mean girl Gimma – she’s sent to protect the remote, dreary town of Lull. 

But her new life is far from boring. Turns out Gimma is the pompous mayor’s favourite niece – and worse, she opens a magical rift in the nearby Great Wood. As Arianwyn struggles with her spells, a mysterious darkness begins to haunt her – and it’s soon clear there’s much more than her pride at stake …

What I Have to Say 

This book took me back to my childhood in the most wonderful way. Growing up, I adored the Worst Witch books and the Apprentice Witch has got a very similar quality to it. It's written for slightly older readers and has a beautiful world built up where witches live and work to keep each village safe. 

I'm not sure exactly what time period this story was supposed to be set in. It had an almost timeless quality while having motorcars giving it a sense of the 1920s about it. In a lot of ways it didn't matter, because it's a different world with spirits and demons commonly acknowledged. But this slightly old fashioned setting gave it the most wonderful feel to it. I definitely want to explore this world more. 

I think there's something about Arianwyn as a character that appeals to me a lot. Drawing back to the comparison with the Worst Witch, she and Mildred are the sort of people who always set out to do good. They just want to help and get things right, but everything just goes wrong for them along the way. I think it was that which made the Worst Witch books so relatable to me as a child. You feel more for a character who wants to get things right and so their failures make you feel so much more sorry for them. 

I think that everyone should read this book. It's one that I quickly came to adore and I hope that everyone else loves it as much as I do. 

The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 480

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books 

Released: 3rd of May 2016 

They’ll get inside your head…

Imagine if you could see inside the minds of everyone around you – your best friend, your boyfriend, your enemies…?

Imagine how valuable you’d be…

Imagine how much danger you’d be in…

Imagine being an Outlier.

It all starts with a text:

Please Wylie, I need your help.

Wylie hasn't heard from her one time best friend, Cassie, in over a week. Not since their last fight. But that doesn't matter. Cassie's in trouble, and it’s up to Wylie to do what she does best, save her best friend from herself.

This time it's different though – Cassie's texts are increasingly cryptic and scary. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie asked him to help. Trusting the super-hot boy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn't feel right, but Wylie has no choice.

But as Wylie and Jasper follow Cassie’s bizarre trail, Wylie has a growing sense that something is REALLY wrong. What isn’t Cassie telling them? Who is she with and what do they want from her? And could finding her be just the beginning…?

What I Have to Say 

Although this book was okay, it didn't catch me. I think part of it was the same reason that a lot of books like this don't catch me, it's because they seem the same as a lot of other things that I've read recently. Of course, if I'd read this first then maybe I would like it better, but in the end, this is how it is. 

The other reason I didn't really get into this was that pretty much everything could have been solved if they'd just stopped lying to each other. Cassie lied to her dad and her dad lied to Cassie and if they'd just stopped then everything would have gone smoother for everyone. 

I might continue reading these if I have the opportunity. I was interested in the powers that they showed and would like to see how that is developed, but if not for that, I probably wouldn't bother. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this copy for review.