Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

while it took me a bit (20%ish) to get into it, once i was in i was IN. i really liked the dynamic between mariel and ozroth and getting to see them both grow individually throughout the book. i also really enjoyed both the smut and how the story eventually ended. i feel like some endings lately in the paranormal romances have fell flat for me, but this one was really good!! i will say - the name ozroth, shortened to oz....??? why was that the final decision for his name bc all i could think of was the wizard of oz :/

⚠️: emotional abuse, bullying, gaslighting, toxic relationship, animal death, fire/fire injury, police brutality, death of parent

Content Warnings

zoeblair17's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a super fun, witchy, cute love story. It sets the scene for Glimmer Falls well and other stories that may happen there. There’s drama, witty quips, sex, and lots to learn about the magic world. Will I immediately start the book over and read it in 3 days again? Probably not. Will I pick it up next year for a light hearted Halloween-y read? Yup.

Content Warnings

midnacine's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted 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 delightful read! Engaging plot, lovable characters with realistic arcs, cozy setting and world-building, funny banter, and overall just really fun and enjoyable! So glad I took my friend up on the rec, it was 100% worth the full price on Kindle.

Content Warnings

marsh_mall0w's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.0

Content Warnings

simplyammee's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

braveprincess11's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

4 1/2 ⭐️

“Love is supporting someone,” she said. “Lifting them up, not tearing them down. Loving them as they are, not how you want them to be.”

A really great debut from Sarah Hawley!

It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s cute, it’s emotional & it’s spicy.

Oz is so sweet, but my heart lies with Mariel. I saw so much of myself in her throughout this, and it’s my own personal headcanon that, even though she denies it very early on, Mariel does have ADHD. Her ability to focus so long and so clearly on her plant magic, coupled with her immense struggle with the “traditional” sort of magic, and pressure put on her by her mother is very reminiscent of my own journey with ADHD.

But this is a book review! The 3rd act conflict felt as though it came on a little late, but that was balanced out by the time taken to properly resolve it - I thought it would feel rushed, but the pacing ended up working really well.

Can’t wait to see what else Sarah comes up with, and I’m eagerly awaiting her next book!

Content Warnings

wilybooklover's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

2.0

This was an intriguing premise that had a lot of potential, but sadly fell a bit flat for me.

Both of the main characters felt quite two-dimensional and lacking in depth. Mariel even reminded me of a teenager at times. The secondary characters were even more shallow and felt like caricatures or cardboard cut-outs. I found myself unable to become immersed in the story because it just felt noticeably fake, especially with respect to the dialogue. The humour was more cringe and juvenile than actually funny and the third-act breakup was incredibly unnecessary given the conflict and drama already happening in the last third of the book. There were also a lot of editing mistakes (like, several per chapter) — things like missing punctuation, words smashed together, and uncapitalised names/places. I expect better editing from a traditionally published book. [This is for the UK digital version.]

There were a few plus points, however. I enjoyed the world-building, which was fun and detailed without being overexplained. The plant magic/affinity was especially nice; I loved how Mariel’s plants would comfort her. I loved that Mariel was plus-size but there was no plot point or issues surrounding it; she just was.

Content Warnings

More...