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A review by queergoth_reads
A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I received a copy of this book as an ARC from the publishers but all thoughts are my own.
I was very excited to read this book as I really enjoyed the first one. We return to Glimmer Falls just after Oz and Mariel's happily ever after. This time we follow Calladia as she finds Astaroth being beaten up in an alley with no memory of how he got there.
I definitely enjoyed parts of this books. I really enjoyed Calladia and Astaroth's relationship as it went from enemies to lovers. There were a lot of deep parts to both of those characters and I enjoyed seeing them grow together. I also liked the little bit thrown in about how you don't need to fit into gendered expectations to be the gender you are. Also it was pretty spicy.
The mail plot line is based around turmoil on the demon plane and the rights of individuals with mixed demon heritage (e.g. one demon and one human parent). While I think it was done well something didn't sit quite right with me. It took me a while but I realised that the lack of main characters from marginalised groups made it feel a little flat. There are mentions of people with marginalised identies in the human realm but they are often very minor characters or it isn't explored (as in Themmie's case). It is made to feel like the human realm is all fine and dandy and only the demons have issues. Which is fine cause it's fantasy but since there is a fight for hybrid demon rights it would have been nice to have conversations about rights in the human realm.
Overall I did have fun with the book though. I think that Sarah Hawley does a really great job writing complex characters as well as a great redemption arc. I also loved Calladia's emotional healing. Parts of that resonated a lot with me.
I was very excited to read this book as I really enjoyed the first one. We return to Glimmer Falls just after Oz and Mariel's happily ever after. This time we follow Calladia as she finds Astaroth being beaten up in an alley with no memory of how he got there.
I definitely enjoyed parts of this books. I really enjoyed Calladia and Astaroth's relationship as it went from enemies to lovers. There were a lot of deep parts to both of those characters and I enjoyed seeing them grow together. I also liked the little bit thrown in about how you don't need to fit into gendered expectations to be the gender you are. Also it was pretty spicy.
The mail plot line is based around turmoil on the demon plane and the rights of individuals with mixed demon heritage (e.g. one demon and one human parent). While I think it was done well something didn't sit quite right with me. It took me a while but I realised that the lack of main characters from marginalised groups made it feel a little flat. There are mentions of people with marginalised identies in the human realm but they are often very minor characters or it isn't explored (as in Themmie's case). It is made to feel like the human realm is all fine and dandy and only the demons have issues. Which is fine cause it's fantasy but since there is a fight for hybrid demon rights it would have been nice to have conversations about rights in the human realm.
Overall I did have fun with the book though. I think that Sarah Hawley does a really great job writing complex characters as well as a great redemption arc. I also loved Calladia's emotional healing. Parts of that resonated a lot with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body shaming