Delightful!
A really fun book! A story about Dami , who is a demonio, as a result of a deal that their mother made. The life of a demonio is the only life they’ve ever known. They dislike being a demonio and wish to be a human. They get involved in the life of Silas, who has had a curse placed on him and they end up on an adventure together. The story was well written and had some interesting characters. It is a fun story and I would highly recommend it!! Happy reading!

This story is a thrilling blend of dark magic and deep emotional journeys. Dami, a demon yearning for humanity, and Silas, cursed to die young, make for an unforgettable duo. Their quest to break a deadly curse is not just an adventure but a profound exploration of identity and redemption. The rich Latinx lore adds a unique depth, and exploring gender fluidity through Dami's character is refreshing and impactful. The book masterfully balances humor, heartache, and suspense, delighting every page. As a standalone sequel, it welcomed me without prior knowledge, making the experience all the more enjoyable. This novel is a true gem in YA fantasy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The Diablo's Curse follows Dami, a demon who wants to cancel every deal they've made in order to turn fully human, as they must team up with cursed teen Silas to break Silas' curse and thereby end Dami's final deal.

Dami was such a fun character to read about in The Wicked Bargain, so much so that it felt like coming home to pick up a new book from their perspective. And the POVs of the new characters, Silas and Marisol, were a treat too. I loved the treasure hunt centered plot, the dynamics of all three of our main characters working together, and in particular how vivid and snappy the descriptions were. It was easy to settle back into this world, but all of it still felt new and fresh and intriguing.

It's only been a year since The Wicked Bargain, and it is amazing how much Novoa has grown as a writer in that time. Between these two books and Most Ardently, they've quickly become an auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait to see what else they have on the horizon!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4/5 Stars

This book is fun. Going in, I think I was expecting something a bit more moody and dark but The Diablo's Curse was a wild ride of an adventure novel that really leans into the treasure hunting premise. The characters have solid banter throughout the book that keeps the scenes moving. The variety of threats the characters face keep the action going without it getting repetitive. And it's really refreshing to have a genderfluid protagonist, as that representation isn't really that common.

Where the book falls a bit flat for me is Dami's backstory. The parts of it we do learn about are incredibly interesting but by the end of the book, I found that it just wasn't given enough attention for them to feel fully connected to the narrative. It also made the resolution to their story feel a bit too deus ex machina. It also felt a bit disjointed to have all of these dark and scary elements of their backstory alongside the comedic ways their powers are used in the main narrative. There could have been a bit better of a balance.

However, it was nice to read a book that really felt like a YA book, and not just a New Adult book being forced into the YA category. The characters feel like real teens and act like teens. So, while it is not a perfect book, it has enough going for it that I feel really comfortable recommending it to teen patrons.

I wanted to get this read before release, but life just wouldn’t allow. So let’s start there. I still wanted to provide feedback before it gets archived. Novoa has crafted a beautiful follow up to Wicked Bargain. The world they have created for these characters is mysterious and rich. The characters they create are always layered and engaging. I am enjoying this story immensely. Novoa’s writing is at such a high level and incredibly approachable. It reads like silk. I am eager to finish!

In Gabe Cole Novoa's follow up to The Wicked Bargain, demonio Dami is trying their best to become human. But their quest is stalled by a stubborn boy named Silas who can't stay dead. Working together they set out to break the curse on Silas before Dami is stuck as a demonio forever.

This queer historical fantasy includes an enemies-to-lovers story that is fully believable, coupled with a narrative about accepting oneself. It is a fun and engaging tale, with a few twists that you can see coming if you look close enough.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Gabe Cole Novoa returns to the world of The Wicked Bargain with The Diablo's Curse. Readers follow genderfluid demonio Dami as they navigate the challenge of resolving all of their deals so they can experience a human life. They've resolved every deal except their deal with Silas Cain. Silas won't break their deal without Dami's help. Silas just happens to have a generational curse tied to the treasure of Captain Kidd and needs Dami's help to find it.

I was so happy to learn that Novoa was following up with Dami's book. Dami was a favorite character in The Wicked Bargain, so it was a joy to follow them this time. While this book does take place in the same world as The Wicked Bargain, I think it would be more accurate to call it a companion novel rather than a direct sequel. Certainly, a reader will get the most out of reading the books in publication order and this book comes after Bargain in the timeline, but a reader could start with The Diablo's Curse with no real harm done.

Everything I liked about The Wicked Bargain holds true for this book as well. I loved the representations of gender identity not only in Dami but also in Marisol. I loved that both characters were gendered correctly by everyone in the book, even in Spanish, where the choice to use the neutral "hije" was made for Dami. Again, the inclusion of untranslated Spanish was natural and fluid. I understood with no issues and no translation app despite lack of fluency.

This is now my third book by Novoa (including Most Ardently) and I really enjoy his style. Novoa keeps the pace of the book steadily moving forward and handles each character with care. He also includes romance tastefully and with respect to where it fits in the plotline at a level suitable for his target demographic. After I read The Wicked Bargain, I said Novoa would be an author to watch and I absolutely stand by that.

I look forward to reading anything Novoa writes in the future and happily recommend this and his other books to any interested party.

very fun little fantasy romance that's full of queerness. i applied for the ARC due to being impressed by Novoa's previous works, and I was not disappointed. thanks for the arc.

The Diablo’s Curse is the story of Dami, a genderfluid demonio who readers first met in The Wicked Bargain. Dami has experienced what it’s like to be human, but soon realizes that their deal with El Diablo has a hidden twist. Dami must undo all of the deals they made as a demonio if they are to have a chance to hold onto humanity. When Dami finds Silas, a cursed young man who relies on their deal to stay alive, Dami must help Silas undo the curse before they are finally free of deals.

The Diablo’s Curse is filled with hilarious dialogue and lovable characters. This adventure almost has a Pirates of the Caribbean feel to it, but with excellent queer characters. Dami is my favorite! I loved how hard they worked to cancel their deals and undo the things they had been forced to do with El Diablo. The mystery at the heart of the island and the cursed treasure were compelling. Novoa creates an atmospheric and enjoyable adventure with a satisfying conclusion for Dami.

Readers who enjoy mysterious curses, historical fantasy, and excellent queer characters will love this book! The Diablo’s Curse can be read as a standalone, but Dami also appears in The Wicked Bargain.

Thank you to Gabe Cole Novoa, Random House Children’s, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

One thing that makes me super excited as a Teen Services Librarian, is that while readers would have more of Dami's backstory if they had read THE WICKED BARGAIN, they can read THE DIABLO'S CURSE as a standalone and not be lost. So if they prefer their books about curses and demons to not be centered around pirates, I can just hand them this book and they'll be good to go. But for those readers (like me) who did read TWB and wanted MORE page time for our favorite demonio, it's exciting to get a Dami-centered book showing what they've been up to since TWB ended. Now I need a third book in this world letting readers see what happens to Marisol! While I adore Dami, I really loved what we got of Marisol and wanted more. Silas... eh... he's ok.

The pacing of this book is slow and at times I struggled to stick with it. Overall I think it's worth it, but this isn't going to be the book for teens who need a quick plot (which is fine). I thought Dami's... mission was interesting, the plot twists were good, and the ultimate resolution was satisfying.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

The sequel to The Wicked Bargain following Dami, the genderfluid demon from the first book who wants nothing more than to become fully human. In order to do that Dami must cancel every deal they've ever made as a demon and they have a limited time to get it done. This is going to be tricky because that means unraveling the deal the made with Silas, a young man with a family curse that will cause him to die young without this deal. Dami has to help Silas destroy his family curse by finding lost pirate treasure and in turn they can break the deal they gave Silas and become human. Along for the treasure hunt is Marisol, a young trans woman they meet on the island where they are to find the buried treasure. First of all, I loved the representation in this story. However I found the plot to be so so slow and the I struggled with staying invested in the story. I did like the first book better, and this one had an overall satisfying ending. I liked the friendship and bit of romance in this book but I just wish it was paced better and flowed in a way that would have kept me more invested. Overall if you enjoy queer adventures with magic, friendship, and a bit of romance give this one a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Random House Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Wicked Bargain is one of my favorite books EVER so I was super excited for this boo. to come out. I loved Dami and wanted to know more about them. I’m so so glad we got to know more of their story. I’m going to be looking forward to reading everything by Gabe Cole Novoa because I Stan so hard!!

🖤 if you are looking for a new nigh-stacks read full of twists and turns, with a captivating and diverse cast of characters that are on the hunt for some treasure, than OH BOY do I have a book for you! I’d like to preface this by saying that I haven’t had a chance to read the first book (be noted that I did try and find a copy but apparently no where around me has it 🙃) but with that being said, I absolutely loved this one and it made full sense to me 😊

🖤 Dami is a demon who was given this life due to an unfair deal that his birth mother made with El Diablo. With that being said, Dami has always dreamed of living among the humans and living life, and the only way to do that is to get rid of all the deals he has made in his life, starting with the deal they made with Silas (and oh gosh is that deal a doozy)

🖤 Silas’s family is cursed due to a great-great-great (great?) grandfather not following through on a promise to retrieve some buried treasure and return it to the pirate that hid it. Due to that, everyone in his family is granted VERY short lives; so the deal he makes with Dami is that in order to close their deal, they have to help Silas find and return the treasure. Easy, right? Nope, wrong. VERY wrong. Things go from bad to worse and results in them getting trapped on an island, encountering Marisol (who is also trapped there).

🖤 Overall, I really loved how this story was spun in tying in demons, curses, and growing to understand and care for one another. I found so much growth in these characters, and I am hoping to get a copy of The Wicked Bargain ASAP because I love how captivating this writing is.

I loved Wicked Bargain, the first book in this series, and enjoyed this one as well. I loved Dami in the first book so I was really excited to get their story. I liked all the characters in this, though I wanted a little more Marisol, who occasionally felt like an afterthought. I didn't feel quite as engaged with this one as with Wicked Bargain, parts of it lagged a bit for me, but I still had fun reading it. While I think Wicked Bargain is great for junior high and up, I'd say this book is probably better suited to high school. This is a sure bet for YA readers looking for adventure and romance with some wonderful queer characters.

I loved The Wicked Baragin and was so excited to see Dami get their own story and honestly I think I liked this one even more than the first!

I was obsessed with Dami in the first book so I knew I was going to enjoy The Diablo's Curse, but I was not expecting to love it as much as I did! The characters were so likable (loved Sila's and Dami's dynamic), the story was full of action, and just like in the first book: I was nearing the end with no idea how Novoa was going to be able to wrap up the story with so few pages left until he did! The ending was perfect and I was just so happy to see Dami get their HEA!

Can't wait for what Gabe Cole Novoa releases next!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Diablo’s Curse is a follow-up book to Gabe Cole Novoa’s previous book, The Wicked Bargain. However, it follows a supporting character from the previous book, with tangential connection otherwise, so this can easily work as a standalone.
From the first pages, with Novoa’s letter discussing his inspiration for the character’s arc as a genderfluid demon, drawing parallels between their in-universe ostracism and the danger they allegedly pose to society, and the real-life fear mongering around LGBTQ+ people that has shaped legislation in some parts of the US today. I also loved the multiple ways the characters showed queer affirmation, from Dami themself to Silas expression of his queer attraction mostly to boys, and to girls sometimes. And there’s the third character rounding out the trio, Marisol, who is trans and hasn’t been accepted by most people, with her brother being the one exception.
And I really appreciate how that comes across through Dami’s character. They very much want to be human and to belong/be accepted, and trying to resist the temptations of their more demonic nature as a result. Their backstory and how it shapes him in this regard is also deeply moving.
In their quest to become human, Dami needs to undo every deal they’ve made in the past, and that’s where Silas comes in, as his family was cursed with dying young, and they had made a deal to counteract this in the past. I really liked the dynamic between these two. Their respective curses each help shape the stakes of the story, but also influence their respective personal growth journeys.
The adventure itself presents some truly interesting challenges, and the atmosphere aided in this. The island setting truly comes to life as a villain in and of itself. And there was a lot happening to keep the story interesting. Although I did feel like the story felt a bit rushed, I ended up more or less enjoying how the story came together.
This was a solid read, and I love the way it expands the world within The Wicked Bargain. If you’re looking for a fantasy story that is imaginative and queer and trans-affirming, I’d recommend checking this out!

Gabe Cole Novoa, you've done it again!!!

This was so, so beautiful from start to finish. And don't come for me please, but I might like this better than The Wicked Bargain? And I already loved and adored that book, so that's a clear sign of how amazing The Diablo's Curse is for me I guess 😂 Or maybe this is just me (a genderqueer person) relating to Dami (a genderfluid character) a lot... Either way, I loved this okay? 🥹😂

Full review soon, and will be posted as part of the book tour hosted by Turn the Pages Tours.

Exact rating: 4.75

CW: miscarriage, childbirth, violence, blood, death, injuries, gore, sexual content

Marking this book as part of my reading challenge: #ReadQueerly2024.

★ ★ ★ ★ • 4

First read by Gabe Cole Novoa, and I ended up really enjoying the book. I was a bit concerned at first that there would be some context I was missing, once I realized that The Diablo’s Curse takes place in the same universe as A Wicked Bargain (as I haven’t read that book), but that ended up not being the case. Still… I personally would definitely recommend going and giving A Wicked Bargain a read before picking up this book.

I think what made this book so good were the main and side characters, the fantasy storyline is by no means lacking, but the characters were an absolute highlight… And the way the characters were written they were not only likable but relatable.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adored the Wicked Bargain, but the whole time wanted to know more about Dami and this book gave me all that and more!!!! Gabe Cole Novoa has created a beautiful world of demons, curses, magic, mystery, and love and it is just fantastic. If my life hadn't been so hectic I could have finished this in one sitting. You don't really need to have read the Wicked Bargain to jump into this, but it would definitely help (I highly recommend the audiobook read by Vico Ortiz). The magic and mystery of this book is so fun.

I look forward to more adventures from Novoa.


***SPOILERS***


Initially, I was disappointed we didn't get to see most of Dami's adventures trying to end all their deals to become human, BUT once they got to Silas and started their work to end that deal I knew we were in for a wild ride. It was totally worthwhile. I was able to predict some of the plot, but not all and that is thrilling.