Thank you Alcove Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I really liked this one! Matteo is broke and trying to raise enough money to get the demon out of him. He doesn’t know why his mom put a demon in him and she disappeared so it’s not like he can ask. He does need it out and quickly as he can feel it taking greater control. He’s left with no choice but to use his magic to help people for money, only problem is this seems to feed the demon more. Then he meets Topher his disaster of a new coworker, who also needs his magical help. He’s cursed and people around him keep dying. He’ll pay Matteo handsomely, which is all Matteo needs to hear. As they delve into what is going on disaster ensues and maybe Matteo’s more drawn to Topher than he should be. Can they figure out what Topher’s curse is and who cursed him? Can Matteo rid himself or a demon before it consumes him? Full of snark and whit which I absolutely adore! I love Matteo, Topher, and Ophelia! K. Valentin’s story is fast paced, humorous, bloody, and a definite good time! Highly recommend!

I love the idea behind this book, and I thought that it was relatively well written and I enjoyed reading it, but I didn't find myself sucked in for whatever reason. Usually books suck me in and I can't seem to put them down, but I felt very take-it-or-leave-it about this book. I didn't particularly care about the characters or what happened to them and I found myself putting it down and then not picking it up again for days at a time. I think it had sooo much potential, but it kind of fell flat for me.

I don't read a lot of paranormal books however I thought this sounded good so gave it a go.

What a fun, chaotic, fast paced read. It's a unique storyline (to me) and I enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed the characters, felt like they had depth and I loved Matteo's dry sense of humour.

I did like the world building such as the inclusion of blood magic in the story however I feel like it could have been expanded a little more in regards to the witches and their groups however that's my own personal preference.

Overall a fun read and has opened my eyes to more paranormal books.

It has some really decent twists. Was hoping for a little more umph and wow factor at some parts but over all ther story line was amazing! Definatly looking forward to checking out the sequal if/ when there is one! MATEO

Alright, so this paranormal adventure is a fun ride! The world-building is solid, there's a cool mystery, and plenty of loose ends to look forward to in future books. Mateo, the main character, is sarcastic and defensive, with a demon buddy he's been stuck with since birth. Every day is a countdown to the demon taking over, which gives him this fatalistic vibe that I found super entertaining.
He's got Ophelia, who can astral project, as his sidekick, and his boss is a rich young guy with a deadly curse – the curse reveal was one of the best parts!
There's this scene where Mateo falls out of a window and has to deal with the pain and the realization that he should be dead. It really shows his vulnerability and how the magic system works, with real consequences. The more magic he uses, the closer the demon gets to taking over. When someone offers to exorcise the demon, he's all in.
Warning: there's a good amount of gore (finger biting, stabbing, flesh-eating, etc.), so if that's not your thing, skip this one. But if you're looking for a new paranormal read to binge, I recommend it. The romance isn't the main focus, but I'm guessing it'll be bigger in the sequels.
The writing can be a little extra at times (like describing a quiet knock as a "ridiculous feather-soft kiss of knuckles"), but overall it's fine, and the pacing is fast. I flew through it in an afternoon!

If you like your magic messy, your demons inconveniently internal, and your curses hilariously deadly, An Amateur Witch’s Guide to Murder is your next chaotic fave.

Mateo is a broke, reluctant witch with a demon literally trapped inside him (thanks, Mom). His only plan? Fake it till he makes it as an “Occult Specialist” and hopefully make enough cash for a real exorcism. Enter Topher: rich, adorable, tragically cursed, and completely unaware that Mateo has no idea what he’s doing.

What starts as a quick, low-effort grift turns into a full-blown magical disaster involving astral projection, possibly ancient evil, and a slowly simmering maybe-crush on Topher. Oh, and the more magic Mateo does? The more his inner demon wants to eat people. So… that’s a problem.

It’s Legends & Lattes meets Howl’s Moving Castle with a splash of Dead Like Me. Queer, snarky, a little spooky, and full of heart. Basically? If you love found family, magical chaos, and disaster bisexual energy—you’re gonna love this one.

A unique storyline and fantastic characters!
Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. I love a snarky yet relatable character (well, as much as a witch with a demon trapped inside them can be relatable) and Mateo really fits the bill. I love his character development and how he grows. Ophelia and Topher are also wonderful characters and a lot to the story!
Overall it was a pretty quick paced read that has a lot of heart and humour behind it. Definitely worth the read when it comes out!

I don’t think there’s a page I read where I didn’t laugh or smile at—that’s how funny and morbid (excuse my dark humor) this book was! The characters were so distinct and I was intrigued by the demon possession. Valentin knows how to write a compelling story with just the right pace to keep me reading and neglecting my responsibilities in the real world. The plot twist definitely got me, because I fell for a red herring and was dying on that hill.

Mateo, Topher, and Ophelia have my heart and that’s never changing.

And Ulla too!

What do you do when you and your best friend have been struggling to make ends meet for years, with no family around to ask for support, only to suddenly be asked for help with lifting a curse by a guy who is as desperate as he is rich? If you're Mateo (and Ophelia), you don't let yourself be stopped by something as minor as a total lack of experience or an un-dealt-with demon possesion bestowed on you by your own literal evil witch of a mum. Unsurprisingly, the road to success (and money) might turn out to be a tiny bit bumpy... Beware, dagger ladies and evil wizards ahead.

There are a number of things I particularly enjoyed about this read: For one, there is a bit of queer romance in this, but the focus is more on friendship and (rather complicated, to say the least) family connections. The friendship between Mateo and Ophelia does have rather tragic undertones, but at the same time comes across as so heartfelt and loving, the kind of squish that develops ride-or-die alliance you probably need when you decide to go curse-breaking with little more than a handful of sage and good-ish intentions.
As I said, there is a bit of romance in this. But it's the awkward, extremely slow type that feels a lot more realistic to me - though realism might not be the most useful criterion for a novel that has witchcraft, demons, other spirits, and the undead-ish.
Another point is that the author chose not to go down the first person narration route so that you get more than one character's perspective (though you're mostly riding on Mateo's shoulder, so to say) in a very easy, flowing way.
Also, the main character being a goth also is a nice plus in my books.

All in all, I think the cover is quite a good representation of the vibe of this book: trying really hard to seem cutesy and cosy while there's black demon goo and and other gory stuff all over the place, but in a very fun, entertaining way. The same goes for the date it's set to be out on, which is October 14th, about halfway to Halloween.

This was adorable! While the love interest is a part of the story, I really enjoyed that Mateo’s journey didn’t revolve around a guy, but finding a way to live his life outside of his curse while genuinely wanting to help. A refreshing take on a genre that can be a bit stale

This. Was. So. Much. Fun.
Mateo's mom has been missing for the last 5 years. He is an amateur witch living with his best friend Ophelia in the house he grew up in while trying to pay off all the debt he's been saddled with. His day job is working at a printing shop but like the title says he's an amateur witch. His mother cursed him with a demon when he was a baby and it seems like the demon is becoming more and more of the one in charge. But he needs money to be able to hire someone who can help him figure out how to get rid of it. Enter Topher: clueless new hire at the shop who turns out to be extremely rich and in need of someone to break his own curse. Of course Mateo takes on the job because he needs the money but the whole situation turns out to be way more than he bargained for.

It's a good combo of horror, humor, action and angst. The pacing was good, things moved along but also didn't feel too rushed. The writing is easy and the dialog and chemistry between characters works well. I will say that the modern "Gen Z" slang threw me for a loop. I recognize and know the terms but it was weird reading a book where people used it unironically.

I loved Mateo even though he kind of was an unlikable character. Ophelia I had some issues with though. Mostly just the whole cliche of "omg look tiny pixie girl who's not like other girls and is the most beautiful but scary girl in the world" I think if I saw some parts from her point of view I might have connected with her more but we only see her through Mateo's eyes. So the two have some serious codependency issues and I spent a good amount of the book wondering "is Mateo in love with her? Are they in love with each other?" My consensus at the end: no. This wasn't a romance but the slowest of slow burn between Mateo and Topher was a m a z i n g. Topher took some getting used to. He was mostly described like a frightened rodent of some sort. But he ended up with more dimension that I expected. Again, I think seeing him only from Mateo's point of view played a big part on my impression of him.

I clocked "the bad guy" right away, The mystery part very much reminded me of the formula for 'Monk' or 'Psych' (two of the best detective shows imho) but I didn't care about guessing bits because the rest was so much fun. Plus I cared way more about the character's journeys than who was the big bad wizard.

I'm really really hoping there's sequels. This one is left off in a way where it's wrapped up but there's open ended things I personally need to know. Like I need to see Topher and Mateo awkwardly figure out what dating is like. I need to know what happened to Mateo's mother. Does Mateo have to keep his crappy copy shop/print shop job? So I am (im)patiently waiting for the next installment and what shenanigans these guys get into.

I very rarely do not finish a book but I just could not get into this one. I got about a third of the way through and gave up. The premise sounded great to me and the writing itself was good. It might just be a me thing because normally I love witchy books. I'm not too big on horror though and this was a little more than I would have liked. Once again this is probably just my brain being weird.

This is a fun paranormal adventure with solid world building, a nice mystery, lots of dangling threads waiting for future books to tie them up, and a very present character. Mateo is defensive, with a dry sense of humor, a sardonic delivery and a demon inside of him, bound to him at birth by his mother. And every day he lives he’s a day closer to the demon taking over. It gives him a sort of fatalism that may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I had fun with it.

His sidekick is Ophelia, a girl who can astral project; his employer is a very rich young man (I say, as if Mateo isn’t still in his early 20s) who is cursed, and everyone around him has been dying in freak accidents. And I have to say, the reveal of the curse was perhaps one of my favorite parts of the book.

Morbid as it is I did really like the scenes in the aftermath of Mateo’s fall out of a third story window where he has to deal with not only the aches and pains of his body trying to put itself back together, but the realizations that come after — that he should have died, that he has no idea what’s going on with his body, that the entity in his body might be in greater control than he is, and that the more magic he and his body uses, the closer the demon is to taking over. It’s a lot, and it’s emotional, and a very well done scene showing the character’s vulnerability, the magic system, and the very real consequences for the character.

It gives Mateo’s story weight. It makes his actions more meaningful when there are consequences following behind them. It also means that, when someone promises to exorcise the demon inside of him, Mateo is more than willing to let it happen.

A fair warning, there’s a lot of gore in this book as fingers are bitten off, Mateo is chained to an altar and stabbed, many mentions of blood and flesh eating; if you have a sensitive stomach or don’t like gore, you’re going to want to move onto another book. But if you’re fine with that and looking for a new PNR to while away an afternoon, I do recommend this book. The romance is not the main focus, but considering how this book ended I imagine it’ll show up in future sequels.

Just a note, there are parts that are very overwritten — describing someone trying to knock quietly as a “ridiculous feather-soft kiss of knuckles.” Even so, the writing is fine for the most part, and the pacing is quick. I was able to read this in an afternoon. Thank you very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the premise for this book!! Mateo and Ophelia both desperately are in need of money and Topher seems like the perfect solution. I found Mateo's demon to be very hilarious with his occasional monologues about eating people. I did feel a bit bad for Topher as he was genuinely so earnest and even though he did have crazy amounts of money, it just never sat right to overcharge anyone for a service. But that's just a personal preference.

This witchy murder mystery started off a little slow, but once the secrets surrounding our main character, Mateo, began to surface, I was completely hooked. Things really pick up when Mateo and his best friend, Ophelia, take on a quirky, witchy-woo client named Topher—and from there, everything is turned on its head in the best way.

I absolutely adored the gothic vibes and quick-witted dialogue. The fantasy elements were rich and otherworldly without being overwhelming, and I appreciated how cleverly written and fun it all was. It never took itself too seriously, and that made the mystery and magic all the more enjoyable.

While the spice level sits at a mild one chili pepper, I wouldn’t have minded a little more heat to help deepen the evolving relationships—especially given how well the characters played off one another emotionally and magically.

All in all, a cozy, magical read with just enough edge to keep me turning the pages. I’ll definitely be reading the next one!

I loved this book. I loved this book so much. It was just so fun and quirky—I had the best time! Mateo is working a dead-end job at a printing store, trying to not think too hard about the demon inside of him and the mysterious absence of the mother that put it there. His world is further rocked when he meets Topher, who seeks him out to help with a little problem called “everyone around me keeps dying in random, freakish ways. Mateo’s best friend, Ophelia, joins in on the quest to break the curse and many snarky highjinks ensue. I distinctly didn’t like Topher until I realized that I just really hated the name, not so much the character himself. I hope this is the start of a series!

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in October. Ok this was everything. I was hooked right away and the humour was so good. I laughed out loud more than once literally. It's horror with comedy though so do prepare for it to be gruesome too. I normally struggle with body horror and didn't with this personally, because it wasn't overally detailed, but I don't know your limits.

An Amateur Witch's Guide to Murder was such a fun read! I loved how Valentin managed to maintain a wicked sense of humor while also grappling with darker subject matter; it made the voice really stand out as unique. Mateo and Topher had such a great dynamic (with wonderful will they/won't they tension), and I particularly enjoyed how well developed they were as characters. The plot was unique and twisty, and I loved that I couldn't predict some of the answers to major dramatic questions (i.e. Is Topher's curse related to Mateo's mother, and if so, how?)

Mateo Borrero is just trying to get by; working at a job he hates, living with his best friend Ophelia, and trying to figure out how to rid himself of a pesky demon. After a night of attempting to train the useless new hire, Topher, the two are attacked after leaving the store and things just get weirder from there. Topher reveals that he is actually there to hire Mateo because he is cursed.
What follows is a wild ride of magic, mystery and terror as Mateo, Ophelia and Topher try to figure out why Topher is cursed, and if this has anything to do with Mateo's missing mother.
This book was a wild ride start to finish. Each character has so much depth and personality, and so much supernatural baggage. As the plot begins to unravel it goes to unexpected places and they have to trust each other to make it out alive.

An Amateur Witch's Guide to Magic walks the line between spooky/serious mystery and cozy mystery with exactly the right amount of magic and tragedy. I loved the relationships between main characters and cannot wait to read more from this author.