Calladia Cunnington finds herself in a strange situation when she accidentally saves Astaroth the demon from an attack one night. Astaroth isn’t exactly on Calladia’s nice list after he orchestrated a soul bargain on her best friend, but his amnesia has her unwilling to let him roam around with a demon out to kill him. The pair set off on a journey to find a witch who might be able to restore his memories. But as the journey continues and the two spend more time together, Calladia starts to realize how much she likes this new version of Astaroth and how she’s not too keen on him regaining his memories after all.
After the misadventures of Mariel and Ozroth, it was definitely fun to return to the world of Glimmer Falls alongside Calladia and Astaroth. The insta-hate between the two made for a compelling will they-won’t they romance that had me giggling often, especially in this book where Astaroth has no idea they are enemies.
Despite the fun cartoon cover romance, things are not all fun and games. Calladia struggles with anxiety and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother. Hawley manages to tackle these tough issues with care and finds a way to remind readers that their mental health is just as important as anything. In a contemporary fantasy world like Glimmer Falls, these very relatable topics kept the story grounded.
As Calladia and Astaroth reach the end of their journey, there are some surprises that I wasn’t expecting. The final face-off happened in a way that was completely different than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised! The stakes along the journey didn’t feel too high but were ratcheted up near the end and had me racing to see how it would end.
A DEMON’S GUIDE TO WOOING A WITCH by Sarah Hawley is the second book in the Glimmer Falls series. It’s available now and you can grab a copy for yourself here. And, if you haven’t already, grab a copy of the first book in the series A WITCH’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING A DEMON to catch up before book three hits shelves in August.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review. If you purchase a copy using my Bookshop affiliate link above, not only will I receive a small commission (which will fuel my coffee and tea addiction and help to keep me up all night reading more books to recommend to you), but you will be supporting indie bookstores as well! If you prefer Amazon, visit my Amazon storefront and click on the list titled "2024 Book Recommendations."
