A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon (Glimmer Falls)
Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?
Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.
Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can't leave Mariel's side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).
But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she's dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she'll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.
Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.
Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can't leave Mariel's side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).
But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she's dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she'll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.
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Community Reviews
This was a super fun, rom com-esque book! It felt very cozy fantasy for me, which was great! Iâm really enjoying that genre. However, it used a lot of current, trendy slang which I think will age this book way faster than normal.
I loved how Oz supported Mariel and encouraged her to stand up for herself and find value in herself. He pushed her without being aggressive or mean. I really enjoyed how their relationship progressed and how they grew as a couple. Very fun world and Iâm looking forward to more installations in the series.
Tropes: fake dating, forced proximity, guy falls first
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved how Oz supported Mariel and encouraged her to stand up for herself and find value in herself. He pushed her without being aggressive or mean. I really enjoyed how their relationship progressed and how they grew as a couple. Very fun world and Iâm looking forward to more installations in the series.
Tropes: fake dating, forced proximity, guy falls first
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5
There's a lot of good stuff here, but I was also really frustrated. Starting with the good, I like the universe. I like the mix of magical races and a magical town. I liked that Mariel had friends and her friends seemed like decent people. I liked the plant magic Mariel specialized in. I liked Ozroth's descriptions of the demon plane and his upbringing. I thought the audiobook narrator did a good job with everything apart from the male character voices, I really think the book would have benefited from a male narrator for the sections from Ozroth's perspective.
Unfortunately, I did spend most of the book feeling exasperated. The cartoonish portrayal of Mariel's family, her mother in particular, made the entire character journey of standing up to her family feel cheap and forced. The romance was okay most of the time, but became unstable in the later section of the book. The author seemed to condone Mariel's complete lack of faith in Ozroth and immediate acceptance that he would betray her, despite him having never given any evidence that he would do so and having always been honest with her. The book treats the physical and emotional pain he faces afterwards as justified, even when the misunderstanding is cleared up. I found most of the book predictable, but that doesn't tend to bother me unless things are so obvious that the characters look like idiots for not figuring it out themselves.
Content Warnings:
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
There's a lot of good stuff here, but I was also really frustrated. Starting with the good, I like the universe. I like the mix of magical races and a magical town. I liked that Mariel had friends and her friends seemed like decent people. I liked the plant magic Mariel specialized in. I liked Ozroth's descriptions of the demon plane and his upbringing. I thought the audiobook narrator did a good job with everything apart from the male character voices, I really think the book would have benefited from a male narrator for the sections from Ozroth's perspective.
Unfortunately, I did spend most of the book feeling exasperated. The cartoonish portrayal of Mariel's family, her mother in particular, made the entire character journey of standing up to her family feel cheap and forced. The romance was okay most of the time, but became unstable in the later section of the book. The author seemed to condone Mariel's complete lack of faith in Ozroth and immediate acceptance that he would betray her, despite him having never given any evidence that he would do so and having always been honest with her. The book treats the physical and emotional pain he faces afterwards as justified, even when the misunderstanding is cleared up. I found most of the book predictable, but that doesn't tend to bother me unless things are so obvious that the characters look like idiots for not figuring it out themselves.
Content Warnings:
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
I found this book to be pretty annoying. The plot is overly simple and easy to figure out, and the characters are so melodramatic and... ANNOYING! Have I said that already?? This definitely wasn't a good pick for me.
Absolutely adorable. And I didn't mind the "fake dating" trope. It actually made sense for this book. Can't wait for the next one!
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