Series: Glimmer Falls #1
Author: Sarah Hawley
Published March 7th 2023 by Berkley/March 9th by Gollancz

Goodreads Synopsis
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.
Goodreads

Review
All of her life, Mariel Spark has lived with the high expectations that comes with being prophesied as the greatest witch of her generation. However, she's never been able to do anything significant, unless it was to do with flowers and gardening. So it's not really a shock that when she tries to summon some flour for her latest baking project, she accidentally summons a demon instead. Ozroth the Ruthless is renowned among his fellow demons, and his moniker is not one given lightly. However, his reputation has taken a knock recently, and he needs his next soul bargain to go smoothly, or else. Tied together until the bargain is completed, Mariel needs to think of an excuse for Ozroth to be so close to her, and accidentally calls him her new boyfriend. But if only she can convince herself that it's not real.

I had seen only good things about this book, and when the second one was about to be released, I thought I may as well get a hold of a copy, and give it a go. My god, this was a roller coaster of a book, and one I simply couldn't put down! Sarah has created a paranormal world so at home in the modern world that I was almost wishing I could go to Glimmer Falls and meet the ragtag gang. Mariel was such a sweetheart, and though Oz had the capability of being a right grump, he wasn't around her, and Mariel really brought his humanity and feelings back to the forefront. They fell for each other, and fell hard! There were moments of humour, and some of real feeling that I wanted to cry alongside the characters - this book has cemented Sarah on my always read list!

Dates Read:
August 11, 2023

Rating
4 Stars