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Synopsis
In a Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon Mariel Sparks, a witch who has been prophesied to be the most powerful, prefers baking and gardening to performing hexes (much to her mother’s disappointment). So, when Mariel accidentally summons a demon instead of baking flour no one is surprised. Unfortunately, Mariel has summoned Ozroth the Ruthless, a demon who has a reputation to be one of the best soul bargainers, but since his last deal went wrong, Ozroth now has something to prove.
Mariel and Ozroth find themselves stuck together until they either strike a bargain or find a loophole.
What I Loved
Ever since I began reading Witchy romances last fall, I haven’t been able to put them down. However, something in me made me pause when I saw the love interest was going to be a demon. Call me whatever you want, but for some reason, that unsettled me (maybe I haven’t read enough witchy romances). I am also wary of stories that romanticize toxic or abusive behaviors, and I wasn’t sure how the author was going to make a demon who bargains for souls a desirable partner. Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the premise of the story and wanted to see how the demon thing was going to play out. Without giving too much away, the demon, Ozroth the Ruthless, turned out to have an unexpected backstory and character development that got me over the whole “demon thing.”
The relationship between Mariel and her family is very relatable. In this book, we see how difficult it can be to set and maintain boundaries with loved ones, and how disheartening it can be to have an unsupportive, narcissistic parent. If you are lucky enough to have ease setting boundaries or do not have intense, stressful family dynamics, then this story will provide you with an accurate perspective of what that life is like.
This book also contains commentary on environmental activism and conservation (Mariel’s strongest powers come in the form of healing and connecting with nature). Environmentalism is one of my passions, so this aspect of the story was very welcomed and hopefully gets more people talking.
What I Would’ve Changed
Honestly, I thought this book provided a new twist and perspective on the typical Witchy romance. The only thing I wished for at the end of the book was the next installment in the series.
Final Thoughts
A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon felt like it contained aspects of the Ice Planet Barbarians (specifically when dealing with Ozroth), and the Witches of Thistle Grove series (this series also has interesting twists and perspectives while delivering fantastic Witchy romances and you can read a review on Back in a Spell here). So, if any of this post resonates with you, I think you just found your next read.
![📬️A message from our Executive Director:
"On Election Day, I spent five hours live on Zoom, mostly in silence, as other Feminist Book Club members hopped in and out of a virtual Crafting Circle we were hosting. Not everyone was crafting – they read or played video games or cooked or aimed the camera at a bonfire that really helped set the mood.
It was a way for us to be in a cozy environment, safe from the doomscrolling and overwhelming anxiety for just a little longer while the world waited.
I did not go on social media, I did not watch any coverage, I was in bed by 10pm, and woke up feeling surprisingly grounded. I meditated, did a lot of deep breathing, and searched for the election results.
On Instagram and Threads, I saw more than one person saying they’d lost their faith in humanity, and I definitely get that. I also get feeling helpless and hopeless.
And perhaps this is when it really hit me that a big reason I wasn’t feeling that way is because of Feminist Book Club. Because of the community we have here, and the amazing people in it who care so, so deeply. Who care about each other, about the world, about co-creating what comes next.
When I took on the role as Executive Director at FBC, I wrote in that month’s pamphlet: “The world keeps turning and burning, and the need for spaces like this only increases -- spaces where we get to learn, share, grow, sometimes stumble, and express ourselves fully, all while delighting in something we love: books!”
Reading has always been political. Not just because of the ways we get to learn about history, human behavior, what shapes our present and our future, and not just because of how we can develop our empathy and discover experiences well beyond our own. But because it gives us insight into potential futures.
And when we discuss books in community, particularly if we are doing so from an intersectional feminist lens, our learning is multiplied, our empathy is shared, our vision of the future is vast and expansive.
That’s not to say that it’s all going to be okay."
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