The Diablo's Curse
The Diablo's Curse
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Publisher's Hardcover ©2024--
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Random House
Annotation: From the author of The Wicked Bargain comes a high-stakes race to defeat a curse designed to kill--about a teen demon who wants to be human, a boy cursed to die young, and the murderous island destined to bury them both. Contains Mature Material
Genre: [Fantasy fiction]
 
Reviews: 4
Catalog Number: #380020
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Special Formats: Adult Language Adult Language
Publisher: Random House
Copyright Date: 2024
Edition Date: 2024 Release Date: 02/20/24
Pages: 388 pages
ISBN: 0-593-37805-9
ISBN 13: 978-0-593-37805-2
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2022061075
Dimensions: 22 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Dami, raised by El Diablo, has learned the ways of making deals with mortals to grant them the things they most desire: love, wealth, prolonged life. In exchange, those humans promise their souls, their firstborn atever it takes. It was through one of these deals that Dami entered El Diablo's world in the first place. Now, to avoid spending eternity as a demonio, or a being of the dead, they must end 127 contracts in eight months. Surprisingly, the first 126 are easy. Then Dami, Latinx half-demon, arrives in nineteenth-century Boston to free the final contractee, Silas Cain. Their bargain is the only thing keeping Silas alive, and he has unfinished business of his own. With their fates inextricably bound, and feelings beginning to smolder, the unlikely duo embarks on a hunt for buried treasure, facing certain death at every turn. Will they survive each other and meet the deadline or be doomed to live forever on someone else's terms? A standalone companion to The Wicked Bargain (2023), this propulsive fantasy explores more of Novoa's imaginative world.

Kirkus Reviews

A demonio grasping for humanity and a human boy with a family curse embark on a hunt for a treasure that will set them free.According to the terms of their bargain with el Diablo, Dami should be human, but their revelry comes to an end when food they should be able to taste turns to ashes in their mouth. El Diablo didn't tell Dami that if they failed to close all their open deals with mortals within a year, they'd revert to being a demonio forever. Silas Cain, who's cued white, carries the burden of a generational curse that would have killed him if he hadn't made a deal with Dami, but now he's stuck in a torturous loop of life and death. When Dami offers to set him free from their soul-binding contract, Silas strikes a new bargain that Dami has no choice but to accept-Silas will end their contract, but only if Dami helps him break the curse and save his younger sister from inheriting tragedy. This book, set in the world of The Wicked Bargain (2023), follows Dami to the New England coast through well-paced shifts in point of view and revealing flashbacks. High stakes and an enemies-to-lovers romance combine to create a satisfyingly suspenseful story. Dami and Silas share the narration with Marisol, a clever and endearing transgender girl whose adventure intertwines with theirs. Dami and Marisol are Mexican, and some of their conversations include Spanish.A tumultuous and romantic adventure. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Publishers Weekly

Taking place in the same world as The Wicked Bargain, this evocative tale by Novoa stars Mexico-born, gender-fluid Dami, formerly a demon, who is living their best life following El Diablo’s death. Walking among humankind, eating food, and being an active member of society has always been Dami’s dream. But that dream is snatched away when Dami’s demonic traits begin manifesting once again. To keep their new life, they must cancel all the deals they made as a demonio. That’s easier said than done, especially since cis white 16-year-old Silas refuses to renege on his bargain, which involves Dami keeping him alive as a countermeasure against a family curse that doomed Silas to die young. The duo instead team up with shipwrecked 16-year-old Mexican trans girl Marisol to journey across New England seeking Captain Kidd’s legendary lost treasure, which they believe can be used to break Silas’s curse. Some context and worldbuilding relies on having read The Wicked Bargain, which can be a deterrent to newcomers. Still, by utilizing Dami, Silas, and Marisol’s alternating POVs, Novoa explores themes of masculinity, gender, and colonization, and meditates on how the histories of queer and immigrant peoples intertwine. Ages 12–up. Agent: Louise Fury, Bent Agency. (Feb.)

School Library Journal (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2024)

Gr 9 Up— Dami will do anything to escape being doomed to life as a demonio with no human senses after their awful childhood with El Diablo. Unfortunately, this requires them to undo each and every one of their 127 deals with humans; easy enough until Dami meets Silas, whose family curse of untimely death is thwarted by the deal Silas made with Dami. Unless Dami can help Silas undo the curse by finding and returning Captain Kidd's treasure, Silas cannot agree to dissolve the deal without dooming his sister to death, but as they travel to and try to survive the invisible island where the treasure lies, time is quickly running out for Dami's hopes of staying human. Upon finding the invisible island of Kidd lore, they meet shipwrecked Marisol, a smart, funny, and kind transgender girl who may be their only hope of figuring out the puzzles keeping the treasure hidden—and once the treasure is found, Dami will have to decide what is really most important to them. Novoa hits his stride here with snarky, sparkly characters, threading exciting action and Silas's repeated visceral deaths with warmly emotional and gently informative scenes. As all three characters work to break free of the roles that others have placed them in, questions of identity, self-awareness, and self-definition arise and are handled with genuine care and heart. The slow-burn romance feels sweetly shy and grows organically. VERDICT An energetic, dynamic, and satisfying adventure.— Allie Stevens

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2024)
Reading Level: 6.0
Interest Level: 7-12
Lexile: 770L
Chapter 1

January 13, 1821

The best part of being human, Dami decides, is feeling alive.

Dami feels alive every time they eat a delicious meal, like a plateful of freshly fried maduros (their first meal as a human). They feel alive every time they kiss someone attractive, like when they kissed a boy and a girl in the same night (their first night as a human). And right now, a little over four months later, sitting in the Green Dragon Tavern with a bad poker hand, losing a rich white boy's money, Dami feels well and truly alive.

Life, Dami thinks with a smile, is dangerous.

The rich boy's name is Charles Edward Talbot III. He's seventeen, so the same age Dami has estimated for themself. Charles Edward Talbot III sounds like an ass, not that Dami would know, as they've never met him. They just observed him from afar for a day so they could copy his face, walk, mannerisms, and speech well enough to pretend to be him. It's easy, pretending to be someone else. Especially when that someone has access to a lot of money.

The real Charles Edward Talbot III is now at boarding school rubbing elbows with other white boys who were fortunate enough to be born rich. The Charles who Dami is pretending to be returned home early due to illness and will take a few weeks to recover. No one questions this because, of course, Charles is moneyed and you can do whatever you want when you're rich enough. Even Charles's father, who lives somewhere in the massive estate the Talbots call home, barely looked up from his newspaper when "Charles" announced their return.

(It's a bit rude, actually, that man's complete and utter dis­regard for his son. But it serves Dami well.)

The Green Dragon Tavern is full of people, as it always is. The endless music of conversation, of tinkling glasses and pouring ale, of uproarious laughter and shouts like cymbals and the guiro-­like scrape of wooden chairs on squeaky floorboards--­it's a symphony to Dami's ears. Even the nearby fireplace crackles in a percussive undertone. Being a part of the clamor of reality is all Dami ever wanted.

And now they have it. And they're losing this poker game. Badly.

Dami's already burned through Charles's weekly allowance, so they'll probably have to sell more of his stuff soon. Or . . .

"What if I throw in my waistcoat?" they ask the table. It's a nice waistcoat. Powder blue with silver-­threaded flowers and opalescent buttons. It brings out Charles's pale eyes. One of the Talbots' staff members must know it, because Dami took it from the very front of his closet.

"You really want to walk out of here naked?" asks Saul, a bearded older man seated across from Dami. Dami has played poker with Saul nearly every night this week. Dami hasn't won once, but they think they're starting to get the hang of the game.

They haven't gotten the hang of winning, mind you, but that hardly matters when you're losing other people's money.

"I could think of worse things," Dami says.

"It's snowing," Saul reminds them with a laugh.

He has a point there.

"I do like that waistcoat," says a greasy blond boy not much older than Dami--­or Charles, for that matter. The boy has mentioned his name at least six times tonight, but Dami is determined not to know it.

"I'd look good in that waistcoat," Greasy adds thoughtfully, staring at Dami's clothes with a wolfish gaze.

"Right." Dami lowers their cards. "Well, in that case, I fold."

Greasy scowls as Saul guffaws and others around the table chuckle or hide smirks behind their hands. Dami winks at the oily trust-fund boy and waltzes over to the bar top, weaving around tables pushed together and dodging drunken hand gestures.

Leaning against the bar, Dami finds the bartender. He's a young man with muscled arms and a pleasant face. Oh, hello. "Hot ale, please." Dami flashes their signature winning smile.

"Of course, Mr. Talbot." He slides a basket of freshly baked buns and a plate of butter over. "For your wait."

"Don't mind if I do." They wink at the bartender, who offers a hesitant smile before turning back to the liquors.

Dami slices a bun open with the provided butter knife, mouth already watering as the warm scent hits them. The bun is fluffy and soft, exactly how Dami has learned they like them best. After meticulously buttering each steaming half, Dami closes their eyes and breathes in the warm, salty scent. Like the first rays of morning light to kiss your skin.

When Dami was a demonio, they never realized how good food smells--­even the simplest of meals. It was an aspect of living they'd never really thought about; after all, if you've never experienced smell, there isn't much to wonder about.

Life without touch, without taste, without smell was empty. Now that Dami has experienced them all, they're never returning to that hollow existence. Not even the King of Hell could drag them back to their former half life.

The first bite of bread is so airy and warm--­with just a hint of sweetness--­that Dami nearly groans. The second is a little drier, but when that melted butter hits their tongue, it's euphoria. The third bite drier still--­almost stale. That doesn't make sense; these rolls just came out of the oven.

The fourth bite collapses, filling their mouth with a dry powder that sits like chalk on their tongue. Or sawdust. Or--­

Dami gags and spits into their hand. Again. And again. But their mouth is a desert, and all they can taste is--­

"Here you are," the bartender says, placing a steaming pint in front of them.

Dami grabs it and takes a huge swig. But the moment the hot liquid hits their tongue, it turns to powder--­this time so much their mouth feels stuffed with it.

The bartender and Dami lock eyes. It takes every ounce of Dami's self-­control to keep the powder sitting in their mouth without choking on it or retching all over the bar. Instead, Dami breathes through their nose, heart pounding, as they lower the pint back to the bar top. The liquid sloshes in the glass, mocking them.

"Are you all right?" the bartender asks with a frown. Except he isn't the handsome young man Dami was admiring just moments earlier--­his face has transformed into something older, something crueler. A trim black beard accentuates his defined jaw, and as his gaze meets Dami's, his eyes glow like burning coals.

Dami gets up so quickly they knock the stool over and trip over it. They catch themself on a nearby table and beeline for the door. The pounding of their pulse drowns out the tavern's song. Their mouth tastes like death. The powder is so close to the back of their throat.

It can't be him. Something is wrong. He's dead--­

"Charles!" The greasy boy from the poker game is the last human on earth Dami wants to see right now, so naturally he's the one who steps right in front of the exit, just feet away. "Do you have a moment? I was thinking--­"

Dami shoves past him, slams through the front door, races around to the alleyway on the side of the building, and bends over, gagging as powder pours from their lips. They spit and cough, eyes watering as they scrape their tongue with their shirtsleeve. It's barely enough; their mouth is pasty. But every time they spit, they clear a little more.

Catching their breath, spitting, shuddering, Dami crouches over the snowy brick, pressing their palms against their closed eyes.

El Diablo is dead, they remind themself, like they have nearly every night since they betrayed him.

"El Diablo is dead," they whisper, like they have in Charles's dark bedroom after waking from dreams full of their former keeper's laughter.

But if he's dead, why do they keep seeing him everywhere?

Slowly, Dami wipes the wet from their eyes as they take a steadying breath. The stuff from their mouth is now piled between their shoes. Painted in night, the powder is gray and fine, with a tinge of yellow. Almost like . . .

Dami runs their fingers through the pile--­then yanks their hand back. The pounding in their ears crescendos in a tidal wave. They know exactly what it is, and as reality crashes into them with all the force of a hurricane, Dami can't breathe.

Piled on the ground, undeniably, are ashes.

Excerpted from The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Bargain and Most Ardently comes a high-stakes race to defeat a curse designed to kill--about a teen demon who wants to be human, a boy cursed to die young, and the murderous island destined to bury them both.

Dami is a demon determined to cancel every deal they've ever made in order to tether their soul to earth and become human again. There's just one person standing in their way: Silas. An irresistibly (and stubborn) cute boy cursed to die young, except for the deal with Dami that is keeping him alive. If they cancel the deal, Silas is dead. Unless... they can destroy the curse that has plagued Silas's family for generations. But to do so, Dami and Silas are going to have to work together.  That is, if the curse doesn't kill them first. . . .


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