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therazzmatazz13's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alexalovesbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
olliebolen's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Body horror, Stalking, and Car accident
thepetitepunk's review
4.0
Thank you to Turn the Page Tours, Alex Brown, and Page Street YA for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Damned If You Do was a joy to read. It’s no secret that I can’t resist representation in books (especially YA!) that applies to me, so when I saw this was by a queer biracial Filipino American author, clearly I had no choice but to pick this up. I don’t typically read fantasy, or paranormal, or horror, or whatever you want to classify this as, but I’m so glad I gave this debut a shot!
Full of Filipino folklore, complex family dynamics, theater appreciation, and enjoyable characters, Damned If You Do is an exciting, colorful read. The writing was tight but witty and I loved all the action. It’s a fast paced book—I burned through it in less than 24 hours—that isn’t bogged down by excessive world building while still creating a rich atmosphere. A strong debut that looks promising for any future releases from Alex Brown!
Damned If You Do was a joy to read. It’s no secret that I can’t resist representation in books (especially YA!) that applies to me, so when I saw this was by a queer biracial Filipino American author, clearly I had no choice but to pick this up. I don’t typically read fantasy, or paranormal, or horror, or whatever you want to classify this as, but I’m so glad I gave this debut a shot!
Full of Filipino folklore, complex family dynamics, theater appreciation, and enjoyable characters, Damned If You Do is an exciting, colorful read. The writing was tight but witty and I loved all the action. It’s a fast paced book—I burned through it in less than 24 hours—that isn’t bogged down by excessive world building while still creating a rich atmosphere. A strong debut that looks promising for any future releases from Alex Brown!
jenkiefer53's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thanksfrthemoomeries's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
peterse1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
heyitsmeg777's review
5.0
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Damned if you do review
77
Because demon hunting is always fun.
Song Vibe Check:
"Cheerleader" By: Ashnikko
"There will be blood" By: Kim Petras
"Little girl gone" By: Chinchilla
Note: Thank you to tbrandbeyond tours for the chance to participate in this book tour!!
Normally, I would be the sort of person to skip out on horror books since it is not a genre I gravitate towards, but after reading Alex Brown's short story in the Gathering Dark and loving the witty, sarcastic and boom in your face writing that grabs you by the throat and makes you want to read more... then you can guess how much I cheered when I got the chance to read Damned if you do early!
So, here we go.
Short summary: The resident lesbian stage manager accidentally made a deal with the devil and now needs to pay her dues-- or die trying.
Long Summary:Queer Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Filipino folklore in this horror comedy about a high school stage manager who accidentally sells her soul to a demon.
Seven years ago, Cordelia Scott’s abusive father left without a word, and life has been normal ever since. The seventeen-year-old spends her days stage managing the school play (which is going great, if anyone asks), pining over her best friend, Veronica, and failing one too many pop quizzes.
She’s never been sad that her father left, but she knows something is...missing. When her school guidance counselor, Fred, reveals during a session that he’s actually a demon, she learns that something is indeed a piece of her actual soul. Why? She unwittingly made a deal with him to make her father disappear – then bargained to have the memory erased. To make matters worse, Fred is here to make another Help him with a “little” demonic problem, or she’s doomed to spend eternity in Hell with her father.
The deal? Help Fred neutralize a rival demon, who means to do more harm in her hometown than your average demon deal.
This has easily become one of my favorite books of the year. With the wry humor, the amazing chapter titles that are on a brand new level of sarcasm and a shady legend in a small town while demon hunting, falling in love and making sure to not fall apart in the process, Cordelia's journey was a huge rollercoaster but easily, a worthy one as this is one of the few books I would want to come back to and read again.
And hey, we love spooky reads before October.
Overall: 5/5 stars
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Damned if you do review
77
Because demon hunting is always fun.
Song Vibe Check:
"Cheerleader" By: Ashnikko
"There will be blood" By: Kim Petras
"Little girl gone" By: Chinchilla
Note: Thank you to tbrandbeyond tours for the chance to participate in this book tour!!
Normally, I would be the sort of person to skip out on horror books since it is not a genre I gravitate towards, but after reading Alex Brown's short story in the Gathering Dark and loving the witty, sarcastic and boom in your face writing that grabs you by the throat and makes you want to read more... then you can guess how much I cheered when I got the chance to read Damned if you do early!
So, here we go.
Short summary: The resident lesbian stage manager accidentally made a deal with the devil and now needs to pay her dues-- or die trying.
Long Summary:Queer Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Filipino folklore in this horror comedy about a high school stage manager who accidentally sells her soul to a demon.
Seven years ago, Cordelia Scott’s abusive father left without a word, and life has been normal ever since. The seventeen-year-old spends her days stage managing the school play (which is going great, if anyone asks), pining over her best friend, Veronica, and failing one too many pop quizzes.
She’s never been sad that her father left, but she knows something is...missing. When her school guidance counselor, Fred, reveals during a session that he’s actually a demon, she learns that something is indeed a piece of her actual soul. Why? She unwittingly made a deal with him to make her father disappear – then bargained to have the memory erased. To make matters worse, Fred is here to make another Help him with a “little” demonic problem, or she’s doomed to spend eternity in Hell with her father.
The deal? Help Fred neutralize a rival demon, who means to do more harm in her hometown than your average demon deal.
This has easily become one of my favorite books of the year. With the wry humor, the amazing chapter titles that are on a brand new level of sarcasm and a shady legend in a small town while demon hunting, falling in love and making sure to not fall apart in the process, Cordelia's journey was a huge rollercoaster but easily, a worthy one as this is one of the few books I would want to come back to and read again.
And hey, we love spooky reads before October.
Overall: 5/5 stars
gabriellabuba's review
5.0
If you are or were a snarky theatre kid and love demon deals and aswang (vampires) and relationships best described as "It's complicated, no really really complicated," this is the book for you. Cordelia had me hooked from page 1 as a theatre props master I was having flashbacks to tech weeks of my own. Plus I really adored all the complex relationships, friendships, enemy-ships, and family connections that this book dug it's teeth into.
Give me all the queer biracial Filipino kids figuring things out in all their glorious messiness please. Huge thank you to Alex Brown and Page Street for providing me the ARC
Give me all the queer biracial Filipino kids figuring things out in all their glorious messiness please. Huge thank you to Alex Brown and Page Street for providing me the ARC