The Wicked Bargain is a whirlwind adventure that’s impossible to put down!

I legitimately could not tell you the last time that I had this much fun with a YA novel, but I can confidently say that this book is an immensely enjoyable read whether you’re a die-hard YA fan or not! Every chapter had me mentally telling myself ‘just one more,’ and the adventure and stakes were everything I wanted when I first saw the synopsis of this story! I also absolutely adored the casual queerness, and the fact that this was told in third-person pov! I feel like it’s hard to find stories with protagonists who use they/them (or any other pronouns outside of he/she) that are told outside of first-person, and it’s so much more satisfying when it’s front and center in the narrative!

I absolutely fell in love with Mar from the start, and the rest of the cast was no exception! I loved the found family they were able to have and I loved watching them grow and learn to trust Bas and the rest of the crew! Dami was also a highlight for me–I always love a morally gray, genderfluid character!

I wish this book was longer–I felt like everything was tied up well, and it was long enough, but I wasn’t quite ready to part with the characters yet! I think I could read about Mar and Bas and Dami endlessly without getting sick of them! I’m definitely going to be thinking about this book for a long time, that’s for sure!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I tell y'all this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 from the moment author Gabe Cole Novoa announced it on his Twitter... I was so excited to get my hands on an ARC. I think there was keysmashing to my friends involved. And I'm so pleased to say it was worth the hype. This is a beautiful book full of needed representation, adventure, new ideas, and surprisingly soft relationships in a hard world of pirates and magic and violence.

Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teenager born with the incredible ability to do fire and ice magic. For their first sixteen years, their life has been relatively great, until, on their birthday, El Diablo comes to collect. Because Mar's father made a deal sixteen years ago, and it's come due. The cost? Their father's life, and the lives of the entire crew. Mar is the only one to miraculously survive, rescued by the only pirate crew left in the Caribbean. But El Diablo is still after them, demanding their soul in exchange for their father's by the next harvest moon. Mar's only allies are Bas, the frustratingly cocky (and then frustratingly attractive) son of the new ship's captain, and Dami, an untrustworthy genderfluid demonio. If Mar can learn to channel their magic by the next full moon, then maybe they stand a chance of saving their father. If only they had the courage.

The Wicked Bargain was everything I hoped it was going to be going in. Found families of pirates where queerness just exists. While Mar does experience some angst over their identity since it is such a large part of who they are, it always comes back to a place of acceptance with those around them. The pirates don't question queerness - everyone just is. And all of that against a diverse Caribbean Latinx background is such a lovely thing to see. Novoa does such an amazing job writing Mar's body dysphoria over their nonbinary identity and how that gets so tied up in their anxiety over their magic. We see a world that is quicker to accept queerness than they are magic, and the implications seen in that regard are fascinating.
The setting itself is so lush and atmospheric, letting you fall into the story. You're never able to forget that, although this is a world where magic exists, it is also still a world where the Latinx are fighting for their freedom from the Spanish invaders.

I adored this story and I absolutely cannot wait to add it to my school shelves!

I really enjoyed THE WICKED BARGAIN and all it had to offer: A compelling story, inclusive representation (both cultural and queer!), and solid writing. Writing reviews for books I enjoy (but didn't overwhelmingly LOVE) is difficult, so bear with me, and this might be a little on the shorter side.

My dislikes of this title are that part of it felt familiar fantasy-ish worldbuilding with a more pirate-y flare. And that's not a bad thing. But I do read a lot and there is a point where I just crave something different and more, and there were parts of this that just didn't deliver for me. I'm not overly fond of elemental magic and the "wicked bargain" sort of storyline has become tiring for me.

Boil the story down and you've got a fairly standard YA fantasy (not a bad thing) but with much more inclusiveness (ever a good thing.) The writing was enjoyable enough to have me tearing through the pages and the characters intriguing enough for me to root for them.

So, while not a four- or five-star read, I still recommend this work, especially for those of queer orientation, who will get a genuine kick out of the acceptance (generally speaking) and badassery of this work. Looking forward to recommending this to teens in my library who I know will enjoy it.

Well, it's safe to say I love this book. It's easily going to be on my favorites of the year. Latinx pirates! Finally! Mar is a transmasc nonbinary pirate with magia -- and they are not comfortable using it. Reading about how they come to terms with their power was my absolute favorite part of the book. Also gay pirates. And a really fantastic YA voice.

Will recommend to, well, everyone, but especially fans of Our Flag Means Death and anything piratey.

When el Diablo shows up to claim Mar's father's soul on their sixteenth birthday, Mar's life is changed forever. Suddenly they go from being the child of the captain of one of the most feared pirate crews in the whole Caribbean to a cabin boy on another pirate ship. From having a safe place to release their magia in small amounts so it doesn't consume them, to having to hide it to keep themself safe. And suddenly they're facing down the possibility of their own bargain with the devil: el Diablo has given them a chance to get their father back. But Mar knows el Diablo can't be trusted.
Still, when a demonio shows up, constantly pushing Mar to use their magia, with offers of a deal of their own, Mar's life dances closer and closer to another encounter with el Diablo. When the crew of their new ship is in danger, Mar is forced to make a choice: risk their own life for the crew's, or watch as everyone they know and love dies yet again.

The Wicked Bargain is a stunning book about love and identity-- about the lengths we go for the people we love, and the lengths we go to get to know, and learn to love, ourselves just as we are, even the parts that scare us the most.

This book had me kicking my feet and gasping in distress within a few pages, and I loved every second of it.

The Wicked Bargain follows Mar, a non-binary latinx pirate with the power to manipulate fire and ice, on a quest to save their father from El Diablo. On the way, they meet Bas, the son of another major Pirate Captain, and Dami, a genderfluid demonio who seems strangely insistent on helping Mar with their quest. Along the way Mar makes some unlikely relationships with the people around them and finds the confidence to harness the power within them.

When I saw that this book was going to be about a non-binary kid with magic, I knew that I would love it. And I was right. I fell in love with Mar and then I fell in love with Bas, much to my disbelief. These characters and their story was beautifully written, with segments of flashbacks to provide background and depth to the story. I also loved exploring the world and getting a look at life on the sea.

The Wicked Bargain is a heartwarming story with twists and turns that will keep you glued to the story and love every second of it.

I received this arc from NetGalley and Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

queer pirates, forbidden elemental magic, and the literal devil himself. all set within the vibrant caribbean ocean’s. (quite literally pirates of the caribbean but what if it’s gay. but so much more.)

to say i fell in love with mar and their sea-faring adventures would be an understatement. we’re following their grief after losing their crew, their family. all while trying to see if they can bring them back from the dead. we meet bas and dami and learn to love their irritating but ultimately lovable charm. the way that mar has. we see mar grow their fire and ice powers, forming into their truest selves as the book progresses.

and especially, we see their non-binary identity play a large role in their everyday. while queerness is seen so casually in this fantastical caribbean 1800s (these pirates are all so very gay)… we still see mar worry. not only with their magic, but with the fact that they do have body dysphoria. and while it always hits just a little to close to home, i appreciate the representation, the mentions, every. damn. time. because it’s real. because non-binary and trans pirates were really a thing. because it’s important representation for queer teens, and especially queer teens of color to see.

i also loved to see the incorporation of spanish into the book. i, personally, do not speak the language. and while i didn’t stop to translate every new word, i still stop many a times. i wanted the full context. i wanted to know their conversations, their thoughts. i am so curious to know why the author chose to swap words and where. but also, i get it. as a (mostly) bilingual person, sentences get muddled between the languages. and i know that not all readers will appreciate it, but i certainly do.

anyways, there’s nothing quite like starting a new book and immediately knowing that it’s going to be a new all time favorite read. and that’s what this was.

Though the pronoun references tripped me up periodically, the rest of this book was so well-written that I couldn't put it down. Mar is a Latinx pirate on his father's ship in the Caribbean, and though they present as a 16-year-old boy, they keep a cloth binder around their chest and keep secret their ability to control the magic of fire and ice.

It's a real page-turner of the book, as so many terrible things happen that force Mar to keep plugging away. There's the suggestion of romance between Mar and the son of another pirate, and examples of same-sex relationships among the pirates, but really Mar has only one goal: to save his father from El Diablo, a devil who has possessed his soul.

It's amazing how there is so much detail and so much plot, but it all comes down to one very specific goal. Very well structured as well as well written.

This book blew me away. I adore this and want to have it on every and any LGBTQIA+ reading list for 2023. Novoa does an incredible job seamlessly blending the aspects of being LGBTQIA+ with fantasy and that seamless blending makes every aspect of the book even mroe rich for someone who is nonbinary and queer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

I discovered this book through the Instagram page of actor Vico Ortiz, who narrated the audiobook, and whom I adore (if you liked this book and haven't yet watched Our Flag Means Death on HBO, which they star in, you need to), and I'm so glad I was approved for it on NetGalley.

This was such a fun fantastical pirate story, which will appeal to people who love pirates, deals with devils, queer stories, and/or Latinx stories. Mar is such a great character who grows and develops through the course of the book, and Bas and Dami both really grew on me throughout the book. The ending is satisfying, yet still believable (not everything gets fixed, because not everything CAN be fixed).

I'm in love with this queer (not quite normative, but with huge pockets of acceptance), magical pirate story! It gripped me from the first page and didn't let go until the end, and I could scarcely put it down with everything that happened in between.

I was hooked on this one immediately! Mar, a transmasculine nonbinary pirate, has their world turned upside down on the day they turn sixteen when el Diablo comes to collect on a deal that their father made when they were an infant. When they unexpectedly survive the encounter they have to hide their magia that they could barely control and try to survive on a new pirate ship and without their family. When el Diablo comes to them and offers a chance to enter a new deal with him to save their father for the price of their soul or try and find their own way to save him by doing what seems impossible by embracing their magia and accepting who they are.

I loved the characters, Mar, Bas, Dami, and the other crew mates. Bas liked Mar from the start and stood by them when things were tough and Mar tried to protect him in return. Dami was funny and showed Mar that their magia wasn't something to afraid of and that it didn't make them into a monster to embrace it.
I loved how it was set in a historical setting, the Caribbean in the 1820s, and that being queer wasn't something that was easily accepted by these characters. The world-building was also fantastic. I would love to see more of these characters or others in this same world.

If there was anything that I thought was just okay, was that sometimes the pacing felt a little off. They were given a deadline pretty early on but time seemed to fly by with Mar just saying "oh I have this much time left" but without them working to figure out their magia or what they were going to do. Then everything built pretty quickly at the end and wrapped up fairly fast.

I would love to see more of these characters or others in this same world and I'll definitely pick this up for myself when it comes out!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Wicked Bargain is a fun debut, and I was drawn to the concept of a queer Latinx pirates, especially since much of the pirate-centric media is overwhelmingly white and cishet. I love how the narrative focuses on taking the power back from people who benefited (even indirectly) from colonialism and exploring the truly diverse world of the Caribbean and piracy. The choice to pepper in Spanish liberally throughout the text further helps with the immersion, and it’s still fairly easy for non-Spanish speakers to pick up the context, or to rely on translation aids to assits in their comprehension.
And the choice to center LGBTQ+ people in a historical (albeiit fantastical) setting is radical too, even if there is precedent for it in pirate history. It shows that queer history hasn’t always been about struggle and bigotry, and there have been societies where there was a more fluid understanding of gender identity or two people of the same gender could marry and reap the benefits of that arrangement, similar to their cishet counterparts.
Mar is a great lead, and a great example of how you can have a queer character dealing with complex issues and high stakes without being defined by all the struggles that can come from being queer. They’ve dealt with loss and are reckoning with the trauma, as well as the impact their magical powers have on their perception of them in society. Throughout the book, they go on a realistic journey of grappling with their issues and growing, coming to terms with them.
I also love how the story centers found-family, with Mar being saved by another pirate crew and being taken in, while he is dealing with the loss of his birth family. There are truly some colorful characters among the bunch, like the ever-friendly Bas, who is incredibly loyal to Mar. And with there being a fantasy element, there’s also the genderfluid demon Dami, and I love the dynamic that develops between them and Mar.
With equal focus on the adventure and the protagonist’s personal growth, the story moved at a consistent pace, and kept me invested throughout. My personal engagement in the story remained constant throughout, and I finished the book feeling satisfied with the overall trajectory of the narrative.
This is a wonderfully original story, and one I’d recommend to anyone who is looking for a pirate story that centers a more diverse lens.

The Wicked Bargain is a fun pirate adventure set in the 1820s featuring magia, queer Latine rep, and YA romance.

What I loved:

The transmasculine nonbinary rep felt so genuine and relatable. I love how Novoa characterized it through the main character Mar.

The Latine rep based on pirates from Puerto Rico and Cuba and the acknowledgment of enslaved people kept on crew.

The genderfluid demonio Dami. I’d love a spin-off story just for them. Their character has a lot of complexity that can be further uncovered.

What was just okay:

Some of the themes were very repetitive regarding Mar not wanting to use their magia. I also found the final battle between them and el Diablo a bit hard to believe and somewhat predictable.

Overall, this is an incredible read for YA audiences of any background to serve as either a mirror for queer kids or a window (for those who aren’t) into a queer experience in historical times.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

I really enjoyed the found-family aspect of this book and definitely identified with Mar's struggles of being a trans-masculine nonbinary person. However, I would have loved a deeper dive into how Mar's magic worked.

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
“Easy to worship magia if you’re not forced to hide it all the time”
~~~
Thank you Gabe Cole Novoa, Random House Children’s Books, and NetGalley for granting me an eARC.
I absolutely loved that this book was all about LGBTQIA+, the representation is on point. Loved that there was no hate or any other traumatic event with the characters being who they are. Everyone was allowed to be who they are.
And then the adventure of being pirates fighting demons with magic. Oh it just gets better and better. Then the magic system was intriguing. Novoa’s writing haha hooked me with this book and I’m very interested to see what his other books have in store
The Wicked Bargain out Feb. 28,2023! Preorder now!

#latinablogger #netgalley #earc #thewickedbargain #gabecolenovoa #randomhousechildrensbooks #bookrecommendations #bookreview #lgbtqbooks #representationmatters #magic #pirates

Thank you to Random House Children’s for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of ‘THE WICKED BARGAIN’.

What a beautiful story. Gabe Cole Novoa has such a beautiful way with words, and Mar’s story genuinely brought tears to my eyes more than once — one of my new favorite characters that I’ve gotten lucky enough to read so far this year. Their relationships with both Bas and Dami made my heart so warm, and while I would’ve liked to see a bit more interactions between Mar and their crew, their love for them was so genuine and clear to see. It’s such a fantastic story, and I sincerely recommend adding ‘THE WICKED BARGAIN’ to your 2023 TBR, coming out February 28, 2023.

“We all hurt each other, hije. We don't mean to, but we're human…This isn't the last time you'll hurt someone you love. And when that happens, you do what you can to make it better."

Pirate stories are a genre we definitely don’t get enough of, so you can imagine my delight when I got an ARC of Gabe Cole Novoa's FANTASTIC new book, "The Wicked Bargain." I haven’t read a fantasy novel in recent memory that told such a great story as a stand alone story—a truly captivating adventure that begins and ends between two covers, without needing to prop up or kick off a series.

Mar, a trans masculine non-binary teenage pirate is no stranger to hiding—who they truly are and the magia coursing through their body. When El Diablo comes to claim Mar’s father and his entire crew as a part of a wicked bargain, Mar must find a way to save their only family. Rescued by one of the last remaining pirate crews in the Caribbean, Mar meets Bas, the captain’s annoyingly arrogant and handsome son. Together, along with a gender-fluid demonio named Dami, Mar must learn to no longer fear their power as they work to save their Papá.
Novoa's characters are truly what makes this book the treat that it is—there is a heart to each of the main characters that makes the reader want to engage with them more. Mar’s inner conflict, both with who they are and the burden of their magia, plays out beautifully across the novel, with Bas being a wonderfully comic foil to Mar. Dami is unique as a character because we see Mar recognize things they are jealous of in Dami, but also representing everything wrong with their current situation. These aren’t characters you love to hate or anything, but rather people we truly hope things work out for in the end.

The story’s pacing is focused, keeping the action of the story at the center of the storytelling, not allowing subplots or side quests to get in the way. We sense the determination of Mar in the quickness of plot, something that can sometimes burden other fantasy plots. Although it doesn’t seem set up for a sequel, I truly hope this isn’t the last we see of Mar and Bas.

Mar León de la Rosa might be my new favorite pirate. This story has a lot of heart but is also a lot of fun... and there's even a slow burn flirtation thrown in to all of it. Readers will easily find themselves emotionally invested in what's happening to Mar and Bas and the crew, they'll be intrigued by Dami and they'll be cursing right along with Mar when el Diablo makes an appearance.

This novel features: Latinx pirates w/a trans masc enby MC, a devil deal gone wrong, secret magic, and a genderfluid demon w/ their own agenda - what's not to love about all of that?! Mar's magia was really interesting to delve in to more as the plot progressed and they grappled with embracing their powers in a world where it's not safe for them if people know they can use magic.

Something I really appreciate that Novoa did with THE WICKED BARGAIN is that they wove Spanish words and phrases into the narrative without automatically then just writing the exact same words/sentences out in English. Non-Spanish speakers will easily be able to figure out what's happening based on the context of the rest of the scene... and if you absolutely NEED to know what was said, look it up. This is a novel about pirates in the Caribbean fighting against Spanish colonization, there's going to be non-English languages spoken.

Overall this was a great read and while this works as a standalone... I want more!

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.