A hilarious and action-packed urban fantasy, this book delivers plenty of supernatural fun. The witty protagonist and fast-paced plot keep readers engaged, while the blend of magic and humor gives it a unique appeal. Though the story can feel chaotic at times, the sharp writing and entertaining twists make it a must-read for fantasy lovers.

I am absolutely thrilled to share my enthusiastic review of Big Demon Energy by Deborah Wilde, a phenomenal addition to her impressive repertoire! As an avid fan of this author, I was excited to dive into this new series, and I was not disappointed.

The protagonist, Aviva, is a strong and complex character, expertly crafted by Wilde. Her secrets and struggles make her relatable and endearing, and her relationships with her team members are genuine and heartwarming. The dynamics between Aviva and her ex-boyfriend-turned-co-investigator, Ezra, are electric, and I'm intrigued by the potential for their romance to unfold.

The world-building is nothing short of phenomenal! Wilde masterfully weaves together various realms, creating a rich tapestry of magic and mystery. The supporting cast is equally impressive, with characters like Ezra being a particular standout (let's just say he's "yummy" indeed!). Cherry, another member of the team, is a scene-stealer with her wit and sass.

As an action-packed thriller, Big Demon Energy had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The plot twists and turns are expertly crafted, keeping me guessing until the very end. Wilde's writing style is engaging and unique, with a hint of humor that had me laughing out loud at times.

In conclusion, Big Demon Energy is a must-read for fans of urban fantasy and mystery. Deborah Wilde has once again proved herself to be a master storyteller, delivering a captivating and entertaining ride that will leave you eager for more. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling adventure with a dash of romance and humor.

I had so much fun reading Big Demon Energy by Deborah Wilde! She creates such a fun world with some really interesting magic systems. Big Demon Energy is the first book of the Bedeviled AF series, so of course you should read it first. I can't wait until book 2 comes out!

My favorite line of the promo material is "She’s just a demon, standing in front of a vampire, trying not to punch him." Truly, it is the overarching theme of the book. Aviva Fleischer lives in a world where paranormal creatures have come out of the closet and she is a part of the organization that polices them using magic from the Jewish faith. That vampire - he's her ex-boyfriend who broke up with her by simply vanishing. Avi did not enjoy that and now she has to work with him on her team.

Avi is one of my favorite characters I've read this year. She is funny, quippy, and sarcastic in all my favorite ways. The situations and obstacles they encounter are a blast to read, while making you wonder who really did it and why.

This one had good writing, cool worldbuilding and fun characters, yet I found myself struggling constantly while reading this. A case of a good book at a wrong time? Probably.

I feel bad giving this only two stars, but maybe I reread it at some other time when I'm in the mood for something like this.

This was my first book by Deborah Wilde. It was fresh and creative, but it somehow didn't really hit the way I expected it to.

Here's what I liked. This book was silly and irreverent and fun to read. I especially liked the scenes between Aviva and her roommate/coworker. It was a great supportive female relationship. I also liked the world that was created. I was genuinely interested in the ex-boyfriend situation (a situation that was not actually clarified in this book). I haven't read a lot of fantasy based on Jewish traditions and belief. The creation of synthetic, kosher blood for the vampires was a new and interesting idea.

Unfortunately, I was confused too often to really feel like I got into the flow of the book. I would feel like I was following along and then the characters would make a huge leap in understanding the motive, etc., that I didn't agree with and didn't understand why they made that conclusion. And then, often, those conclusions would turn out to be wrong. These "twists" didn't work for me; I just didn't find them believable.

Also, while the world-building was interesting, it needed to be tighter. The first scene was great--Aviva is doing her thing, working for the Maccabees, and trying to get a promotion. I was all in. It wasn't the time to explain who the Maccabees were or to explain the corporate structure-- the hook was more important. But then the structure was not actually explained at all until 42% of the way through the book. I feel like something so central to the character needed to be clarified earlier. Same with the portal system, the city of Babel, etc. It just didn't work for me.

Overall, this book was fine, but by the end I was not invested in the mystery. I know there will be a book #2, but I won't be following this journey any longer. I think it had potential, though, and won't avoid this author forever.

Thank you to Netgalley for this book in exchange for my review.

*I received a free ARC of this novel from NetGalley*

I enjoyed this immensely. It’s well written, solid world building, and a protagonist you can really get behind.

While Avi is naive in her goal of making half-shedim accepted in society by being a good citizen, I still found myself rooting for her, wanting her to find self-acceptance.

Chosen family storylines appeal to me and I loved the strong friendship between Avi and Sachie. That said, Avi should trust her friend more than she does.

As for the romance, the tension between Ezra and Avi was really well done. Any urban fantasy romance that doesn’t resort to lazy insta-love gets my vote.

Looking forward to book two!

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers, and Big Demon Energy hit all the points for me with that trope. The world building was immersive without being hard to follow. Our FMC Aviva is a half-demon who has worked hard for a promotion, which ends up turning from a promotion to co-leading with Ezra, her now enemy that she has a past relationship with. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!

I always enjoy books by Deborah Wilde and this was no exception. This book is a great urban fantasy filled with a strong group of characters. It is fun, fast paced, and I can't wait for the next one in the series! Recommended.

This was an ok read. Worldbuilding was based on jewish mythology and religion, which was a refreshing change, but the whole system was confusing and felt like the author made it up as she went and never looked back. Aviva with her big secret was a good MC. Side characters were ok. Ezra was an ass.

The plot had its moments, but the investigation was such an illogical mess that it made me want to stop reading several times. The first person POV meant that there were many important bits simply glossed over in a few lines when the team split up. There wasn’t a clue so small that the characters didn’t jump to huge conclusions that dictated the course of investigation. And then they didn’t even get there in the end. The case continues in the next book. I’m not curious enough to read on though.

This was more women's fiction than enemies to lovers.

Instead of getting the promotion she thinks she deserves, Macabee (paranormal police officer) Aviva is instead tasked to co-lead a team with the man who broke her heart and fully destroyed her life 6 years ago. The team travels all over the world (and to the vampire realm) to try to solve a string of ritualistic murders.

This book has a heavy Jewish narrative and would have been fine if I wasn't expecting romance. It is certainly a snarky, urban fantasy - which can come across as just a women's fiction in which the FMC has an attitude. The story was new, if at times a little confusing. Overall, just not the genre for me.

⭐⭐
(no spice)

Hard-working Aviva has goals. In fact, she's about to get the promotions she's been dreaming about since she began her career as a supernatural operative. Just one its-bitsy problem. It's no big deal really. She's half-demon, so what! Sure she has to keep that secret because demons are hunted and condemned.

But instead of getting the promotion to lead her own unit, she gets to CO-LEAD with Ezra Cardoso. A vampire with whom she shares history. And not the good kind. Can Aviva put down the wooden stake with his name on it in order to solve a string of bizarre murders? Probably not.

Aviva is sassy and ruthless but still makes you care about her. She's laugh out loud funny. She definitely struggles with being half-demon and she doesn't trust just anyone with that secret, so the fact that Ezra knows it scares her and sets up a little tension.

I love a slow burn romance! I enjoyed the world-building and the fast paced plot, definitely keeps you engaged. This was a super fun read, I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Deborah Wilde, and Te Da Media for the e-ARC. #netgalley

Another great book from Deborah Wilde! She’s great at creating strong, ambitious female characters and crazy worlds of magic (and plenty of danger too!). This is a super slow burn and a second chance romance but I loved the banter and tension between Aviva and Ezra as well as their confrontational reintroduction after years apart and a less-than-friendly break up. It’s clear Ezra still cares for Aviva and they’ve a lot of history that needs to be discussed but until then, this book offers a great introduction to the series and these characters. It will leave you with questions and wanting more but I have no doubt it will deliver.

The world building is great and the existence of vampires being known across the world and accommodations made for them was intriguing. The descriptions for the different planes Aviva travels to set the scene well and the unruly vampire lands scream danger, as you’d expect from vampires. There’s plenty of action and fighting as well as a murder mystery in this book - pair that with some great characters, especially Sachi, Darsh and Silas, and it stays interesting throughout. This book sucked me in and I’m definitely going to be picking up the next in the series so I can see where it goes next and whether we find out more about Ezra’s recent history.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This book was so fun and entertaining. It throws you right in, which can take a moment to figure the world out, but the author does a fantastic job of explaining as you go.

I loved that Judaism was used as the basis of the magic and the community and hunting down rogue supernaturals. It was such a different and unique take and at the end the author acknowledges a Rabbi helped her. I don’t know if the author herself is Jewish but I appreciate that she went to someone who is to help with her world building.

It was such a unique take and I absolutely will continue on with this series.

Creative, addictive, and fast paced! Vampires, demons, hunters - conspiracy, politics, and broken hearts. Lovers to enemies to ? Great group of characters and strong storyline make this a great urban fantasy read. Ends on a small cliff, but didn't knock a point for that since it wasn't too painful.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this arc to read and review.

Deborah Wilde is an auto-buy author for me. I will - and have - read anything this woman pens. She is uniquely gifted at creating *smart* and *funny* main characters, and her books frequently contain many of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, snarky banter, and complex familial relationships (particularly mother-daughter relationships). The writing in this series-opener is just as complex, hilarious, and fast-paced as in her other series, and I am a HUGE fan of the main character, Aviva, and the love interest, Ezra, with whom she has a complicated past. There are plenty of secrets from that past yet to uncover, and I'm incredibly excited to see where this series goes. 10/10 stars. Highly recommend.

I love Deborah Wilde’s take on UF and this was no exception. Funny, irreverent and action packed, I just gobbled it down. There’s a strong found family vibe here too, even if the book didn’t end quite where I hoped. Aviva is a fun character. I look forward to more of her adventures.

I have been a fan of this author, and I was excited for another series. It didn’t take long for me to get immersed in this book. Aviva is a strong character who really must be since she’s hiding a big secret from everyone. I love her friendship with her team members so much that they have each other’s backs, and I really liked it when the new members were brought in. I actually was hoping they would be a team going forward. However, this still was a great series starter, and I’m excited to see how the relationship between Aviva and Ezra plays out in the succeeding books. And let’s not forget Cherry. She’s a hoot. Well-written, highly entertaining, action-packed thrill ride. Highly recommend.